# Steelhead Gender?



## Fishatic16 (Jun 19, 2016)

I’m still kind of new to steelhead fishing and was wondering if someone could tell me how to tell if a steelhead is male or female. I’ve heard from people that if it has a hooked jaw on top and bottom then it is a female and if they have a straight mouth then it is a male. I just want to tell the difference so I can get eggs from a female. Thanks


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## steelhead sniper 860 (Nov 6, 2013)

Pointy beak shaped head
MALE








Round short head as shown below
FEMALE


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## Fishatic16 (Jun 19, 2016)

Thanks, your pictures are a lot better than the ones posted on google.


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## twistedcatfish1971 (Jul 21, 2013)

Best 2 pictures I got...

Female 1st. Pic 

Male 2nd. Pic.

Don


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## Fishatic16 (Jun 19, 2016)

This is what I was having a hard time telling because the ones I caught are very similar. I know now that the first picture is a male and the second picture is a female. The color of steelhead also tell how long they have been in the river too right? A bright silver fish just came out of the lake and a dark steelhead has been in the river for a little while. Just trying to get some information about these fish because they are very interesting.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

in your post you just have it backwards. the longer hooked jaw is mail the shorter smooth jaw is female. or this is how I've don't it for the last 40+ yrs on salmon and steelhead.
sherman


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## bustedrod (May 13, 2015)

that's right


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## steelhead sniper 860 (Nov 6, 2013)

Actually the color is just their spawning colors they could be in the river a week or two and be bright with colors, they turn back to silver after spawning but at that point show some wear and tear


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## TRIPLE-J (Sep 18, 2006)

steelhead are bright silver when they come out of the lake and enter the rivers ..then you will see their pink stripe get very pronounced and turn deep red as they are in the river.... after a lil while in the river you start to see them actually getting black bellies and black blotches in their coloring...


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## CloudySea (Dec 16, 2014)

Or they start spewing eggs everywhere when you pull em out! Lol


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