Dumb steelhead question

[fishermom]

I understand that steelhead are the same family as rainbow trout. Just wondering how I will know if I catch one.

Last year, we caught some rainbow trout in a lake in Skagit county. When we cooked them, 3 had the same kind of flesh and 1 was very pink, like a salmon, and it was bigger too. At the time I thought maybe it might be a steelhead. Anyway, just curious if anyone knows. Want to be sure I know what I'm catching...........(so optimistic, lol)

[G-Man]

It's actually a common question. If you are fishing in a lake that does not have access to the ocean, the Great Lakes being the exception, the rainbows you catch are just rainbows. Now say your fishing in Lake Washington and you catch a big trout with rainbow markings, is it a Steelhead? The regs define it as a steelhead if it is 20" or more in length and if you caught it during a certain time of the year. Similarly, any rainbow caught in a river that empties to the ocean that is 20" or longer is considered a steelhead in our State. If you've caught several steelhead, you'll be able to differentiate them from a non-sea going bow. Body shape is different and coloring will be different as well depending on how much time the steelhead has spent in fresh water. They are the same fish, one just migrated downstream and spent some time in the salt the other decided not to and hung around in the river or lake. There is a thread from several months ago asking the same question, have a search and see what others have said.

Flesh color can change with diet and time of year. Female trout and salmon loose their flesh color, much more so than males, as get ready to spawn. The common belief is that the color goes to the eggs.

[kcc]

I read several years ago that the hatcheries feed shrimp meat to the triploids and it causes their meat to be pink. So I agree that with G-man that diet can play a part in the color of the meat. No knowing what lake you were fishing in fishermom, I would bet you caught a big trout or triploid, not a steelhead. Good luck in your hunt for steelhead.

[racfish]

Hey Fishermom the only dumb question is the one you dont ask.There are no dumb questions in our sport.Gman is correct. Fishes flesh colors are do to whats being eaten and their chemistry makeup.Some salmon in the same species have red,pink,calico or white meat.Just depends on what they are munching mostly...

[curado]

kings and coho have such red mear because of the the mix of foods in the salt candlefish,krill,sardine,herring, squid and so on