# Strange Looking Steelhead



## goolies (Jun 28, 2007)

Bill (Mastif) and I were trolling outside the mouth of the Grand in Fairport Saturday morning when he caught this very dark large mouthed steelhead. This was the strangest steelhead either of us had ever seen. Being relatively new to steelie fish I thought I would ask. It is a steelie right?


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## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

yes it is a steelhead and it was a male.

-KSU


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## goolies (Jun 28, 2007)

thank you.


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## archman (Apr 30, 2004)

I am suprised you caught one that dark out in the lake. Nice fish.


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## TRIPLE-J (Sep 18, 2006)

thats fish was probably up in the river for a while and just heading back out into the lake got one out there last week just like that 
Triple -j


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## kernal83 (Mar 25, 2005)

Nice out of the yak! Steelies have to really pull you around. I fish mine on inland lakes and I'm always amazed how much even a small fish can move you. How do you have the rod holder mounted its hard to tell from the pic? Is it anchored to the bottom, does it get in the way of your legs? My dad has the same yak and we have been looking for a way to get a rod holder on the front that doesn't interfere with anything.


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## bigcatjoe (Sep 6, 2006)

looks pretty normal, dark for a lake fish. you wouldnt believe what they look like after being in the river about a month. sometimes evern totally brown to black, blood red, big kipes on some.
cool transformation


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

So what causes the bug color change? I never knew this, although I haven't really fished a lot for steelies.


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## KSUFLASH (Apr 14, 2004)

Hormones in the fish change when they are in the rivers. They are coloring up during the spawn. Kinda like a turkey that puffs out all his feathers....Looky Looky I am pretty, let me mate with you....haha...


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## goolies (Jun 28, 2007)

kernal83 said:


> Nice out of the yak! Steelies have to really pull you around. I fish mine on inland lakes and I'm always amazed how much even a small fish can move you. How do you have the rod holder mounted its hard to tell from the pic? Is it anchored to the bottom, does it get in the way of your legs? My dad has the same yak and we have been looking for a way to get a rod holder on the front that doesn't interfere with anything.


I will see if I can get Bill to post a picture of how his rod holders are mounted.


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

KSUFLASH said:


> Hormones in the fish change when they are in the rivers. They are coloring up during the spawn. Kinda like a turkey that puffs out all his feathers....Looky Looky I am pretty, let me mate with you....haha...



Thanks, I didn't know that!


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## Mastiff (Jan 22, 2008)

kernal83 said:


> Nice out of the yak! Steelies have to really pull you around. I fish mine on inland lakes and I'm always amazed how much even a small fish can move you. How do you have the rod holder mounted its hard to tell from the pic? Is it anchored to the bottom, does it get in the way of your legs? My dad has the same yak and we have been looking for a way to get a rod holder on the front that doesn't interfere with anything.


What we didn't take a picture of was the line from the other rod tangled around me by the time I got the fish in. LOL have to work on that a little more.

The rod holder is a 1/2 inch piece of nylon that I cut to slide into the slot in the inside of the cockpit lip. I added a cord to keep it pulled tight towards the front of the yak. Then I bolted a rod holder base to the nylon. The top of the rod holder was altered to allow me to mount that piece to the another piece of nylon on top. Then mount the rod holders on the top piece. This gave it some elevation above the yak and keeps the rods out of my paddle stroke when trolling. I added two flush mounts in the back to store rods when I am travleing to a spot.


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## goolies (Jun 28, 2007)

KSUFLASH said:


> Hormones in the fish change when they are in the rivers. They are coloring up during the spawn. Kinda like a turkey that puffs out all his feathers....Looky Looky I am pretty, let me mate with you....haha...


I guess you have to be a female steelie to appreciate the look, because that is the grungiest fish I have ever seen.


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## RockyRiverRay (Jan 14, 2009)

goolies said:


> I guess you have to be a female steelie to appreciate the look, because that is the grungiest fish I have ever seen.


really! I think they're purrrrdy! Heres what theyre sexual dimorphic selves look like when they're almost in full spawn and ready to get jiggy wit it!! Very cool colors.


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## Fishaholic69 (Apr 6, 2007)

I like the colorful fish too! seems like just about every steelie ya catch is somewhat differerent. I guess steelie fishin is like a box of chocolates. you never know what your gonna get! hahaha! sorry. I had to say it.


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## BigDaddy300 (Nov 1, 2004)

I love when they get the color on them. They look way better than the silver dime fish. The males with the kype and the big rose bud, the hens with their colors are sweet also. The fish I got yesterday were very colorful.


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## oarfish (May 12, 2004)

As far as I know they color up to blend better with the river to be invisible. Get ugly to scare off other males.
That is a really cool way to troll with the yak pretty rugged fishing method.


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## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

on the other side was a lamprey mark.


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