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[Greencoachdog]

...

Edited November 7, 2009 by GCD

[dustink]

I may be totally wrong, but I believe it has to do with how they live...not size.

 

Steelhead are born in rivers, live in lakes / sea, and then spawn in the same rivers (and then swim back out). It's because of where they live that they will grow so much larger.

 

Rainbows are born, live, spawn, and die in rivers.

 

dk

Edited January 26, 2007 by dustink

[Spiel]

....Actually Glen it's a non related issue. Rainbows are generally land locked strains of trout while a true Steelhead is an anadromous (fresh water born, ocean living) genus of the rainbow.

 

A twist to all this of course is Great Lakes Steelhead, some of which are derived from true steelhead and some from watered down domestic rainbow trout. What I'm trying to say is that rainbows don't grow into steelhead yet some domestic Great Lakes strains display anadromous properties. I'm sure this has helped you none!

[Bly]

Ontario Out Of Doors published this info and it seems to do a good job of explaining the difference.....

 

Ontario/Great Lakes Steelhead

[FishFinder]

steelhead are strictly "migratory" meaning rivers.

The fish you see in small lakes and trout farms are rainbows no matter how big they get..

 

 

Basically fresh water = rainbow, ocean water = steelhead with the great lakes being an exception to this.

Well atleast this is the way i see it.

 

 

i just realized how slow i type, lol

[Greencoachdog]

...

Edited November 7, 2009 by GCD

[camillj]

Depends on your point of reference ... in Southern Ontario Rainbow = Steelhead (in name if not definition) ... sorta like pickeral = walleye

 

Course its always open for debate

[mattyk]

That ontario Out of doors article does a pretty good job of explaining what a steelhead is.

[Gary George]

Biologically there is no difference. Internally and externally they are identical in every way.

 

Visually the various strains of either look different in colour and spotting, overall body shapes vary but in the end they are all still the same creature.

 

Before man got involved with moving them around they all resided on the western slope of this and the South American continent. Some were landlocked, some were freshwater migrarory and others were salt water migratory.

 

Before the most recent serious biological indentification was completed they were thought to be in the same genus as Atlantic Salmon. It is now believed they are closer to Pacific Salmon but unique enough to be a genus of they're own.

 

Serious Steelheaders will resent this, ultimately they are all rainbows first. If they migrate they get the nickname "steelhead".

Edited January 27, 2007 by RivrRat