V
Van
Absolutely a rainbow.
Heres a spent little winter, not as pretty as MD's kids.
My wife doesn't care for it when i disagree with her however.
So what are the factors then?
Completely out of left field - but why is it that the rainbow-steelhead-trouty-thing's last scientific name is "Mykiss" - did some pervy scientist who was in charge of naming these fish have some sort of creepy sub reptilian fetish that caused him to lock lips with a fish? It's a weird name. Very weird. Kind of like Dick Butkus. Who names their child that?
I propose a simple solution to the "is it a steelhead or is it a trout" delima. New official designation. ANY rainbow/steelhead caught in flowing water that is unimpeded by a dam or impassable water fall shall hence forth be considered "steelhead" regardless of age/size. Any rainbow/steelhead that is caught from a still water or flowing water above a permanent impediment shall be called a rainbow trout, regardless of age or size.
And no matter what ODFW's people say - CUTTHROAT trout are not steelhead, regardless of size. They need to remove that tid bit from the regs, because it's biologically wrong. That's like saying a sea run brown trout is a steelhead... if we go down that road, then "steelhead" should be a generic term for any sea-run salmonid regardless of actual species.
It may not add in to their "factor" scale, however that is a rainbow trout. Compare side by side to a steelhead of this size and it, to me, is obvious.
It is clear to me from just that on pic that it is a rainbow - look at a few more pics to compare em to, catch a few more of each and make your own determination.
Nice fish none the less!
And no matter what ODFW's people say - CUTTHROAT trout are not steelhead, regardless of size. They need to remove that tid bit from the regs, because it's biologically wrong. That's like saying a sea run brown trout is a steelhead... if we go down that road, then "steelhead" should be a generic term for any sea-run salmonid regardless of actual species.
That's a new one to me, the regulations clearly say a steelhead is a rainbow trout over the 20" except in the nw and sw zones where it's 16".
some coastal rivers include cutts over a certain size as steelhead.
I am curious as to why and how you dismiss the professional opinions of three very senior fisheries biologists? Do you think i am lying? One can only assume that you yourself have some formal training in the same field that leads you to that conclusion.
After being around scientists like these for 12+ years i have come to learn that we fishermen have a lot of preconceived ideas of what we think is correct. The same is true for those who work and play in the areas where animals like the Spotted Owl or the Marbled Murrelet live. People dont like it when someone tells them their information is incorrect.
Thanks though, it was one of the larger fish i caught this summer/fall.
It's very important for you to be right....isn't it?
Actually, i am perfectly fine being wrong. It seems obvious to me that considering the information provided, a few others here are not. If the sources that gave me this information would have said something else, i would have reported it. Just because someone catches a lot of fish it doesn't mean their opinions are correct every time. That is what professionals are for. I am just curious as to why everyone here seems so set on ignoring professional opinions? Would you do that to your lawyer? Accountant? Seems odd to me....
Actually, i am perfectly fine being wrong. It seems obvious to me that considering the information provided, a few others here are not. If the sources that gave me this information would have said something else, i would have reported it. Just because someone catches a lot of fish it doesn't mean their opinions are correct every time. That is what professionals are for. I am just curious as to why everyone here seems so set on ignoring professional opinions? Would you do that to your lawyer? Accountant? Seems odd to me....