spawning

[onlyjumbos]

ok maybe this has already been asked before but i was told this weekend by a friend that the bows that are comming in now are spawning all of them..i always thought that they spawned in the spring with the exception of a few fall spawners and just came in to eat salmon eggs.. just wondering what you guys think I know that there are some fall spawners but are all of them spawning

[king killer]

He is correct. One exception though. Some smaller fish do come in to feed or maybe just follow the bigger fish in. 2lbs and under

[steelheader]

Over the years I have come to believe that there are different strains and cross strains of Bows..

Have witnessed Bows spawning in almost every month of the year, Fish caught with loose eggs in June /July off Thornbury, In the Saugeen in Dec/ Jan .. and our supposed "Regular" spring run..

Our fall run of Bows generally head up and hold in the deep pools awaiting the right spring conditions, But not all ,released a beauty 8lb hen two years ago with eggs pouring out..In December ..

Taking into account that Bows are an introduced species and have come from different origins anything is possible..

Perhaps someone with a better handle on this will chine in...IMHO

[golfer1958]

have been fishing the Notty most of my life if I remember I was told by one of C.O's a very long time ago back in the mid 60's steelhead and raindow are the same fish the steelhead are a BC fish and run in the fall

[metalbuckle]

Dave you are pretty close to the mark. Great Lakes steelhead are truly a genetic smorgasbord of different strains all mixed together. The Gbay strain if I am not mistaken was accidently introduced into the system when some farm pond rainbow trout escaped into the rivers during a high spring run-off. Since then stocking of various other strains has occurred and mixed with the population. The US also stocks different strains of steelhead and they have been shown to mix with Canadian stocked fish.. It is just a real mix mash of genes.. Well that's what I have heard through the grapevine over the years chasing and catching this fish... Whatever the situation, as a sportfish, steelhead / rainbow trout are #1 in my book..

Ok I found it..
For reference, accidental stocking of Notty steelhead from farm pond:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=uodqZETX4D...0strain&f=false