having grown up in North Idaho and fished there for steelhead that made the journey from those upper tributaries out to sea and back and now being in the north country of New York and fishing for the rainbows and "steelhead" here I also found the name thing odd. But I will say that the rainbows (steelhead) that come out of Lake Ontario have a different disposition and fight different than large rainbows elsewhere in the area that do not have access to the lake. also I don't think that any where in upstate New York you can find any rainbow that will match sizes with the fish coming out of the lakes. so I believe that an argument could be made that those lake run rainbows be called steelhead. I will admit I still struggle with them being called steelhead because they do not actually go to the ocean but after fishing for trout here I will honestly say they do deserve a distinction from there siblings that do not reside in the lakes. I don't know which way to go!