steelhead

[Magnum Man]

Im going deer hunting for the week next week and An old timer friend of mine tells me there is a late steelhead run where Im going. Is first week of november too late to find them in the lower end of the creek. I have to see if its legal first but I was gonna try some salmon eggs I got this summer. Ive caught steelhead before but never got him all the way to bank.

[Brian M]

Using salmon eggs (if legal, which I doubt) greatly increases the chances that the fish will be hooked deeply and cause a fatal wound. Using flies or other artificial lures gives the fish a much better chance of being released unharmed.

[Magnum Man]

I hear ya I know the rules are there for a reason. But do steelhead actually run this late?

[DRIFTER_016]

Originally Posted by Magnum Man

I hear ya I know the rules are there for a reason. But do steelhead actually run this late?

Yep, until freeze up.
There will also be fish holding over the winter in the deeper holes.
If you check the regs, it will most likely be artificial baits only, zero retention and possibly no removal from the water..
Swing flies and drift jumbo beads under an indicator and have fun!!!
And you better post pics too!!!!

[Brian M]

I hear you on wanting to eat one, but I'm not aware of any places in the state that allow for the legal retention of steelhead. I could be incorrect, though, as I don't study the fishing regs for places I don't fish.

[DRIFTER_016]

I'm pretty sure Brian's correct.
In fact I believe that non-retention is pretty much standard across the whole Pacific North West (could be wrong ).
If you want to eat one head to the Great Lakes area where you can use bait and keep a couple of the stockers out of Ontario or Erie.

[G_Smolt]

Steelhead retention in SE AK is legal, except on the Juneau road system.

Fish have to be = or > 36" (which represents about 6% of the yearly returning population) and the limit is 1 per day, 2 per year.

Bait is prohibited in virtually EVERY fall steelhead drainage.

On a conservation note, just because it is LEGAL to kill one doesn't mean that the intelligent, thinking angler SHOULD kill one.

[Bullelkklr]

Some of the rivers in Washington state they bonk em...mostly hatchery runs though I think.

[jockomontana]

good luck on your deer hunt while you're out there! there's nothing quite like having a remote steelhead stream all to yourself and the animals... cast and blast.... gotta say I'm a wee bit jealous....

[scott_rn]

Originally Posted by Bullelkklr

Some of the rivers in Washington state they bonk em...mostly hatchery runs though I think.

Oregon too.

[Brucester]

See attached link below for Alaska F&G. Pretty much NO retention in most of the local areas.



http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/EONR/...1040/year/2009

[bigcox]

Yeah had a new coworker from Oregon tell me that he prefers Steelhead over Salmon and that he loves eating them. I told him how unethical it is, and illegal in most places, to harvest up here in Alaska, to which he replied "that is why I don't live here" Funny how he was talking about how good they taste, he stated salmon tastes to gamey or some crap. I was just laughing at him during the conversation, but apparently you can harvest them in Oregon. Probably because they are Hatchery Fish?

Fish On!

[G_Smolt]

Thanks for the info, Bruce. I was unaware of the "zero harvest" policy for the rest of SE...but it is about time, eh?

[Cody77]

There are many rivers in Oregon with hatchery runs and several that have runs mainly because there are hatchery programs. Hatcheries put hundreds of thousands of steelhead smolts into Oregon rivers. I'm not aware of any rivers in Oregon where you can harvest wild fish, are there any Oregonians on this thread that know better than I. In my opinion there is no wrong in the harvesting of hatchery fish. Do we really want hatchery fish spawning with wild fish anyway? The fitness of hatchery fish is much less that wild fish.

[fishook]

29.5 pound Steelhead.
What’s really got the internet message boards buzzing these days is that the fish, a native buck bonked, While it’s still legal to do so on the Hoh (mind boggling, isn’t it?), legions of anglers are saying that fish should have been released. This happen last year a week before i got there. I know i would not eat steelhead over Salmon.

[fishook]

Last year on the Situk there was an annual limit of 2 steelhead. Not sure of a news release to say that's changed.? can someone help.

[DRIFTER_016]

Originally Posted by Cody77

There are many rivers in Oregon with hatchery runs and several that have runs mainly because there are hatchery programs. Hatcheries put hundreds of thousands of steelhead smolts into Oregon rivers. I'm not aware of any rivers in Oregon where you can harvest wild fish, are there any Oregonians on this thread that know better than I. In my opinion there is no wrong in the harvesting of hatchery fish. Do we really want hatchery fish spawning with wild fish anyway? The fitness of hatchery fish is much less that wild fish.

I agree completely, wild fish are a completely different story.

[DRIFTER_016]

Originally Posted by fishook

29.5 pound Steelhead.
What’s really got the internet message boards buzzing these days is that the fish, a native buck bonked, While it’s still legal to do so on the Hoh (mind boggling, isn’t it?), legions of anglers are saying that fish should have been released. This happen last year a week before i got there. I know i would not eat steelhead over Salmon.

If that were to happen in BC (legal or not) there would be a corpse floating down the river. And it wouldn't be that of a steelhead!!

[Gary]

for the fisherman in the pic & hope he NEVER CATCHES ANOTHER FISH in his miserable life.
Gary

[Hunt&FishAK]

a few years ago a friend of mine and his wife moved up here and decided to spend their first week fishin the lower kenai streams....they fished the ninilchik river for kings in may or early june....he said his wife caught a steelhead, and asked a park ranger what to do with it....he told them it was legal to keep only one per day. so they ate it.....he never fished that river since or even fished steelhead ever again, but i had a hard time convincing him that it was illegal to harvest ANY steelhead in southcentral alaska. told him just read the regs. lots of people keep and eat steelies out the snake river. not sure the limit but its pretty liberal i think.