Summer steelhead are an ocean going form of Rainbow Trout native to the cold water rivers along western North America and the Russian far east. Limited in their range when compared to winter steelhead, the southernmost population of summer steelhead is found in Northern California. Summer steelhead are born in freshwater rivers, migrate downstream as juvenile fish to the Pacific Ocean, and then return to their natal stream to spawn. Adult summer steelhead return to freshwater during the summer (hence their common name) and fall months and wait to spawn until the late winter and early spring. Unlike Pacific Salmon, summer steelhead do not die after spawning. Summer steelhead tend to be most abundant in rivers 150 miles or more from the ocean.
