Steelhead questions

[Jacob McD]

So the salmon are up in zone 18 and after a few trips out and some success I am wanting to catch some Steelhead. I hooked onto one on a glo bug last weekend but after about a 15 minute fight it rubbed my leader off a rock and that was the end of the thrill. So I am confident that the glo-bugs are the way to fish them but my main questions are:

How long do they stay in the river system?
When do they start to spawn?
If I wanted to keep one for the freezer is there a recommended size?
Recommended glo-bug colors for stained water?

[4weight]

You can generally find steelies in the rivers from October to May. Water levels and weather are the big contributing factors obviously. A fish in the 3-5 lb range would be a good eater if you decide to keep one. Don't limit yourself to using just egg patterns. Plenty of great streamer and nymph patterns will take fish aswell. It's all about experimenting with different sizes and colours with your various flies.

[fishermccann]

If they stay in the river all year, are they rainbows and not steelhead?

[4weight]

They migrate from the Great Lakes during those times and then return to the lake after they have spawned....

[Jacob McD]

thank you very much for the input, i'll be sure to keep you guys updated if I get onto some steel.

[Jacob McD]

Well I finally caught my first steelhead yesterday it was 2lbs and what a rush. I used a Prince nymph with an egg pattern trailing under an indicator I still have much to learn I found it hard to maintain a drag free drift but I guess those skills will only improve with time. Its just nice to finally see some results from all my cold days spent on the river.

[mark270wsm]

not so true the fish must go to ocean .. to be steelhead.. rainbow trout is all we have in Ontario .. yes they migrate in and out of the rivers but MUST go to salt water

[hunterdave]

Potato Potahto hater