Spawning

At the time of spawning, the female, called a hen, chooses a bed of clean gravel that is constantly aerated by upwelling water currents. The bed, constructed in about one to four feet of water, is usually located near a retreat, such as the head of a large pool, or near a logjam or undercut bank. The hen prepares the nest by turning on its side and rapidly moving its tail. These movements create water currents strong enough to hollow out a depression in the gravel. This activity usually causes some wear on the lower edge of the hen's tail.

Several males, or bucks, may attend a hen steelhead but it is the dominant males who manage to spawn with hens. During the spawning act, the pair lie side by side, quiver rapidly with open mouths, and extrude streams of eggs and milt. After each deposition of eggs, the hen will move slightly upstream and again displace more gravel with rapid tail movements. The gravel settles on and covers the recently fertilized eggs. The pair continue to spawn in the freshly constructed depression. Eventually, the line of gravel disturbed by a spawning pair of steelhead may extend for three feet or more in length. This is called a redd and appears as a lighter-colored depression in a stream bed. A hen may deposit up to 10000 eggs, depending on its body size. Spawning may be completed within hours or continue sporadically for several days.

After spawning, the spent fish fall back downstream to rest in a deep pool. Descent back to the lake or ocean usually occurs during a freshet when river water levels rise. These spent fish, called kelts, may be trapped in smaller streams for weeks. Many are in poor condition, with body infections and ragged fins, especially those that have been in a river for months before spawning or have traveled long distances upstream. Their condition is heightened by the fact that they have eaten little, relying on body fat to sustain them. Consequently, they are no longer a desirable sportfish. However, in many Great Lakes streams, kelts may be in excellent condition. They quickly lose their spawning coloration, again turning silver, even in a river. Unlike Pacific salmon, steelhead can survive to spawn again, although spawning mortality is high in some waters.

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