Munsel salmon

My point was steelhead are very resilient and all fish are survivors and Munsel is the first of a chain of lakes and their will to spawn is why they are alive today. The fact there is still steelhead in Socal in a very small creek that has a dam and has sewer effluent and is 3 inches of water most of the year is a testament to the tenacity of steelhead. I believe small populations of wild fish exist in these small coastal creeks.If the Sea Run Cuts can thrive I bet the steelies can too! I got one for you Roger, I fish N Twin in Deschutes County in the winter I have seen rainbows spawning there in winter. There is no creek feeding that lake it is pristine rain melt only it can happen. I know you pride yourself on the STEP education yes good stuff but nature doesn't always follow our beliefs!. I bet Sutton has a small run its got a better system.

N Twin landlocked spawning Redsides caught January 2013 no tributaries!

I have no idea where or what N Twin is but the caudal, dorsal, and anal fins on your lower fish show that it spent a good portion of its life in a hatchery. The upper fish as well to a lesser extent (mainly the dorsal). So if you're trying to claim those are wild fish (not sure what the point of the photo is really), I don't believe it.

Never claimed they where wild but they where spawning all over the lake, the water is so clear in winter you can watch them create Redds and do the dance! So only wild fish spawn?

Rainbows PREFER clean water and gravel however some of these lakes have the clean water and very little gravel. But Munsel has upwelling from the deep aquifer kind of like natural springs and it is deep enough for cool water all year! They used to clip fish so it was easy to tell nowadays who knows!