I can only think of 6 off the top of my head

Washington
Oregon
California
Indiana (St. Joe River)
Idaho
Alaska

Ak

akkings

You must have been typing as I was editing

Here's a few more LT:

New York
Michigan
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Illinois
Wisconsin
Minnesota

I think the Illinois state record steelie is bigger than ours. They get fat in that big lake.

Wow that is a lot more then I thought.

Washington
Oregon
California
Indiana (St. Joe River)
Idaho
Alaska
New York
Michigan
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Illinois
Wisconsin
Minnesota

How about countries?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dan S.: They get fat in that big lake.

Along the same thread in looking at pictures of the Great Lakes Steelhead they look kinda of fat and flabby. Has anyone caught both? Pacifc Steelhead get chased by seals and Killer whales, so more of workout?

Regards

IB

lb,

I've caught a few Great Lakes steelhead........but only out of Lake Michigan, and not the rivers.

They were scrappy fighters, and very acrobatic.

I've caught both. I don't think there is any difference. The ones I've caught trolling in L. Michigan were weak though. That was summer though and the water was warm. The winter runs are just like here. They used stock from here in WA to establish the steelhead in the Great Lakes.

Q: What state has the most lighthouses?


A: Michigan

Seastrike is correct, those are Skamania's that were planted out there so they know how to put up a fight.

I wasn't aware there were steelies in Minnesota?? Trying to think of where they are. I've fished the Racine in Wisconsin for them, not quite like the experience you get here. It's within a mile or so of some serious 'hood area. And if you ever saw the Trail, it is nothing more than a big ditch. Lake Michigan is phenomenal for Steelies and Salmon. They get more reliable runs out there than we do here, without the nets. One can only imagine how that would be...

Don't forget our 51st state. Canada!

The Saint Joseph River in Michigan and Indiana is a world class steelhead fishery. Many Skamania steelhead are caught here every year over the 20lb mark.

Great Lakes steelhead don't have to fight their way long distances agianst heavy current as they do here. The rivers are shorter and easier flowing. The fish look "rounder" because they return more of their body mass.

I'm not absolutely sure about Minnesota. The Duluth area borders Lake Superior so I assumed that there were probably some steelhead in some of the rivers and creeks in the area?

Does the same river run through both states?

Sort of on the same topic...

Television fishing shows that feature steelhead seem to be VERY different in the West vs. the great lakes. They all C&R fish, but the midwester TV fishers (that I've seen, I'm sure its not generally true) have little to no knowledge of how to treat steelhead and properly release one. In the few shows that have featured midwest steelhead, they all seemed to pick up fish by the gill plate, let them flop around in their boat, handle much too long, and then toss them back in the water. I'm not sure if their techniques come from fishing for bass and walleye that can take that kind of treatment or if that's just how they do things.... Just struck me as odd.

Yes the Saint Joseph River runs through Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. There are only steelhead in the 50 miles of river from lake Michigan. The fish go through 3 fish ladders at dam sites and then to a wier at a hatchery in Mishawaka Indiana. Almost all of our Skamania are planted by the Indiana DNR.
Hardly any fish are released here especially those caught in Lake Michigan.

The dailly limit here is three steelies. When the summer run Skamania are staging at the rivermouths and pierheads it is not uncommon to have boats take 15 to 20 fish a day.

RUSSIA

i hear the kamchatka river in russia is one of the best steelhead rivers in the world...huge numbers of fish

Mexico has some steelhead. They've found them in some creek near Tijuana.

Minnesota north shore has steelies. not sure if they are planting them any more, some residuals survive. Also Canada up the north shore of superior and the rest of the great lakes.

Chile!!

There are some on the South Is. of New Zealand I believe. Or where they chinook?

New Zeland scientists did some test tube breeding of some super chinooks if I remember correctly. They were supposedly sterle like triploids, but grew to massive massive proportions. It was in the media a couple of years ago.
As far as steelhead, I don't know. I do know they don't have 'em back home in Hawaii though. Although, these days you never know. If Atlantics are naturally breeding in the pacific...

