Who say's steelhead don't eat after getting into fresh water

[chongo469]

world's greediest summer steelhead (Ed Fast River Adventures)

[carpsniperg2]

WOW that is crazy!!!!

[lokidog]

That was one sneaky fish.  Probably trained by the local sand shrimp salesman.   

I always thought steelhead eat when they return since they will be going back to sea, no sense in wasting opportunities for food.   

[Button Nubbs]

One question. Are you just trying to make me go insane waiting for wednesdy? that is nuts! That fish must have been an absolute psyco to break off 4 hooks :Ýike: I hope there's some hangin around that are like that!

[bwhntr350]

 Not to try to take away from that crazy video, but I always thought that the thought was that  winter steelhead do not feed. The summer runs, such as that, have under-developed egg sacs or sperm sacs, hence, they have room  to fit food in their tummys, unlike the fully developed winter fish.
 Don't know, I guess, just what I had always thought???

[7mmfan]

Summer fish will enter a river system anywhere from May through November and most of them won't spawn until January-March. To allow their bodies to develop their sexual organs (as was just mentioned) and to maintain calories to live in the river for 2-6 months, spawn, and possibly return to salt, most summer fish will eat. Thats why they are also so much more aggressive than winter fish generally, because they are in it for keeps. I've caught summer fish in Sept/Oct literally STUFFED full of eggs from spawning salmon. In eastern WA rivers you can often see them in Sept/Oct smashing October Caddis on the surface like a big trout.

[h2ofowlr]

Does nobody use eggs on the river?  Looks like sandshrimp is the bait and meal of choice.  Good video.  A few years back I went through the stomach of one of the springers I caught.  It had multiple transmitters in it's belly, the one that are smaller than a grain of rice.  He had eaten a few baby salmon on his way up the river.

[Button Nubbs]

Eggs don't work... I personally believe winter and summer fish both feed but what do I know...

[carpsniperg2]

Prawns,coon shrimp,eggs,cocktails,sand shrimp etc they all will kill steelhead in the right conditions!