Some people think wild steelhead taste better....what yutz is spouting this crap?? Yet another lame excuse for clubbing wild fish. True, hatchery smolts do munch on powerbait hatchery food for a short while at the beginning of their life cycle, but wild fish are eating bugs and rotting flesh at the same time. They both spend the majority of their life at sea eating the exact same stuff.
I have never eaten wild steelhead, but I'll bet the farm that they don't taste any different. I've grubbed tons of springer, both clipped and unclipped, and there is NO difference!!