Redside or steelhead? (no pics)

[silverfish]

Fished the Maupin area on monday where I picked up (and released) a 23 inch trout. This thing looked just like a redside and it had its adipose fin. I believe the regulations call anything over 21 inches a steelhead. How do you tell the difference?

[Grantspastor]

Best guess...a real nice Redside. Legally it might be a Steelhead, but 23 inches would be small for a summer run (escept on the Rogue or Klamath)

[Mad Mikey]

Real possible to catch small steelies in the "D", many of which are right in the 22"-23" range and they are usually almost always wild and since the wild fish tend to show up a little early that fish may have enough trouty color on it by now to make it look like a redside.
I have fished the "D" for many years and have only cracked the 20" three times.
If your fish was caught near Oak Springs there is a real possibility it was maybe a brooder. A hatchery guy told me a few of them get out or are released there for one reason or another, can't remember which. A friend of mine caught a 26" trout near one of the outlets there a few years ago, said it was very lethargic.
Although I haven't caught em' I do know a stretch of the river where 20" plus fish are caught on a regular basis. I stumbled on it one night when fishing steelhead and just could not believe the size of the fish that were rising. it looked like the trout pool at Bonneville.
I confirmed this with a guide friend who showed me some pix of mid 20" fish from past trips.
Wow.....

[drbfish]

There are actually a lot of 23" steelhead on the Deschutes. I caught one last year. On my way out I got checked below shears, the ODFW guy told me that Deschutes steelhead are usually either 24" or 28" (give or take) depending on where they originated. I think he was talking about hatchery fish, and I know a good number of hatchery fish do not get clipped.

Either way nice fish!

[rob allen]

I'd say it depends on the type of water you caught it in. I caught a large rainbow a few weeks ago up river further.. saw it rising consistently for PMD's it was VERY selective for presentation..
If you caught it in the main body of the river out in the current i'd say it's probably a steelhead.. if you caught it along the bank out of the current it's probably a trout. but ther is no real way to be sure

[Fish_N_Russ]

My guess would be a steelhead also. All the redsides ive ever caught were VERY thick for their size, so I would think a 23inch redside would be real obvious :smile: