If you want to find out what a Steelhead is, try to pass those brutes off as a limit of rainbow trout at a fish and game check station. You’ll soon learn the difference.;)
I personally would have loved it if there had never been any non native species moved anywhere. Leave nature alone. Can you imagine what our lake trout, brook trout, lake sturgeon, walleye, perch, pan fish populations and sizes in those lakes would be like if they didn’t have to compete for food with species from other places?
The Edmund Fitzgerald went down with all hands in a hurricane force gail on Lake Superior. She was hauling a load of taconite to the steel mills so we could all have cars to drive, refrigerators and anything made of steel. Next time you get into your vehicle think of this; the price of your vehicle is measured in more than mere dollars, it is measured in human lives past, present, future.
Great answer. Thanks. I would, however, beg to differ about the Italian being Italian thing. My great grandparents were German. Their kids, grandkids, greatgrandkids, and greatgreatgrandkids considered themselves Americans, myself included.
I like the term motorheads too, but won’t quibble.
Follow up questions:
Were the GL strain of transplanted rainbows McCloud Steelhead, or were they the McCloud Redband Rainbows which seem to have been sent around the world?
Anyone hear of any other east coast rivers flowing to the Atlantic with transplanted rainbows going to sea? Thanks for the info on the PEI, etc steelhead…never knew that.
Were the GL strain of transplanted rainbows McCloud Steelhead, or were they the McCloud Redband Rainbows which seem to have been sent around the world?
They were taken from the McCloud river and believed to be pure steelhead, but we’re are talking about the first plants being over 100 yrs ago and back then records were not kept the way they are today, so no one can say for sure “exactly” what strain they are. Here’s a couple links to some of the history of our GL steelhead with some good info if you’d like to read a bit about them.
http://www.swmtu.org/fishing/great-lakes-steelhead-history-and-tactics
http://www.michigansportsman.com/Tips_n_Trix/Steelhead_History.html
Steve
For me, it comes down to “running” fish versus “non-running” fish. There are populations of rainbows in western water swimming alongside steelhead, and while they may look similar, in their season, the steelhead will head out to open water, and the rainbows will stay put. Likewise, in the great lakes, in the spring, the steelhead will make for the lake, while any trout will stick around (at least this holds true in the PA ditches). To me, for my purposes, that’s enough to call them steelhead. Additionally, I’m a firm believer in the idea of language as a tool to facilitate communication rather than a set of rules to define it. In that sense, I’m of the opinion that if the majority of people will understand what you’re talking about when you say “I went to Lake Erie and caught some steelhead” as opposed to “I went to lake erie and caught some lake-run trout/motorheads/steelbow/etc” then the term ‘steelhead’ by reason of greater understanding, has become the accepted term, regardless of what the pedants might say.
That said, however, I do feel there’s a clear distinction between GL steel and PNW steel. GL steel can complete an entire “run” in PA tribs by swimming a mile. PNW steel aren’t even in the running mood until they’ve covered 100 or more miles. Other than their name, there’s no comparison.
One other thing: the discussion seems to be assuming that all GL steel is from the McCloud strain, which is simply not true (at least in PA). The Erie steel in PA are ‘mutts’ mixed and matched and interbred into a nameless mongrel strain.
Here’s a thought. I wonder if we took some of those fresh water steelhead and moved them back to a PNW river if they would smoltify and resume migration to the salt?
Interesting question, and that would really tell the tale, huh?
I believe they would, but I’m by no means sure…that’s just my guess.
Has such a study ever been carried out?
I think, like with all steelhead, some would once again resume migration to the salt and some would become resident. It is becoming more apparent with the study of steelhead that the resident version of steelhead, more commonly called rainbow, is very important to the survival of the species. When ocean conditions do not favor survival of steelhead it seems the resident population will supplement the ocean going population. As was stated earlier in this thread the two fish, those that chose to head to the salt and those that stay behind in fresh water, are genetically the same fish. The next question would be what causes some to stay behind and become resident rainbows as the majority head to sea?
I live in a place that intersects where steelhead and king salmon come home from the Pacific Ocean to spawn and where a manmade barrier ( a dam ) separates stocked land locked king salmon from their ocean run cousins. Around here we refer to those fish that live in the lake and spawn in the river above the lake as Landlocked Salmon, not as King or Chinook. We make that distinction.
Just as we do when we fish for lake dwelling but river spawning progeny of the Sockeye Salmon, the Kokanee Salmon. Thats a distinction thats fairly universal.
