A steelhead is a rainbow trout that left the river as a juvenile, spent one to three years feeding in the ocean, and came back to spawn. Same species, Oncorhynchus mykiss, same rivers in many cases, but a different animal in every way that matters to an angler: bigger, brighter, stronger, and not there to eat. A steelhead in fresh water takes a fly out of aggression or habit rather than hunger, which is why the fishing is measured in days per fish rather than fish per day. Resident rainbows have their own page here; this one is about the fish that went to sea.
Summer runs, winter runs, and Idaho's A and B fish
Steelhead are grouped by when they enter fresh water. Summer-run fish enter from late spring through fall, sexually immature, and hold in the river for months before spawning the following spring. They are the fish of the Deschutes, North Umpqua, Rogue, Klickitat and every Columbia and Snake tributary in Idaho, and because they hold so long in low, clear water they are the fish that will rise to a waked or dead-drifted dry. Winter-run fish enter from late fall through spring, nearly ready to spawn, and move through faster. They are the fish of coastal Washington and Oregon and of California's Central Valley, including the American River below Nimbus Dam, where winter steelhead enter December through March.
Idaho splits its summer fish again. A-run steelhead spend one year at sea and return smaller and earlier, August into September. B-run fish spend two years or more at sea, return later, September through November, and are the largest wild steelhead reachable in the lower forty-eight. The Salmon River and Lochsa pages both describe B-run fish, and the Clearwater is the river the B-run is named for. These fish have swum several hundred miles and climbed eight dams to reach Idaho, and their numbers vary sharply year to year. Check Idaho Fish and Game's run counts before committing to a trip.
Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes
The native range is the Pacific slope from California through Alaska. GBIF records for rainbow trout do not separate the anadromous form, so this site lists steelhead only where a river page names them. Great Lakes steelhead are the same species, introduced in the late 1800s, and run up tributaries of Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario from fall through spring on a schedule that mirrors the coast. They never see salt water; the lake plays the ocean's part. Nothing about the tactics below changes there except the scale of the rivers, which are mostly smaller.
The rivers on this site that list steelhead
- American River, California: winter steelhead December to March below Nimbus, in reduced but present numbers; check CDFW for current status.
- John Day River, Oregon: wild summer steelhead that hold through winter and are fished into spring, in a canyon float fishery with no hatchery influence. Runs vary widely; check ODFW.
- Lochsa River, Idaho: B-run fish passing through September to November, swung in the canyon pools along US-12.
- Salmon River, Idaho: B-run steelhead in the fall migration, best covered with a two-hand rod from Riggins to North Fork.
Beyond those, the Deschutes, North Umpqua, Rogue, Sandy, Klickitat, Skykomish, Methow, Wenatchee and Clearwater pages all describe a steelhead run in their sections, and the Oregon, Washington and Idaho salmon and steelhead hubs collect the rest.
Swinging
The traditional method, and on the big Northwest rivers the most efficient. A two-hand rod of twelve to fourteen feet, a Skagit head with a sink-tip for winter and high water or a Scandinavian head with a light tip or floating line for summer, and a fly swung across the current on a tight line. Cast across and slightly down, mend once, and let the fly swing through the run at walking pace until it hangs below you. Step down two or three feet and repeat. A run is covered in a grid, and the fish are found by covering water rather than by reading a specific lie. The river pages here name the flies: Intruder in 1/0 to 2/0, Purple Peril and Green Butt Skunk in 4 to 6, October Caddis soft hackles on the fall rivers, and on the North Umpqua a Bomber or Waller Waker skated across the surface for the fish that will come up. The take on the swing is the reason people do this; do not set until the rod loads.
Nymphing
An indicator, split shot or a weighted fly, and a dead drift through the holding water. It is more effective per hour than swinging on most rivers, especially in cold water when fish will not move far, and on smaller Great Lakes and coastal streams it is the default. Egg patterns in 8 to 12, stonefly nymphs in 6 to 10, and beads fished ahead of a bare hook are the standards. A single-hand 8-weight with a long leader works; a switch rod helps with mending. The debate between swinging and nymphing is mostly about what you want from the day. Nymphing finds fish in specific lies at close range. Swinging covers a river and waits for a fish to come to the fly. Many anglers nymph in winter and swing in summer, which matches the fish's willingness to move.
Gear, conditions, and what to check
An 8-weight single-hand or a 7-weight two-hand covers summer fish; winter fish on big water call for an 8- or 9-weight Spey with heavier tips. Leaders of 10 to 12 pounds for summer, 12 to 15 for winter. Steelhead move on rising and falling water, so watch the USGS gauge on the river page and plan to be there as a river drops and clears after a storm. Wild steelhead are protected nearly everywhere and hatchery fish are marked with a clipped adipose fin; on most rivers the rules typically require releasing wild fish while allowing hatchery fish to be kept, but the rules, seasons and even whether a river is open change year to year with run forecasts. Check ODFW, WDFW, Idaho Fish and Game or CDFW for the river, in the week you plan to fish it.