How many steelhead rivers are there in the Great Lakes?
Steelhead Addiction tracks 31 actively-fished tributaries across Lake Erie's south shore (Steelhead Alley — 22 rivers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York) and Lake Ontario's south shore (9 rivers in New York). Many smaller streams hold occasional steelhead but aren't consistent fisheries; the 31 covered are the ones with active stocking programs, public access, or self-sustaining returns.
Across all five Great Lakes, the count is much higher — Lake Michigan (Manistee, Pere Marquette, St. Joseph and dozens of others), Lake Huron (Au Sable, Tittabawassee, etc.), Lake Superior (Brule, Bois Brule, Knife) — but Steelhead Addiction's editorial scope is the south-shore Lake Erie + Lake Ontario fishery, which is the densest and most accessible from major Midwest cities (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester).
