I was hiding behind shrubs and watching 2 steelheads spawning in a small creek today. It look liked they were spawning because they were next to each other the entire time and once in a while one of them (bright and looked like winter run) swam side way like digging but it would go all the way to the bank over silt which didn't make sense. I never thought I would have this many questions about steelhead but it made me curious after watching them.

My assumptions:
1- One of them looked very bright and in great shape and I assume winter run.
2- The other was beaten up with white stuff and looked like summer run.
3- Couldn't see the adipose but I am pretty sure they are hatchery or possibly wild.
4- Looked like they were spawning but may be they were playing

Questions:

1- Am I a pervert for watching?
1. Isn't it early to spawn?
2: If 2 winter runs spawn, would the offspring be winter run?
3. If the answer to question 3 is yes. What happens if a summer run and winter run spawn. Would the kid fish come back in summer or winter.
4. If these fish are spawning in the same area why one (summer run) came back early.

"I never thought I would have this many questions about steelhead but it made me curious after watching them.


3- Couldn't see the adipose but I am pretty sure they are hatchery or possibly wild."

Hey pervert...
I can't help with any of the other technical questions, but on this one I will say...YES

We see this all the time on some of our clear creeks.

Here is my take on the events you witnessed. The bright fish you saw was a hen, and that "swimming side ways" gig was her fanning a redd. The dark one was the male. He's all colored up, because the steelhead chicks dig it. Kind of neat to watch.

My buddy has a tiny creek on his property in Northern Minnesota. On a good year, there are about three pairs of fish that come in to spawn. We've watched them do this tons of times. Get's even more fun when there are two males and a hen. Yikes, now I'm sounding like a pervert.

If you took pictures would it be porn?

Stihlhead,

Questions:

1) Maybe, but that's not a judgement I care to make.

2) No. Most hatchery winter steelhead have spawned by now, or will be shortly. And summer steelhead would be spawning about now and through March.

3) If a summer and winter steelhead spawn together, the "kid" steelhead will return in the summer, or winter, or spring, or fall. Darn kids, they don't always follow instructions.

4) I don't understand your question. If you are asking why a summer run and winter run are spawning in the same place, perhaps it's because they were stocked in the same place as smolts.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

JD,
I know, it sounded funny but I meant to say they were most likely hatchery or may be even wild but not native.

I will have their x-rated video for sale shortly


Salmo g.

I thought summer runs come early because they have to go higher stretches of a river to spawn and winter runs come later and will spawn relatively in low(er) parts of a river. Since these fish were spawning in the same spot, I assumed they should be of the same kind either both summer or both winter but not the mix. I have seen fish spawn many times but never this close and right above them (hence "pervert") that I could clearly see a mix of summer and winter run.

ok, I caught my mistake. They are hatchery so they will come back to the same spot but what is making them to come back in summer or winter? Is it the time they were released?

Stihlhead -
Both winter and summer steelhead smolts leave the river at the same time of the year (peak out migration occurring early to mid-May). Spawning winter fish produce winter fish.

Sometimes you tell hatchery winter males from hatchery summer males by their colorations. Most of the hatchery summer males have a distinctive coloration - they have the unique greenish (almost lime) backs with a very pronounce red stripe while the winter fish will be much darker (almost black) and their red stripe is less of a contrast with the rest of the fish's coloration.

The location of your creek in relation to nearby hatcheries or release sites might also provide some insight into the origin of the fish.

I would encourage all anglers to take the time to watch spawning fish and their behaviors when the opportunity presents itself. The more we learn about the fish we pursue the more we'll appreciate them.

Tight lines
Smalma

Smalma,
I edited my post and removed the name of the creek. It is really not a zipperlip IMHO but I got a phone call from a close friend and out of respect for him I edited my post. I will PM you the name of the creek.

---
My edited version:

I saw them at a creek which goes into a hatchery. About a month or so ago I talked to someone who was separating summer runs and winter runs and she said they will send the summer runs (or the smolts?) to another river for release and keep the winter runs here.

At the time it didn't occur to me to ask what happens if a summer run and winter run spawn.

You said "Spawning winter fish produce winter fish" is this always true and is it genetic? Based on what she said we also know that there are both summer and winter runs in that system. Now assuming that what I saw was a spawning summer and winter run, when will the returning adult come back? Would it be tossup and/or a confused fish?

--

Stihlhead-
No need to name the creek or email me that information - don't want to tread on anyone's zipper-lip. I was not sure whether the "creek" was open to fishing or some small tributary you had encountered in your travels.

In the Puget Sound region the hatchery winters spawn from late December to late February and the hatchery summers spawn from mid/late Janaury to early March so it is possible for the two to cross. The wild summers and winters use different portions of the basin so are unlikely to cross.

In the wild whether a fish population is a summer or winter is largely determined by the types of habitats the fish lives in and what strategy is most successful of over the generations. Both fish are late winter/spring spawners. Thus we tend to find summer fish on systems were long migrations (hundreds of miles) are needed or in upper sections of shorter systems were there are falls or canyons that the are difficult migration points that are most easily passed in summer/fall flow conditions.

A cross between a summer and winter fish is likely to procduce a "tweener" - a fish with the characteristics of both. This implies that such fish would be a fall type fish. Clearly the stream where you saw the fish was naturally a winter run stream (enough clues to guess which stream) such "tweeners" would
likely be less successful in the wild so their offspring would have low survival (not matched to their habitats) and unlikely to persist for long.

Tight lines
Smalma

Smalma,
"tweener"? It sounds funny. I have to call someone a tweener and see what they do

You must not have checked your private message box. Hurry up and read it before my friend gets a hold of me.

If anyone is dying or care to know, send me a private message. I have permission to reply it is really NOT a zipperlip and you are going to say "oh, that one ... dumb" but it will keep a friend HAPPY