How do you tell if a steelhead is not worthy of eating (before ya crack it on the head)? What time of day is Steelhead fishing most productive?

Thanks

If it has an adipose fin it will taste horrible.

**waits for plunker**

Howdy New Guy,

I've only caught a couple steelhead, so can't speak directly to their "eatability", but I can tell you with big Dolly Varden (which I no longer keep at all...strictly CnR) you can open their mouths and take a whiff of their breath.

If it smells like ca-ca toss them back...means they have been eating off dead salmon will will taste like mud.

As for Steelhead...I bonked the spawned out hatchery hen I caught last month, but released the native. You must release native fish, no matter what.

As of tomorrow, the Skagit (and other waters as well?) is/are 100% CnR anyway, I believe.

Mike

NG,
I believe that ALL steelhead are worthy of NOT being being cracked on the head, but having said that I also feel that those with a clipped fin should be harvested. It's why they were produced in the first place. However, one exception to this are downriver (kelt) steelhead which I see no reason to harvest even if clipped because their palatibility is low and you can no longer keep them out of the gene pool since they have already spawned.
Of course, all this depends on how hungry or deprived you are. If I'm starving I'd probably keep anything, but on the other hand if I'm starving I'm sure not going to rely on steelhead for my source of food either. The way I see it, just about any other fish would be cheaper and easier to get for food than steelhead.

Great question, which should stir some good debate.
From my experience I have found the 9 am to 11am to be the best productive period overall for catching winter steelhead, since it has not only been a consistent time but a more extended bite period as well. But it generally understood that the first and last light of the day, although a much narrower time period, is the most consistent and reliable time to catch steelhead in general and summer runs in particular.

Hope this helps.

If its chrome it goes home. Stlhdh20 was right too, if you bonk one with an adipose it will taste horrible. Its something bout that little fin that just ruins the meat.

I am a believer in the 9am and 1 pm bite time theory but I have caught fish at all times of the day.

Chromeo

Having never tasted the wild stuff I may not be as great an expert as some of the other guys, but I think as long as it hasn't spawned it is pretty good (and I don't like fish much except halibut). Stay away from any down river fish that have spawned.

I second the 9:00 am to 11:00am time period.
For winter steelhead.But summer's it's first light tell 8:00am then 6:30 till dark.Release all native & downer steelhead.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

You can eat em as long as they arent to dark, and if they have color to them put em on the smoker. And for time of day i have found that in the morning is the best time and when ever fish are pushin up.

For some reason I have hooked more fish at 8am than any other time. I hooked a bunch around 2pm this winter too. Weird.

Time of day,any time I get to go.


Best time,after lunch in march when the sun has been on the water

We've had fish from up river to down river, crome, red, red/green and almost black on the belly and all have been great table fair. Have only kept 1 native summer run(hooked deep) and it was as red as could be and it was great too.

As for time of day, well, if your at the hole, your alone and get first cast then you showed up right on time.

I prefer the chrome fish to colored fish as far as table fare. I've caught them at all times of the day but I do agree with the 9 to 11 theory also. I also agree with first one to get to the hole usually catches a fish (as long as there are fish in it).

As far as table fare goes. Summer runs will stay in great shape from the time they enter the river to late fall before they start converting stored fats and energy into producing "spawning goods" (usually late OCT/NOV on the west side)

Far as winters go. The hens can trick you if they have been in for a while. They will stil be "bright" but the meat will turn very fast because of heavy egg production. The males on the other hand can stil be good to eat, even with the red war paint on. One of the best eating fish i have ever ate was a mid february buck that had quite a bit of color... If they have black bellies they should definetly go back.

For me my favorite time of day to hit steel is about 15-30 min after first light all the way to an hour before total darkness. Ive never had great luck on winter runs at dusk, i think it has something to do with them anticipating moving up river agian under darkness???

Glade to hear that. Thouse big Dollies, actually they most are Bull Trout, take forever to grow that big. And even though they are open to keep on the Skagit and Sky, I hope people release them as they are a sign that that system is in good shape. Also they are the first fish to go after enviromental damage and the last fish to return.

As for steelhead, I've only kept 3 a few seasons ago when I first started to steelhead. They tasted fine, but then again they where all in good condition. The last couple seasons though I have released all the steelhead I caught even though they where hatchery. I know a lot of people say "if it is hatchery then bonk it" but I believe that since there are few of these great fish left, why not let them swim free. The rewards are the same. I'd rather see more fish return to the hatchery so there will be more fish latter on. I even don't mind if hatchery fish spawn naturally since it still means more fish in the years to come.

IMHO release the steelhead to save them, and go catch salmon fresh from the ocean instead. The salmon taste better too.

Not necessarily.

A chrome brite fish is the best. It seems if you keep one that is a little dark that they get darker once they have been bonked for awhile. Look at the meat if you keep a darker fish if it is started to get pail loosing some if it color smoke it. I dont dont keep em unless they are brite or just started to turn a little.

I prefer to fish mid day when all the crackers get off the river.. Plus it allows me to cure my hangover from the night before when I finally get out..
Keith

I know the survival rate of wild steelhead smolts are higher then wild-born hatchery steelhead smolts. But any fish is better than no fish, you can't dissagree with that.

FishingJunky15,
The problem you are getting into here is that if these hatchery fish are spawning with the wilds. Hatchery fish are very genetically weak. After 6 generations of wild spawning hatchery fish they only have a 25% chance of survival before the 3% or so that they have if they are first generation. If you get these hatcherys spawning with the nates its really gonna hurt the native genetics.

If its just gonna hurt the nates I would rather not have the fish.

Chromeo