# Steelhead Safe to eat?



## HotChilly

I always eat the steelheads that i caught in the past but is it safe? As many people are asking me this question now, I am starting to hesitate on my answers. They always asked me are steelheads eatable. I would say yes. Then they would ask are all fishes in the rocky river eatable. Then i would say NO! 

So do you guys know if steelheads are really eatable or we're just eating them because we saw the guy next to us bringing it home and cooking it and decided it was ok. If u guys have any websites that state they are safe, PLEASE let me know. I could not find anything


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## RiverDoc

HotChilly: The steelhead ranks at about 7.0 on an eatability scale of 1-10 with walleye as a 10. The trick, as is with most fish, is to cut the gills so the blood drains before you get home. Either that, or keep them alive until you get them home, euthanize them, and clean them right away. It's important to start with a fresh fish. The best steelhead are the ones in the lake that are >18" but < 22". (Legally you can keep down to 12" but the smaller ones do not produce much flesh and we need to watch our fishery.) Like many fish that become older, older steelhead have a WD40 taste that you can't shake except by marinating and/or smoking. 

You never know what kind of information to believe from a regulatory agency. You might, however, try reading this link for balance: http://fishscam.com/mercuryMyths.cfm

Screamin' Reels, RiverDoc


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## triton175

State advises eating no more than one a month. See this link:
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/fishadvisory/overall.aspx


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## Nymphbouncer

If you go by what the EPA recomends you won't be eating many fish you catch. I fish Highlandtown Lake in Columbiana Co. which is an electric motor only Lake. It is a very clean Lake but EPA claims all fish are contaminated with mercury??? I eat a steady diet of bluegill from that lake. I bring home 1 Steelhead everytime I fish the Lake Erie Tribs, I've never noticed any foul taste in eating them. There are alot of boats on Lake Erie and alot of gasoline residue which pollutes the water with Benzine ect, not to mention run-off from Factories and discharges from Sewage plants(some direct) I personally don't eat Steelhead more than 6-7 times per year. If you are really concerned heath wise I'd find a Lab willing to test one of your fish rather than relying on a Government Agency. IMO


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## Nymphbouncer

If you go by what the EPA recomends you won't be eating many fish you catch. I fish Highlandtown Lake in Columbiana Co. which is an electric motor only Lake. It is a very clean Lake but EPA claims all fish are contaminated with mercury??? I eat a steady diet of bluegill from that lake. I bring home 1 Steelhead everytime I fish the Lake Erie Tribs, I've never noticed any foul taste in eating them. There are alot of boats on Lake Erie and alot of gasoline residue which pollutes the water with Benzine ect, not to mention run-off from Factories and discharges from Sewage plants(some direct) I personally don't eat Steelhead more than 6-7 times per year. If you are really concerned heath wise I'd find a Lab willing to test one of your fish rather than relying on a Government Agency. IMO


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## dfm11

HotChilly said:


> I always eat the steelheads that i caught in the past but is it safe? As many people are asking me this question now, I am starting to hesitate on my answers. They always asked me are steelheads eatable. I would say yes. Then they would ask are all fishes in the rocky river eatable. Then i would say NO!
> 
> So do you guys know if steelheads are really eatable or we're just eating them because we saw the guy next to us bringing it home and cooking it and decided it was ok. If u guys have any websites that state they are safe, PLEASE let me know. I could not find anything


I always smoke mine using Wrights Lq. Smoke. Put it on the fish and put it in a gas oven with just the polt on till done. You can also use a gas grill by putting the fish on the warming grate and only one burner on the lowest setting.


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## Shouldn't Have

> Posted by: RiverDoc -- (Legally you can keep down to 12" but the smaller ones do not produce much flesh and we need to watch our fishery.)


I agree with protecting our fishery and keeping it healthy for everyone, as I love to fish and better yet, i love to actually catch fish, it is interesting to note that steelhead actually don't reproduce successfully in our great lake.
Here is an excerpt from dnr.state.oh.us/Home/FishingSubhomePage/fisheriesmanagementplaceholder/fishingfairportsteelhead/tabid/6166/Default.aspx

While Ohio Division of Wildlife biologists have noted a small amount of natural reproduction, it varies greatly from year-to-year. It is too low and erratic to support the quality fishery that has been developed and that anglers have come to expect. Good quantities of cold, spring water and adequate juvenile trout habitat are also rare in NE Ohio's Lake Erie tributaries. The fantastic fishing has been maintained by annual stocking and by the practice of most anglers to catch and release.

About 400,000-500,000 fish are stocked annually.
Just thought I'd share the info.


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## RiverDoc

Shouldn't Have: Thanks for pasting the text from the ODNR website. What point were you trying to share?


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## Shouldn't Have

RiverDoc said:


> Shouldn't Have: Thanks for pasting the text from the ODNR website. What point were you trying to share?


RiverDoc - No true point really, just an interesting fact. I have heard guys talking about only keeping the males to eat and maybe one female for some eggs and putting all other females back to keep the fishery active. While this is good practice with most species, it is not valid for steelhead. Just thought I'd share the info. So if you want to keep females to eat, keep females, if you want to keep a 12" to eat, keep it, it won't grow up and reproduce. It is ODNR and catch-and-release that keeps this species going.


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## CRAPPIE LOVER

Have eaten them Pan Fried in butter...Baked..Pickled in glass Jars...Smoked..But never Grilled they are OK.. not my no.1 fish to eat..They are a Taste of choice..Never heard of anyone dying from eating them...JIM....CL....


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## Brian.Smith

grilled or smoked is awesome
I only keep the fresh silver ones, when they get darker they go back in.


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