I need some help with this one. Over the last 25 years, I have been fortunate to hook lots of steelheads, but I have yet to figure this out. I would have to say that well over 95% of the buck steelheads I have ever caught in the rivers were "colored up" or even dark. While on the other hand, the hens are generally chrome silver, with maybe a slight tint of "river colors". Is there some type of hormonal thing that allows this to occur? Even when we get a strong push of fresh fish in the rivers, the bucks are always carrying pretty strong coloration. Every year I hook a chrome buck that looks like it just came out of the foundry, and boy are they a hot fish. Any clues on this one?

The color changes you refer to are common amongst territorial species that help to form breeding pairs and is referred to as sexual dimorphism ... a new word (okay, two) for everyone today.

I would recommend spending a little more time out during the summer when all the steelhead are chromedomes. But during the winter the bucks do tend to come in with a little bit of color. Try fishing closer to tidewater, rarely do I catch bucks unless they are (over 20) with color, low in the river system.

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Caught a dual red striped buck with sea lice with last sunday. The female also had sea lice and was chromed.

I would gladly spend time in the summer for steelies, but in the Midwest, most rivers are filled with the Nort American bonefish(carp0. Rivers are generally too warm in most locations with the exception of a cool summer rain that will bring fish in for a day. The summer runs I use to catch on the Klickitat, were mint bright, but the carp on the Milwaukee are a bronzy gold with scales the size of dinner plates. Life ain't fair. Thanks guys.