Domestic Rainbow vs. Steelhead question...

[Jammer]

I'm guessing this has been discussed, but can't find a thread...

What's the difference between the two?

Are there domestic rainbows in Lake Ontario, or just steelhead?

thanks!

JAM

[rustyrat]

To me the domestic bows are short and fat like the browns are. But I could be way off. I've only caught 2 football bows.

RR

[CBish]

Fact is there is no difference they share the same genus and species designation. It is their lifestyles that set them apart. A rainbow never leaves the stream (freshwater) and spends it's life there. Because the fish is a salmonid it has the ability to osmo-regulate and can thrive in both fresh and salt water (adronomous).

A rainbow trout that ventures into the ocean to spend it life and only returns to the freshwater river to spawn is considered a steelhead.

Remember that the rainbow/steelhead originates from the west coast/Pacific Ocean habitat.

Technically we would have only rainbows in LO, but if you consider the big lake to be the ecosystem's equivalent to the ocean then you can consider a rainbow that spends most of its life in the big lake to be a steelhead.

Also, you must take into consideration the origin of the genetic strain of the fish. NY and ON both brought eggs from western strains of steelhead and introduced them in to the lake during the major stocking trends of the 1970's. In 1984, NY began to introduce the Skamania steelhead (eggs from L. MI. via Indiana) this fish is a summer spawner and will begin to show up in creeks in July and August. Because of the genetic variability of these fish they appear longer with more slender bodies than the "domestic" rainbow. (Domestic being an oxymoron because it too is and introduced species not endemic to the LO ecosystem).

So to wrap it all up you are always right calling them rainbows. If you get a fat one with a bit more pink hue on the side call it a "domestic" rainbow. Most of this species in the lake are decedents from the "steelhead" strain, so you can call them that as well.

Hope this helps, now go out and "Get Some!!!"

CC

[momay4000]

CBish,

I think that's the best reply I've ever heard on this site....nice work!

- Chris

[Jammer]

Great reply CBish.

I was guessing right regarding which was which as I've caught both, but had no idea why. This helps considerably!

THANKS!

JAM

[TOP SECRET]

So what makes the fat ones with the pink stripe so different than the "normal" steelhead? They seem to cycle out of Sodus and only really show up around September, whereas the "normal" steelies are around all year. Come september though, the domestics tend to mix in with the cohos a lot. I'm guessing they must be a strain different than the skamania or normal steelies.....

Nick

[K Gonefishin]

It very well could be the strain, here on Erie we get the manistee strain from Michigan waters that are stocked in our tribs every spring, these fish are spring run fish vs Skamania strain which I believe are fall run fish, the skamania strain are a longer slender fish, the manistee strain fish are a little thicker and more stout. We do get stray skaminia fish in Erie and we see a few caught each season, they look like super models compared to the normal steelies we catch all the time.

[CBish]

Thanks guys, genetics is an interesting study, I only know the basics.

Nick,

It is simply the strains that are different. Think of it like race in humans. All the same species, but different dominant alleles in the genotype (the order of genes-genetic make-up) resulting in variations in gene expression or phenotype (the expression of genes-or what we see).

Now, rainbows can breed with rainbows and produce viable offspring, so steelhead can breed domestics and produce offspring but only dominant genes will be expressed. I have no idea which strain has more dominant genes expressed in the phenotype, but my guess is that it is the steelhead, because this seems to be the most common strain.

That said, inorder to achieve genetic diversity, I would guess that different strains have different conditions surrounding optimum spawning conditions. For instance, Skamania spawn in the summer which guarantees survival of the strain as only that strain is spawning at that time. Most likely the other strains have more subtle difference in spawning condition, perhaps one strain is a nocturnal spawner another only spawns in 2mm pebbles and another in 3mm. These differences would guarantee the genetic diversity of the species. It would be an interesting study if it has not already been done.

The genetic diversity of the rainbow simply adds to its attractiveness as a sport fish.

CC

[Jammer]

Captain Carl,

I just saw your info on the Moonshine Lures Pro Staff page, and it all makes sense to me now. So you're a full time Biology teacher with a major passion for fishing! Way cool!

Thanks for the great posts.

I'm really into the science and physics of what's going on out there in the lake. Now if we could just figure out that temperature/wind/thermocline dynamic we'd be all set!

Good luck out there.

JAM

[LongLine]

FWIW

In 2005, NYS stocked Lake Ontario with 517K Washington “rainbow (steelhead)â€

[ray koziatek]

that explaines all the 5 to 8 lbrs getting caught this year.

[salmonidlove]

I'd also like to add that Skamanias are actually late winter through spring spawners, even though they enter the streams before the other strains. Domestic rainbows are simply rainbows which have been altered, or tricked into spawning in the fall. This is done through hatcheries controlling the amount of light the fish see during the day, as well as the temperature of the water. This is why we see these fish so colorful early in the season - they are in full force spawn mode. I have seen plenty of steelhead with the same beautiful colors, but usually not for a good 4 months - when they are getting ready for the spawn. I think that if domestics were to get natural reproduction for enough years then they would eventually go back to the spring spawn also.

[jimski2]

The west coast watersheds evolved their own strains of Rainbows, now classed as salmon. Some of the Alaskan northern strains have spots like a leopard. The term "Steelhead" used locally here in New York sounds like it is more "macho" and is used to derive more interest.