Just wondering what the diff is between a steelhead and rainbow? Also if it was tagged fish and game would know about them wouldnt they? Nice fish, how much did he weigh?

We were just kidding about the fish being a steelhead... It WAS a rainbow... just big and bold colors. We don't have have steelies around here. You'd have to go to Ontario or something to get them. They're usually a bigger fish and I believe they're just a sea run breed of rainbow???

ok thanks, if you look online you eillsee photos og steelhead it sure looks like one how much did it weigh?

I believe it was 3.1 pounds 22"

The tag was from the Great Rotary Fishing derby it is not a state tagged fish it is one of the lucky ones earmarked to win the Ice fishing derby we were only 6 months off.

Well Wayne, being a Rookie myself actually, I asked the question. From the answers I got I was under the impression a Steehead and a Rainbow are one and the same as well as Atlantic Salmon and Landlocked Salmon being one and the same.

We were just kidding around with the post yesterday, but in fact I thought they were the same, we just don't call them Steelheads around here normally.

Perhaps we can get one of our resident experts to clarify this question ???????

If all goes well I plan to go Atlantic Salmon fishing on Squam this weekend, LOL. Down south you can go Striper fishing in many fresh water Lakes, same exact fish as our ocean Stripers.

John S.

I did some reading online and found that a steelhead is a rainbow that reproduces in salt water and lives in fresh water they are very similar however, the steelhead can grow to 30lbs according to one site I looked at. They are a in a way like landlockes in that they both come from saltwater originally. SO technically it could be possible. Nice fish! Good luck on squam.

You nailed it.

Cool Water

Um, i think you got it backwards it is born in fresh water, lives it's life in salt water like the ocean and then returns to the fresh water like a river to spawn.

My brother lives in Woodinville, WA----40 miles from
Puget Sound--a brook on his land is like Flint Brook
in Nashua (about 1' deep/3' wide on an April rainy day). in the spring--25 lb. Steelhead are thrashing there. The DFG blocks off access from the small bridges to protect the spawning fish. I've seen steelhead in 2' wide "ditches" in the Cascades--100 miles from Puget Sound and 2000' MSL --it's incredible!

It's my understanding the Steelheads as we call them come up the rivers, streams, etc. in the Fall to eat the Salmon eggs and stay on to spawn in the Spring.

Amazing the call of mother nature to spawn and what some fish will do to follow thier destiny.

Which fish die after they spawn and which return to the sea, Lake or whatever to spawn again ????

John S.

Yo A you are right and now im going to have to explain like a boring doctor. Ok here it is in not so simple temrs...

Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) belong to the family Salmonidae(not Salmonitis LOL!!!) which includes all salmon, trout, and chars. Steelhead are the anadromous form of rainbow trout, a salmonid species native to western North America and the Pacific Coast of Asia. The term ANADROMOUS refers to fish species born in the stream that migrate to the ocean for their adult phase. Steelhead are similar to some Pacific salmon in their life cycle and ecological requirements. They are born in fresh water streams, where they spend their first 1-3 years of life. They then emigrate to the ocean where most of their growth occurs. After spending between one to four growing seasons in the ocean, steelhead return to their native fresh water stream to spawn.

Cool Water

We have steelhead here in New England, Lake Memphremagog and Lake Champlain. To see fish in action view this site slide show of steelhead going up the Willoughby River, real cool. http://www.scenesofvermont.com/fishing/fish_jumping.html

Thanks Doc Williams, it's all coming together now. I finally did some web searching myself, together with your info it seems Rainbows and Steelehead have the same latin name, hence the same basic cat. The following web site explains it quite well by saying that New York has "Two Types" of Rainbows, one being called a Steelhead. What can't you find on the internet ??? So I guess we were all right and wrong at the same time.

http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/fishspecs/rainbow.gif

Rainbow Trout

Natives of the Pacific Coast, rainbow trout were introduced into New York waters in the 1870s. Like brown trout, rainbows are more tolerant of warm water than the native trout and are found throughout the State.

In New York, there are two types of rainbows. The first, simply called rainbow, is found mostly in medium to large streams or small to medium size lakes. The second, called steelhead, is only found in lakes Champlain, Ontario and Erie and their tributaries. This anadromous (spawn in streams but live most of life at sea) fish uses these large lakes as their sea.

Rainbow trout are often very colorful fish. They have gray-blue to greenish backs and light colored sides with dark spots. Rainbows get their name from the pink or red band often present on their sides. During spawning, this band turns a deep red. Like other trout, adult rainbows tend to be more silvery when living in large lakes like the Great Lakes.

Quite variable in size, mature rainbow trout may weigh one or two pounds in streams and more than 15 pounds in the Great Lakes. Whether the fish is small or large, fishing for rainbow trout is a popular pastime for many New York anglers. Not quite as wary as brown trout, rainbows often put up spectacular fights when hooked, frequently making a series of acrobatic jumps.

OK we beat that one to death and I learned something, so let's move on.

Adrien can you send me a copy of that "fish", I need it for my book, LOL, thanks. Great photo by the way, he was a beauty and you made him look even better. If I took the photo like normal, at home hours later, with blood all over my hands, etc. it would not have looked anywhere as nice. Taking the photo right after the fish is caught sure helps.

John S.