Steelhead?

I got some free time this afternoon down at my local tailwater - in town, about 1.5 miles from my doorstep - where there is a pretty healthy trout population as well as quite a few mountain whitefish. I usually catch rainbows and browns in the 8-15" range with enough whitefish to keep things interesting... I've seen a few monster browns at different times and I've heard of quite a few larger rainbows as well. I know that in early November the department of Fish and Game stocks Steelhead not too far from here too, or I wouldn't be so unsure.

Imagine my surprise when I hooked into this fish on a #10 Killer Kebari this afternoon ~ I've never caught a Steelhead, nor a rainbow this size, but at a hair over 21" with a big kype jaw, this piggie is really close to the line between Steelhead and rainbow. I didn't take my real camera, but I did manage to snap a couple of fuzzy ones with my cell phone. What do you think ~ big bow or steelhead? I do know my wrist still hurts and I can't believe my 6x tippet held out!

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.

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