Steelhead and Rainbow Trout

• Steelhead are trout that can be on the larger size, commonly getting up to around 15 inches in Washington. They are usually long and slender fish with pink or red racing stripes down their sides and a dark green back. These are the same species as rainbow trout and are usually anadromous, meaning they spend part of their lives in freshwater and part in saltwater. They migrate a lot and can be strong fighters when caught, which makes it that much more fun to catch them.
  
  

Lakes

• There are thousands of lakes that are stocked with rainbow trout in Washington each year. They tend to be among the most popular places to fish in Washington. The Department of Fish and Wildlife keeps many of these lakes open year round for fishing, but some don't open until after stocking in April. A few of the popular lakes for trout fishing are Moses Lake, Lake Roosevelt and Williams Lake. Lake fishing is mostly about relaxation and family fun and can be done from the shore or a boat for a slow easy day.
  
  

Rivers

• Most of the rivers in Washington are not stocked with hatchery steelhead, making it more exciting than lakes in some cases and requiring you to try out your fishing skills. You can fish from the banks in many of the rivers, or you can take a boat. The season for most rivers starts in June, which is later than the season for the lakes. The Columbia River is the largest river to fish for steelhead in the Northwest, but there are thousands more rivers and streams in the area that can provide a wild experience.
  
  

Regulations

• The daily limit is four fish, and you can't keep any wild steelhead. Wild steelhead trout can be identified by the presence of an adipose fin, which is a small fin just above the tail. If this is gone, the fish is a hatchery fish and can be kept. This is so that wild populations of steelhead can make a strong return and hatcheries will no longer be necessary to maintain steelhead populations. If you find a hatchery fish with a tag on it, you should report it to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
  
  

Seasons

• Steelhead are present in Washington year-round, at different points in their life cycles. There are usually two main runs, a summer run and a winter run. The rivers do not open up to steelhead fishing season until June 1 so that the fish have a chance to go to the ocean. Lake steelhead are stocked, which is usually done in early April. Most lakes open for fishing season on the last Saturday in April, but some are starting to open at the end of March.