Releasing downhill runners

[hobster]

I like em, don't taste like mud to me.

 

[OnTheDrop]

As for down runners, I'm not sure anyone in my boat has tagged one.

I take that back, one guy last winter took one and called me the next day saying "I'll never do that again"

 

[Markk]

I have retained downriver fish and I dont care for the taste of them. I dont fish for steelhead anymore but if i did i would release a downriver fish. If the regs required retention then i would bonk it. But it would be crab bait.

 

[plumb2fish]

Summer steelhead mature sexually in the river. when they leave the ocean, their gonads are very underdeveloped and they have a high omega 3 content in their flesh because they have to live off of that stored fat(energy) until they spawn between late November and April
Winter steelhead enter fresh water with mature or very nearly mature sex organs and spawn much sooner after entering the stream, thus MOST winters have a much lower omega 3 content.
Some people prefer these fish because it has less fat in it, I however do not.
I prefer a March or April summer or a sealiced Springer to a winter or Any coastal fall Chinook

 

[bubs]

Summer steelhead mature sexually in the river. when they leave the ocean, their gonads are very underdeveloped and they have a high omega 3 content in their flesh because they have to live off of that stored fat(energy) until they spawn between late November and April
Winter steelhead enter fresh water with mature or very nearly mature sex organs and spawn much sooner after entering the stream, thus MOST winters have a much lower omega 3 content.
Some people prefer these fish because it has less fat in it, I however do not.
I prefer a March or April summer or a sealiced Springer to a winter or Any coastal fall Chinook

Ah, makes sense now. Yeah, I can definitely get behind the 'fatter the better' thinking.

 

[rogerdodger]

I was chewing on this excellent thread and decided that anadromous fish are like a box of chocolates, you may have an idea of what you are getting, due to species and appearance, but can't always be sure until you process the fish.

so fully utilizing the food value of your catch, if that is a priority, requires flexibility and a variety of techniques...top quality fish just fillet and freeze or grill; we smoke and can scraps and bits; soups and curries are a great way to use some parts; smoking fillets from certain fish to add flavor and texture....

there is sort of a parallel with venison/elk/other game, some parts are perfect table fare (backstraps, steaks), other parts best for jerky and roasts, and some is best mixed with higher fat ground pork in order to make good sausage....

cheers, roger

 

[Steelheader4Life]

Anyone else ever had a awesome piece of Winter Steel?[/QUOTE]

Plenty of times. Especially a buck straight out of the salt!!

 

[jamisonace]

I'm just not a huge steelhead fan. I've enjoyed it on the grill both summer and winter but for the most part I smoke it all and I'm pretty picky about what I'll keep for myself. The rest goes to friends and they love it.

It's all a matter of personal taste in my opinion.

 

[thundercleez]

Just because a fish is a down runner is not proof that it spawned in the stream at all. Depends on the policy for your stream. My local system, we release fish after collection.


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[Hookset]

I agree with a lot of this about it being a personal taste and how you prepare your fish. I enjoy winter steel. My family loves fish and have had all kinds of fish prepared for them.

 

[Native Fisher]

I work in fisheries policy and might have the unpopular opinion here, but there should be more mandatory hatchery retention, especially a hatchery downrunner. We are all aware that hatchery fish are generally weaker than native broodstock. A hatchery downrunner is one that didn't hit a fish trap as intended and spawned in the creek, thus proven to be diluting native stock. I feel a lot of the fisheries management community would agree that there's a strong case for removing that fish regardless of its food value.

However, since most systems allow C&R of hatchery fish, what you do with a downrunner is up to you. I'm definitely not going to get on anyone's case for releasing a mushy fish.

So what do you do in fisheries policy, that prevents from knowing that the majority of winter steelhead(at least in the programs I participate in) are live spawned and released back into the system? As for a wxh or even a hxh breeding in the wild, those fish that are born are wild fish and will likely not retain the poor learned behavior that its parents learned in the raceways.

 

[Native Fisher]

I agree with a lot of this about it being a personal taste and how you prepare your fish. I enjoy winter steel. My family loves fish and have had all kinds of fish prepared for them.

Same here. I have also inadvertently kept down runners and they even baked up just fine. Then again I have caught chrome fresh hens full of eggs still that cut absolutely white and they went to a friend for crab bait or fertilizer. I try to keep mostly bucks, as they have the best flavor, and I'm just to busy these days to drive the 3 or so hours to find summer steelhead.