Great Lakes steelhead
A migratory rainbow trout fishery in the Great Lakes (Lake Erie, Ontario, Michigan, Huron, Superior) that runs into tributary rivers to spawn. Distinct from Pacific-coast steelhead — these are landlocked descendants of Pacific strains stocked starting in the late 1800s.
Great Lakes steelhead complete their entire life cycle in fresh water — there's no oceanic phase. Smolts hatched in tributaries migrate down to one of the Great Lakes, spend 2-4 years lake-feeding (heavily on alewives, smelt, and round goby), then return to a tributary to spawn. Most return to their natal stream; some "stray" to other rivers in the same lake. The fishery is supported by both wild reproduction and state stocking programs. Ohio (ODNR) and Pennsylvania (PFBC) rely heavily on stocking; Lake Ontario tributaries like the Salmon River have substantial wild reproduction.
