With all this talk comming up the past few years about steelhead and resident rainbows being the same and spawning together I have wondered about a certian fish caught last year..
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I caught this strange looking bugger on a upper upper stretch of one of the rivers out here in early January. It was a buck of about 4 or 5 pounds 26 inches or so..
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You be the judge steelhead or rainbow.

Rich,

My hunch is that it's a steelhead. The length suggests that to me, although the length/girth relationship appears near the margin for being either one. Headwater rainbows are usually much smaller, although there are exceptions to most everything. Lower river fish could attain larger sizes, however, they usually get caught and bonked first. And a lower river resident venturing into the headwaters would normally be expected to do so in the spring or summer. It's cool that there are fish out there breaking enough of the rules to keep us confused so that we never completely understand them.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

i hate to burst your bubble if you think it is a steelhead, i've heard that if its over 20 inches its considered a steelhead. i dont agree with that type of classifying when talking about steelhead.it looks like a native cut-throat to me

Rich,
I have to agree with sturgio. I've seen some native cutthroats in some upper river and smaller creek stretches that I've caught that look exactly the same as this one. They are resident native cutthroats usually 12-20 inches. Have caught some above 20 inches. I'm saying native cutthroat.

chromeslayer

Well, since they are both the same fish, I guess I can't go wrong with my guess!

Steelhead.

Just doesn't have the big 'bow look to it. Doesn't look like a cutty.

Parker,
What makes you think it isn't a big cutty? I wish I had a digital camera, I'd go catch a couple today and send the picture to ya. You ever caught a cutty? Just curious. Somebody out there help me out. I really think its a cutty.

chromeslayer

Throat slashes? Don't see any.............

IMO steelhead. Not cutty because of the distinctive horizontal pink slash from gillplate back. Plus big cutties I've seen have lots of "goldish" hues along fins and back and smaller spots (This steelhead is really mottled though, but with relatively bigger spots.). Not resident because of the watermarking. I'm talking about those grey splotches along its flanks.

Well thats a tough one , by doing a little research and comparing photos my guess would be a native steelhead. Dont think its a cutthroat, no spots on anal fins and the jaw doesnt came back past the eye hardly.

http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/waterres/salmon/trout.htm

Look at the link and read and see what you think.

Thanks Chromeslayer, but don't bother. I know a cutty when I see one. Or, at least I should, seeing how I have a degree in Fisheries. Glub knows I spent a lot of time looking at fish! Oh, and yes, I've caught a cutty or two in my lifetme.

It's a steelhead.

Oh wait, Rich caught that? Never mind, that's most definitely a white fish..no..sucker!

I say native cutthroat in spawning phase. Compare the spotting between Rich's fish and a cutthroat I caught out of Lake WA.



Very similar.

Sturgio,
Chromeslayer,

Look at the spot pattern. Coastal cutthroat spots typically extend well below the lateral line compared to Rich's specimen. The black margin on the adipose is also more typical of rainbow/steelhead. Also, a cutthroat that colored up should definitely be showing off its red throat slashes. Of course, the two species are so closely related that we'd have to do a chromosome count to really be sure.

Easylimits,

The spots on your cutthroat extend further below the lateral line than on Rich's fish, and the spots are proportionately smaller as well.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I would have to say that is very definatly a native steelhead. 100% sure that it is not a cutthroat. A cut would have yellowish fins and bright orange slashes under that head. Especially a native cut. A bow has more rounded fins that this fish has. At that time of year a native bow would be very bright as they don't spawn until lator in the spring. And just the likely hood of a bow reaching that length in a river which in terms of native resident fish wouldn't have a very big food source.I caught a fish almost exactly like this a couple of years ago and it was definatly a steelhead.

Tim

Looks like a small wild summer steelhead to me. Doesn't look at all like a cuttie to me, with the red band and pink cheeks, no slashes, no yellow/orange on fins. Shape looks like steelhead. So, take a look at this westside upper river fish from last fall, steelhead or resident? :

http://www.robelam.com/fishing/02images/winter/leopard_bow.jpg

Rich's fish appears to be a small steelhead. Now nailknot's is a bit of a quandry. My call is either cutty or cutbow. Either way, it's a naas feeesh.

Double post. Well there's a first time for everything, damn back button.

Nailnot's fish looks similar to cuttbow hybrids I used to catch in upper river tribs that were isolated from any steely population in the main river by dams, waterfalls, etc.

Some of the fish I caught were more cutt-like, w / tounge teeth, some more like a rainbow. I think they are all hybrids.

I can tell you that 5 minutes after the above fish, I hooked and landed another, same size, light spots above lat line, silvery, deep red band "typical" rainbow. I think the one in the photo looks like a cutt/bow a bit as well. This river is open to the salt, not isolated. Also looks a lot like the AK bows with the heavy spots. Another view of the same fish as above (no flash & kinda blurry): http://www.robelam.com/fishing/02images/winter/blur_bow.jpg

That would be one heck of a big sea-run!

If that's not a steelhead, then I'm a lot better cutthroat fisherman than I ever dreamed!

Doesn't look like any of the cutts I've seen from the river. As Salmo g mentions, the spotting doesn't extend far enough down the body ... that's one thing that always catches my eye when we do get a cuttie is just how far down the spotting extends.

As for coloration, there's a reason the cutts are called "yellowbellies" out here! (might be the case elsewhere too, just never fish a lot for them specifically) Don't see that on this fish at all!