On the other hand if you fish for introduced Trout or Char in lakes where there is natural reproduction by way of tributaries. Do you refer to them as Rainbow, Brown, Cutthroat, etc. or do you refer to them with a name that imparts their specific gene pool. My guess is that it varies with the angler and the location.
What about sea run Brown’s & Cutthroat, would we make that distinction if their progeny were to be planted and trapped behind a manmade structure and spawn in that structures tributaries?
What about the living descendants of the great inland sea?
So here are a couple of questions for you guys that fish these waters.
Do you refer to Landlocked Atlantic Salmon as Atlantic Salmon, Landlock’s or Landlocked Atlantic Salmon?
Or something else entirely. Do you make a distinction?
For the guys of the west who fish for the progeny of Steelhead, that were trapped behind dams after their construction. Do you refer to them as Steelhead, Steelhead Strain, ( a proper name ) river strain, or what?
Food for thought, or fat for the fire?
Best regards, Dave
The ones behind the dam or any barriar to migration are referred to as rainbows. The rainbows that head to the ocean are called steelhead. Clear as mud.
I haven’t rechecked the regs, but last time I read them Idaho considered any rainbow at or over 20" that was in a waterway that historically flowed to the ocean a steelhead.
Featherbender made an excellent point on the “traveling” aspect of fishies. When you stop to consider it is well over 700 miles from the ocean to the upper reaches of the Clearwater in Idaho, into the Selway and Lochsa drainages, and around 5,000 elevation gain along the way, plus a few unnatural obstacles to go with the natural ones, big fish that swim a mile or two from a great lake into a trib really aren’t very impressive. Big fish, but kind of a “so what” thing to someone in the Intermountain West.
Chinook salmon are another one of nature’s wonders. Same trip from near the top of the Idaho side of the Bitterroots, about twenty five miles from where I am sitting to the upper reaches of Brushy Fork Creek, close to 800 miles and 6,000’ elevation loss down to the ocean, and back.
If Western steelhead and Chinook salmon don’t make you stop and think, probably ain’t nothing in fly fishing that will.
John
Let’s not assume that it’s only a couple miles from the mouth to the spawning grounds for GL steelhead though because that’s rarely the case. Yes some streams in PA that I have fished such as Walnut creek and others are a very short distance. But my favorite spot here in Mi to fish steel is exactly 90 miles from the mouth on the Pere Marquette. And I’ve also caught some Wisc. fin clipped steelies in the PM so those fish went the entire width of Lake Michigan (307 miles) plus another 90 miles up stream so a good 400 miles to get to where they are going.
Pacific Northwest steelhead have been found as far away as the Sea of China. That is on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. When it comes to miles traveled there is no comparison.
Kerry I’m not trying to argue with you, how far they have been found really doesn’t make a bit of difference to me. If you like to think the GL Steelhead are not Steelhead then that’s fine & dandy your entitled to your own opinion no matter if it’s right or wrong.
Gotta say, I agree with Kerry that there’s no comparison. 300 miles in a lake compared to a few thousand (likely) in an ocean…where they are not even close to the top of the food chain. And all those miles in the lake or the ocean are not part of their run. I do feel that steelhead are steelhead, whether in the PNW or GL, but to draw parallels between them, the GL variety is a relatively huge amount of fish in a much smaller (though still really big) barrel. That has no salt in it. Which doesn’t matter…but I’m just sayin’.
Great discussion so far! I’m glad my picture brought it up. Unfortunately, I’ve seen these discussions turn almost as brutal as an East Coast / West Coast gang war, which actually isn’t a bad analogy. I’ve personally fished for both “varieties”, and to me, a Steelhead is a sea OR Great Lakes running Rainbow Trout. Key here for me is that it is a LARGE Rainbow Trout… Anything else is just semantics.
Since when did miles swum, feet in elevation, salt water, fresh water or what not determine the genetics of the species? Great Lakes steel head are without a doubt at the very least the direct genetic descendants of the PNW steel head.
Personally statements making this post a “my fish is better than your fish” kind of thing seems a bit boorish to me. Just MHO. I really don’t care what they are called.
Agreed! I have also been all over this nation and I am not prejudiced against any of it. I liked it all. Like I said people who do the “my fish is better than your fish”…well…boorish. Lets keep the egos out of it.
Pointing out facts and the differences between the two fish. They are night and day, no need to argue.
There is a direct relationship between the differences of steelhead from different river basins and the geography of those basins. The larger, longer, and more powerful rivers produce a larger more powerful fish necessary to navigate that system and make it to their chosen spawning grounds. This is also true of all species of salmons that swim in each of the rivers. The fact that Pacific Northwest steelhead also swim thousands of mile of ocean only contributes to their size and strength. Environment means everything.