Rember where all those mid west lake trout, I mean, steelhead came from :p

I live in Michigan and fish most of the Great lakes for Steelhead and the different strains of steel differ in size and fight capabilities.
Here is a link to some of my photos if anyone is interested. GreatLakes steelhead, Kings, cohos, and Browns.

http://img4.photobucket.com/albums/0603/gregknapp/?&action=logout

And Yes Minnesota does get steel, mostly natural small fish.

steeliefreak: I have a question for you. Why do you guys keep such dark salmon? Do you intend to eat them with a spoon? YUCK!!!

don't take offence to this I just want to know.

Hey fishingjunkie15, I do not keep those unless I need the roe then they go to the garden. I might keep a handful of hatchery steel to give away and for the roe and a few browns as well. But mostly catch and release. Yeah I would never come close to eating a big ugly, some of us have standards over here.

There's been a serious catch and keep mentality here, which lessens noticeably every year. I've caught fish here in Michigan and all over the Great Lakes and in Washington and Oregon. Our fish might even fight a little better, given proper water temp. Problem is, the water's 32-33 degrees now, and can creep up into the 60's and 70s in the summer and early fall. They don't fight well anywhere in either temperature extreme.

On an apples to apples basis, your rivers have gradient and velocity, our fish are more muscular. It's a wash, except we have waayyyyy more fish. :p

Doesn't it stand to reason that more gradient and velocity in the rivers here would lead to OUR fish being more muscular? Those GL fish are just fat and lazy. :p

KIDDING

fat and lazy- just like the guy chasing them.

You gotta "be the steelhead", right?

i watched a fishing show this morning, it was some guys on the niagra river, bouncin lead with a gob of eggs just like we do, and they were landin fat 10-14 pound chromers

I've caught steel and salmon from both the PacNW and the Great Lakes, and my best take regarding tenacity of fight is that it relates directly to water temperature; they sure have their optimal temps,
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This might be an interesting site, it talks about the evolution of the the fish that became the steelhead trout. Also the work that is being done to preserve the most southern run of steelhead in the US.

Google search: San Diego Trout

Regards IB

There are some on the South Is. of New Zealand I believe.

Yes there are; I've fished for same on the South Island. (Lake Taupo). As their seasons are just the reverse of ours, they're chasing 'winter runs' when we're chaseing summers.

I have fished them on the North Island of New Zealand in Lake Taupo tribs (Tangariro Taupo River) and also at some creek mouths on the South island. They are beautiful fish, only wish I would have brought my float gear.LOL They are difinately migratory rainbows (steelhead) from the larger lakes.

Montana has rainbow that travel to lakes to feed then back to below the Ft. Peck damn to spawn - we always just called them rainbow - but I would think that they are a sort of steelie??

No, just wild (well ther's no wild native ranbows in Montana except in the Kootany R.) lake 'bows. They gotta spawn somewhere.

North Shore of Minnesotas' Lake Superior has some very beautliful steelies. Not built like the fish to the East that are more of a football in shape. The fish in Lake Superior are streamlined freaks of nature, and know how to use the current to their advantage. Due to the temp of the big lake, they grow slow, and a 10 pounder is cery rare. The rivers for the most part are very short, but have incredible eddy currents, boils, rapids, and steep gardients where the fish hold. I have fished Alaska, Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington, Canada for steelies. If you can consistently catch steelies on the North Shore, you can catch them anywhere. High flows, ice cold water, and fishing off the edge of icy cliff banks make it about as tough as it gets. It's also more like West Coast steelie fishing than most of the Midwest, as rivers are not heavily planted, and return rates are significantly lower than the rivers that drain in to lake Erie, Michigan, and Ontario. Gotta say that they are my all time favorite. Thank god they don't get over twenty pounds, or I wouldn't go in the same water as them. LOL

This is good information if I ever need to move