19 species named: brook trout, brown trout, channel catfish, chinook salmon, coho salmon, crappie, cutthroat trout…
Read at Oregon ODFWSteelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss
5 of 26worth the trip today
Best right now at Trinity River, California. Water is inside the 40–55° range steelhead like at 5 of the 15 spots with a live reading.
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Where steelhead score best right now
About steelhead
Lake- or sea-run rainbow trout — chrome-bright fighters that ascend tributaries from fall through spring. The Great Lakes tributary steelhead run (Lake Erie’s “steelhead alley,” Lake Ontario, Michigan rivers) is a destination fishery; bite keys on flow and water clarity.
Oncorhynchus mykiss, family Salmonidae.
Steelhead, spot by spot
All 26 spots with steelhead in season, scored for steelhead, best first.
Marquette Park Beach (Gary, Miller Beach)Lake County, IndianaSteelhead
59° water · 15 mph wind
48Sit it out
Washington Park Beach (Michigan City)LaPorte County, IndianaSteelhead
59° water · 10 mph wind
48Sit it out
Catawba Island State Park (Port Clinton)Ottawa County, OhioSteelhead
61° water · 8 mph wind
48Sit it out
The water they want
Steelhead feed from about 40° to 55°F and best near 48°. Each pin is one spot’s water right now, from NOAA and USGS gauges; 5 of 15 are inside the range.
ideal 48°
40°55°
How they feed
- Water40–55°F, best near 48°
- TideEither, as long as it moves
- MoonEither
- DepthUsually 2–60 ft
- Active monthsOct–Apr
Scored against their own temperature range and tide preference first, then wind, weather and warnings. Solunar periods only break ties. How the score works
Keep or release
- Alaska non-tidal2 a dayKenai Peninsula flowing waters: 2 rainbow/steelhead a day in combination, 2 in possession, only 1 of which may be 20" or longer. North of Point Adam there is an annual limit of 2 rainbow/steelhead 20" or longer, recorded at harvest. Alaska changes limits by Emergency Order in season, so check the ADF&G emergency orders the day you fish.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 18, 2026 · source · 8 days since checked
- California2 a dayCalifornia: a steelhead is any rainbow trout over 16" in anadromous water. Hatchery fish only (adipose fin clipped); wild (intact-fin) steelhead must be released. 2 hatchery trout or steelhead a day where open, 4 in possession. Seasons and gear are set reach by reach, and a Steelhead Report Card is required.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Illinois10" minimum · 5 a dayIllinois Lake Michigan: trout and salmon 10" minimum, 5 a day singly or in aggregate; lake trout no more than 2 a day.Great lakes waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Indiana14" minimum · 5 a dayIndiana Lake Michigan and tributaries: 14" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in total, no more than 3 of them lake trout.Great lakes waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Michigan10" minimum · 3 a dayMichigan Great Lakes: 10" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in any combination, no more than 3 of any one species except up to 5 coho, chinook or pink salmon. Open all year.Great lakes waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Michigan10" minimum · 5 a dayMichigan Type 1 trout streams: open the last Saturday in April through Sep 30; 5 trout and salmon a day, no more than 3 of them 15" or longer. Steelhead are rainbow trout under Michigan rules: 10" minimum. Type 3 runs such as the lower Manistee and Pere Marquette allow only 1 a day.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- New York21" minimum · 2 a dayLake Ontario and the Lower Niagara: 15" minimum (21" for rainbow trout and steelhead), 3 trout and salmon a day combined, no more than 2 rainbow trout or steelhead. In Lake Ontario tributaries rainbows must be 25" and only 1 rainbow and 1 brown may be kept.Great lakes waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Ohio12" minimum · 2 a day (Jan 1–May 15, Sep 1–Dec 31); 12" minimum · 5 a day (May 16–Aug 31)Lake Erie and the full length of its tributaries: 12" minimum, trout and salmon combined. 2 a day Mar 1–May 15, 5 a day May 16–Aug 31, 2 a day Sep 1–Feb 28.Great lakes waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Oregon2 a dayOregon: a steelhead is a rainbow over 20" in a stream (16" in the Northwest and Southwest zones). Hatchery fish only (adipose fin clipped); wild (intact-fin) steelhead must be released. In the aggregate: 2 adult salmon or steelhead a day and 20 a year on the Combined Angling Tag (hatchery fish on Hatchery Harvest Tags do not count), plus 5 jack salmon a day. Chinook jacks are 15–24", adults over 24"; coho jacks 15–20". Salmon under 15" count as trout, except coho. Wild steelhead may be kept only on reaches that list it.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Pennsylvania15" minimum · 3 a day (Jan 1–Apr 2, Sep 7–Dec 31); 15" minimum · 5 a day (Apr 3–Sep 6)Rainbow trout (steelhead) and salmon: 15" minimum, 3 a day combined. Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and all tributaries. All trout and salmon combined: 5 a day from 8 a.m. on the trout opener (the first Saturday in April; Apr 3 in 2027) through Labor Day, 3 a day after. Tributary streams are closed to trout fishing from 12:01 a.m. on the Friday before the opener until 8 a.m. on opening day.Great lakes waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Washington20" minimum · 2 a dayWashington statewide: 20" minimum, 2 hatchery steelhead a day; all wild steelhead must be released. Open during the game fish or salmon seasons of each water.Non tidal trout waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Wisconsin10" minimum · 5 a dayWisconsin Lake Michigan and Green Bay: 10" minimum, 5 trout and salmon a day in total, lake trout included. Open all year, except no lake trout season on the Mid Lake Reef Complex. A Great Lakes trout and salmon stamp is required.Great lakes waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
Rules change, and they differ by state and often by water. Each spot page shows the limits for its own water. Steelhead are fished at spots in 10 states: Alaska, California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington.
Waters with their own rules
These waters set limits for steelhead that differ from the rest of their state.
Reports that mention steelhead
3 state agencies named steelhead in their latest reports, newest first, linked to the source.
10 species named: channel catfish, chinook salmon, coho salmon, crappie, lake trout, largemouth bass, muskellunge…
Read at Indiana DNR11 species named: brook trout, brown trout, chinook salmon, crappie, lake trout, largemouth bass, muskellunge…
Read at New York DECFished in the same water
Species people target at the same spots as steelhead, and how they’re doing today.
Chinook salmonOncorhynchus tshawytscha8 of 29 spots worth the trip
Best now at Selkirk Shores, NY96
Bites in 42–58° water
Coho salmonOncorhynchus kisutch8 of 20 spots worth the trip
Best now at Port Crescent, MI84
Bites in 44–58° water
Smallmouth bassMicropterus dolomieu50 of 118 spots worth the trip
Best now at Potomac River, MD100
Bites in 55–78° water
WalleyeSander vitreus33 of 81 spots worth the trip
Best now at Presque Isle, PA96
Bites in 50–72° water