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Phil_Bud
Well if weather doesn't help with the identification.....
Well what about on a river with no hatchery like the one I have a house on??? They all native so the fin clip doesn't help.The easiest way is by the timing, winter vs. summer. Go figure. But each type of hatchery fish has its own kind of marking on it. Im talking about the fin's that are clipped on each fish. They usually will tell you what strand of fish you caught.
Well if weather doesn't help with the identification.....
Thanks, so if I catch a summer in the winter its still a summer?Steelhead start to color up once they leave salt water. So, when you catch a chrome one it just means it hasn't been out of the salt very long. So, you can catch chrome spring, summer, fall, and winter steelhead. The colored ones you are catching now would be late summers and the chrome ones would most likely be winter.
That makes sense thanks.Summer steelhead enter the river very sexually immature. they can spend as long as a year in fresh water prior to spawning. Winter steelhead enter the river and spawn shortly after they arrive, winters will color up quickly once in fresh water. Summers not so much. Some times it can be very hard to tell the difference between the 2 until you open them up. I have seen platinum summers caught in febuary and march on rivers that had fresh winters in them at the same time. The difference was the stage of development in the sex organs(roe/milt).
I guess a better question would have been what causes steelheads' colors to be either mostly chrome or with the red gill plate and stripe down their side??? and does it have anything to do with summer and fall???
Thanks, so if I catch a summer in the winter its still a summer?
Excactly what plumb2fish says. I have to say its like reading it out of a book. Even though for beginners it may seem confusing. Try not to be to concerned and with experience it will seem easy to tell. So until odfw comes up with a reg change saying only summer steelhead can be kept and all winter fish must be released. Or vice versa. Just consider it a steelhead and be proud to have out smarted one of the most elusive fish there is. The rest will come in time.Summer steelhead enter the river very sexually immature. they can spend as long as a year in fresh water prior to spawning. Winter steelhead enter the river and spawn shortly after they arrive, winters will color up quickly once in fresh water. Summers not so much. Some times it can be very hard to tell the difference between the 2 until you open them up. I have seen platinum summers caught in febuary and march on rivers that had fresh winters in them at the same time. The difference was the stage of development in the sex organs(roe/milt).
Excactly what plumb2fish says. I have to say its like reading it out of a book. Even though for beginners it may seem confusing. Try not to be to concerned and with experience it will seem easy to tell. So until odfw comes up with a reg change saying only summer steelhead can be kept and all winter fish must be released. Or vice versa. Just consider it a steelhead and be proud to have out smarted one of the most elusive fish there is. The rest will come in time.