3 replies to this topic

[ShadetreeIchthyologist]

Do you guys consider the Great Lakes (Oncorhynchus mykiss) a steelhead or a rainbow trout? If you ask me I say if it lives part of its life in saltwater its a steelhead and if it doesn't its a rainbow. What are your thoughts?

[AquaHobbyist123]

Same. I refer to individuals spending their whole lives in freshwater rainbows.

[Chasmodes]

Folks up North consider them steelhead. The Michigan State Government states, "Steelhead is a name given to migratory rainbow trout that are born in rivers but spend most of their lives in the ocean or the Great Lakes."

 

Here's a good read about the history of Great Lakes Steelhead: https://www.wildstee...akes-steelhead/

 

I've fished for them in NY and PA, and locals (at least my fishing buddies from up there) define the difference based on their appearance. Fresh steelhead that arrive in the creeks and rivers have the steel look, with the nickname "chromers", but if they stay in the creeks for a long period of time, they regain the usual rainbow trout colors. Smaller fish that they catch that have the usual rainbow colors are usually referred to anecdotally as resident fish. It's true that the "resident" fish appearance shows much richer coloration than even the colored up migratory fish. But, how do you really know, maybe the smaller colored up ones migrated in the from the lake too?

 

Also, here's another tidbit about Skamania Steelhead that are stocked by Michigan and NY. "Skimania are a summer run/spring spawning strain of steelhead which was developed by the State of Washington from wild stocks on the Washougal River". So, there are West Coast strains stocked in the Great Lakes.

 

Here's a supposed "resident" rainbow (PA)

 

 

Here's a "chromer" (NY) 

 

And here's a colored up migratory fish (PA):

[ShadetreeIchthyologist]

Interesting Chasmodes