winter vs Summer steelhead

[Ratbaby]

Being a Cracker Rookie how can you tell the difference between a Summer run steelhead and a Winter Run Steelhead?

[FastAction]

Its easy to tell the differnce. July you catch summers, January you catch winters!

Just kidding: Winters are Fully Matured with eggs and milt when they enter fresh water and summers are not. Summers will mature the closer they get to Spawn like now! On Rivers like the clack they have fin clips to Identify the breed of fish.
Winter fish darken quickly compared to summers. Right now its winter Steelhead time, but there are a few summers milling around still in Lots of rives. Not all of them are army boots also!

[cosmo]

At this time of year, winter fish will be chrome bright and full bodied. Summer fish will have trout like colors, single or double red stripe down their sides and usually be pretty light for their length.

[snit]

"There's no dumb question"! Remember that one from school? Well, first if the river your fishing has both runs then it possible to catch one or the other at any given time. Alot of systems have only one real run of steelhead (excluding a tiny % of a second run) that are only targeted during a particular time of year (thus winter nov-march, or summer june-sept).All "long run" Columbia River steelhead that go over Bonneville Dam headed for spawning waters in Washington and Idaho (I just don't know much about the Oregon river system) are summer run steelhead. But alot of the actual fishing takes place during winter months, because they don't arrive until fall/winter time.

The best clue for me is in the overall color/condition of the fish and when I catch it. Most fresh winter runs this time of year will be bright, shiny, or just getting get a hue of "rainbow" coloring. Later in January and February the hatchery winter runs will start to darken (just like summer fish will to), but the native fish (later run timing) will again be brighter in the late winter months. The majority of these winter fish will have fully developed sex organs. Even "colored" winter fish will generally have firm, colored flesh, except when they're really close to spawning.

In the summer, the summer runs are also bright but the sex organs are basically not developed at all (tiny egg and milk sacks). They will stay in rivers until they spawn the next winter/spring, but generally, if you catch a summer run after November they tend to be really dark, kinda skanky, maybe even with some sores or parasites. They will have a really pronounced red stripe (or two) on the lateral line, and the meat will be of poor quality.

My rule of thumb is if it's dark, let it go. The closer they get to spawning, the bucks will develop a black, hooked lower jaw, and the hens will have a "big" belly with loose eggs. If they're squirting eggs or milk when you're beaching them, they are ready to spawn and they're really not that great of table fare anyway, so I let them go.

I hope this long winded explanation helps. Generally on all "short run" rivers (less than a 100 miles of travel for the fish), the winter look "good" in the winter, and the summers look "good" in the summer. If you catch a dark one during either season it's probably the opposite of what you're after.

[rola76]

Cosmo's got it right as far as plain sight...color is the easiest way to typically tell.

[Thumper]

Originally posted by snit:
... They kinda skanky, maybe even with some sores or parasites ... The sex organs are basically not developed at all

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Hey, I guess I am a summer run! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[ 12-18-2003, 10:33 AM: Message edited by: Thumper ]

[snit]

Thumper....try penicillin, that might clear up most of your problems !!!

[high_arc]

That should make it easier for me to identify you Thumper, if I ever get a chance to go fishing.

In Thumper's case, you still might want to search him for chocolate cake and prawns. If you find either one, it's him. :grin:

[sparkleboy]

Another way to tell aside from color is by looking at the belly of the fish. If the belly is "peppered" or speckled with small black dots, it is a summer, and if it's chrome or has no spots, it's most likely a winter.

[DriftR]

Again, this has been posted in earlier posts. But I will tell you precisely how you will know.
#1. Land your steelie very carefully, checking it close for a Native or Hatchery. If it's a Native just return it unharmed.
#2.With the hatchery steelie make sure the eyes are pointing down when the fish is belly to the ground.
#3. Gently roll the fish over until the belly is facing you. Now this is the important step. Look very, very closely at the area between the gills.
#4. Looking very closely at the area on the belly between the gills, look closer now, you will see that the Winter steelhead has a "W" on it marking it as a winter fish. On the other hand a summer steelie has a "S" marked on it. Now wasn't that easy. Now you can tell your friends and fishing buds. It is so great to share the wealth. I know, I know it makes you want to go out an have a great big group hug now doesn't? Not for me man.

[SHOUGALNITE]

Maybe if you ask the fish it will be kind and tell you.

[Ratbaby]

Maybe it will shougalnite if you drink enough it will probably give you winning lotery number too. :smile:

[Fast Water]

Randy,

If you have time tomorrow, come up around 09:00 and we will lay out a few side by side and look over the differences in colouration.

:smile:

[Ratbaby]

Mark I really apreciate the offer unfortunately I have no more vacation time this year and I have to work Friday's the rest of the year.

Thanx.