How do you tell the difference between a Rainbow and Steelhead?

[junho]

I want to fish for Rainbows in the Cowichan river, but I understand there's Steelhead in that river too. But they're one in the same fish are they not? So how does one differentiate between the two?

I'll admit that I'm being cheap and want to wait until April to buy a Steelhead stamp rather than buy one now with only 4 months left in the season. I've got a mortgage and I'm going to school part time, so I need to be frugal where I can.

Plus the fact that there is a Steelhead stamp probably means that their population shouldn't be unnecessarily decreased. I'm happy to go home with just a couple Rainbows.

So any advice to ensure that what I'm getting is a Rainbow and not a Steelhead?

Thanks in advance.

 

[lorneparker1]

These next 4 months are the best for steelhead. If you buy one in april, you may get bit of summer fishing in but the majority of your time will be spent between dec- march so i am not sure i understand the logic.

 

[yo mama]

You cant tell in the river 100 percent. 9 times out of 10 it will be a steelhead (usually over 4 pounds) or a steelhead smolt on that river. If you want to keep a trout go to one of the hundreds of stocked lakes on the island and fill your boots. If you are fishing the river in the winter months, you will most likley be checked by fisheries and even if you said you were going for trout, he would prob give you a hard time thinking you are just trying to bang on steelies without gettting a stamp.

 

[steeliehead]

Plus you cannot retain any wild trout/steelhead in any river on Vancouver Island. Give this a read before you head out. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/docs/1113/fishing-synopsis_2011-13.pdf

 

[big ragu]

Any rainbow over 50 cm in any body of water where anadromous rainbow are found is considered a steelhead.

 

[Steelhead S2]

Flavour....

 

[Lipripper]

Flavour....

You are not wrong S2.....

 

[Big Green Machine]

Can of worms

 

[FishBC.org]

This is the world record rainbow trout.

Can you see the difference between this fish and a lunker steelie?

Not to mention there are various sub species of Rainbow trout in BC waters.

 

[Big Green Machine]

Not to mention there are various sub species of Rainbow trout in BC waters.

Various strains - Kamloops, Pennask, Blackwater, Gerrard etc, but all one species. My rule to determine the difference and it's not a exact science, is if the stream and lake are connected to the salt ( or to one of the Great Lakes), and there are rainbows that grow bigger than 50 cm inhabiting the stream or lake, there is a good chance it is a Steelhead. Smolts are really difficult to distinguish and that is why people need to be very gentle releasing any small wild rainbows, best to avoid them if you can as they could be juvenile steelhead.