Steelhead

Identification

• Adult steelhead back from one to three years at sea are usually heavily marked with irregular dark spots, both above and below the lateral line.[2]
  What the source says

  “Adult steelhead which have spent 1 to 3 years in the ocean are generally heavily spotted with irregularly shaped dark spots both above and below the lateral line.”

• Fresh from the ocean, steelhead can look much brighter and more silver than resident rainbow trout.[2]
  What the source says

  “Steelhead fresh from the ocean can be very bright and much more silver in color than resident rainbow.”

• Washington describes steelhead as having dark spots over the whole fish, tail included, with slight to strong rainbow colouring.[3]
  What the source says

  “Steelhead also have dark spots scattered over the entire fish, including the tail, with slight to pronounced rainbow coloring.”

• Rainbow trout and juvenile steelhead usually lack the red slash under the lower jaw that marks cutthroat trout, though not every cutthroat has it and hybrids occur.[2]
  What the source says

  “Stream resident rainbow trout and juvenile steelhead can usually be distinguished from their close relative the cutthroat trout because rainbow trout do not have the classic red or “cutthroat” slash on the underside of their lower jaw.”

Habitat and range

• Steelhead are the sea-run form of rainbow trout. Wild fish hatch in fast, well-oxygenated, gravel-bottomed rivers and streams; those that never leave fresh water are rainbow trout.[1]
  What the source says

  “Steelhead are a unique life-history type of rainbow trout. Individuals develop differently depending on their environment. All wild steelhead hatch in gravel-bottomed, fast-flowing, well-oxygenated rivers and streams. Those that stay in fresh water all their lives are called rainbow trout (nonanadromous).”

• In Washington, steelhead come in summer and winter runs. Most summer runs are east of the Cascades; winter runs spawn closer to the ocean.[3]
  What the source says

  “Like chinook salmon, steelhead have two runs, a summer run and a winter run. Most summer runs are east of the Cascades, and enter streams in summer to reach the spawning grounds by the following spring. A few western Washington rivers also have established runs of summer steelhead. Winter runs spawn closer to the ocean, and require less travel time.”

Life history

• Unlike most Pacific salmon, steelhead do not necessarily die after spawning; many go back to sea and return to spawn again in later years.[1]
  What the source says

  “Unlike most other Pacific salmonids (i.e., salmon and steelhead), steelhead are iteroparous, meaning they do not necessarily die after spawning (they can spawn more than once). After spawning, many steelhead return to the ocean and then back to freshwater in subsequent years to spawn again.”

• In Alaska, whatever month they enter fresh water, steelhead spawn in spring when daily water temperatures reach 6-9 C, usually mid-April to early June.[2]
  What the source says

  “Regardless of when they return to freshwater, all steelhead spawn during the spring months when daily water temperatures reach 6 – 9° C, usually about mid-April through May to early June.”

Status, protections and rules

Legal status and rules as the agency stated them on the date read. Rules change: check the current regulations for the water.

• Under the US Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries lists one steelhead DPS as endangered and 10 DPSs plus one experimental population as threatened.[1]
  What the source says

  “Under the Endangered Species Act, one distinct population segment (DPS) is listed as endangered, while 10 DPSs and one experimental non-essential population are listed as threatened.”

• NOAA's threatened steelhead units are California Central Valley, Central California Coast, Lower Columbia River, Middle Columbia River, Northern California, Puget Sound, Snake River Basin, South-Central California Coast, Upper Columbia River and Upper Willamette River; Southern California is endangered.[1]
  What the source says

  “ESA Endangered Southern California DPS ESA Threatened California Central Valley DPS Central California Coast DPS Lower Columbia River DPS Middle Columbia River Northern California DPS Puget Sound DPS Snake River Basin DPS South-Central California Coast DPS Upper Columbia River DPS Upper Willamette River DPS”

• Oregon's March 2024 notice for the Santiam River said anglers cannot keep wild winter steelhead but may keep hatchery steelhead, which have the adipose fin removed; wild fish have it intact. Rules vary by river and year, so check current regulations.[4]
  What the source says

  “While anglers cannot keep wild winter steelhead, they can still fish for and retain hatchery steelhead or hatchery spring Chinook. The peak run timing for these fish in the Santiam basin is usually in May and June, though some early fish do arrive in April. Hatchery summer steelhead have their adipose fin removed while wild steelhead have theirs intact.”

Fishing for it: what the agencies say

What agencies and extension services say about catching it, with the source for each line.

• Alaska asks anglers to handle steelhead carefully because many will come back in later years to spawn again.[2]
  What the source says

  “It is important for anglers to handle rainbow and steelhead trout carefully because many of them will return in future years to spawn again.”

Water temperature

Warm water stresses trout, char and salmon. These are the published temperature lines we show on every gauge, chosen state first: the state agency's own where it publishes one, otherwise federal guidance (said so). Each water page applies them to the gauge's live reading; the flow and temperature checker does the same for any gauge.

Where to fish for steelhead

Our 190 water pages whose agency species list names steelhead (each list links to the agency page it comes from). A species missing from a list does not mean it is absent: many agencies publish no list for a water.

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

• Pulaski & the Salmon River, New York9 steelhead waters
• Ketchikan & Revillagigedo Island, Alaska7 steelhead waters
• Terrace & the Skeena, British Columbia5 steelhead waters
• Erie & Steelhead Alley, Pennsylvania4 steelhead waters
• Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna, Alaska4 steelhead waters
• Grants Pass & the Rogue, Oregon3 steelhead waters
• Kenai Peninsula: Soldotna & the Kenai, Alaska3 steelhead waters
• Anchorage & Eagle River, Alaska2 steelhead waters
• Baldwin & the Pere Marquette, Michigan2 steelhead waters
• Grayling & the Au Sable, Michigan2 steelhead waters
• Redding & the Lower Sacramento, California2 steelhead waters
• Bend & the Deschutes, Oregon1 steelhead water

Keep exploring

• Rainbow troutSpecies
• Chinook salmonSpecies
• Coho salmonSpecies
• Northern Rockies hatch & season chart8 sourced rows
• Pacific Northwest hatch & season chart10 sourced rows
• California hatch & season chart19 sourced rows
• Southwest and Colorado hatch & season chart8 sourced rows
• All speciesIndex

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

1. Steelhead | NOAA Fisheries NOAA Fisheries, read Oct 24, 2026.
2. Steelhead / Rainbow Trout Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.
3. Rainbow trout | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.
4. Santiam River anglers reminded of regulations to protect threatened winter steelhead (ODFW news, March 7, 2024) Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.