PO Box 638, Parma, ID 83660
208-861-2853 or 206-930-5012
Dreams on the Fly are the premier guides on the Owyhee River 50 miles from Boise, Idaho and the Grande Ronde River in Oregon and Washington. Your fly fishing adventures are conducted by EXPERIENCED guides that provide you the trip of a lifetime. We are Insured, Licensed & Permitted by BLM as well as other state entities. We all hold Red Cross CPR & First Aid Certifications
Is a steelhead a salmon or a trout?
The steelhead is a rainbow trout that migrates to sea as a juvenile and returns to fresh water as an adult to spawn. Unlike the Pacific salmon, the steelhead trout does not always die following spawning and may spawn more than once and return to the sea after each spawning.
Where do steelhead live?
Many steelhead trout from Washington and Oregon are known to migrate far at sea to areas off the Alaskan Peninsula. Some salmon migrate several thousand miles from the time they leave the rivers as juveniles until they return as adults. A Chinook salmon tagged in the central Aleutian Islands and recovered a year later in the Salmon River, Idaho, had traveled about 3,500 miles; a steelhead trout tagged south of Kiska Island (western Aleutians) was recovered about six months and 2,200 miles later in the Wynoochee River, Washington.
What do steelhead eat?
Young steelhead eat invertebrates: crustaceans and insects, such as mayflies, caddis flies and black flies. Steelhead will also eat salmon eggs when available. At sea, they feed primarily on fish, squid and amphipods.
Dreams on the Fly has been guiding for steelhead for over 20 years. We guide on the Grande Ronde river Feb-Mar. & again Sept-Nov. We also guide on the Olympic Peninsula March & April (water conditions permitting).
What do they look like?
The steelhead has the same general appearance as other rainbow trout, particularly when young. Sea-running (anadromous) occurs in both the coastal and interior forms of rainbow trout. The adult has a more streamlined, torpedo-like body shape than the resident rainbow. The male’s jaw lengthens at maturity and forms a ‘kype’ or knob on the tip, similar to Pacific salmon.When fresh from the sea, they are usually very bright and silvery or as we like to call them "Chrome". As they approach spawning a pink to red lateral line appears that extends over the gill covers, then gradually they darken to a dull gray or brown.
Steelhead FAQs
