Steelhead Trout

Description:

These fish can be as long as 45 inches in length (114 cm) however I believe this one was about 30 inches (76.2 cm). I spotted this fish in a deep part of the brook and it appeared trapped. I learned that these fish can swim in as little as 6 inches of water. This fish probably swam upstream to spawn and was unable to swim out. A fisherman friend of mine was going to attempt to hike in and carry her out to the nearby river. Dark-olive in color, shading to silvery-white on the underside with a heavily speckled body with a pink-red stripe along their sides; in the ocean, they become more silver. Rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species

Habitat:

This fish was found in a freshwater brook running through a deciduous forest. Gully Brook Park, Lake Metroparks System, Willoughby, Ohio, USA. Steelhead are capable of surviving in a wide range of temperature conditions. They do best where dissolved oxygen concentration is at least 7 parts per million. In streams, deep low-velocity pools are important wintering habitats. Spawning habitat consists of gravel substrates free of excessive silt.