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Posted

I'm wondering how to tell the difference
between kamloops and steelhead after the
steelies have colored from being in the rivers. Is there an easy way to distinguish the two easily like number of rays, type of tail, or anything else?

Posted

coldwaterfan,
The quickest way to tell the differnce is a Looper has a clipped adipose fin. There is a small bump or nub on their back just before their tail. They show an example of it in the rules and regs. With that said let me welcome you to the forum, hope that helps.
Take care, BD110

Posted

BD110:
So even the stocked steelies have
an adipose fin(unclipped)? Does that mean that all steelhead on the north shore are only catch and release? The only reason I ask is that I caught two fish today and they looked almost identical except that one was clipped and the other was unclipped.

Posted

coldwaterfan,
Thats another story smile.gif You asked how to tell the difference between a Looper & Steeelhead. I have heard that Steelhead are also stocked but I can't tell a clipped Steelhed from a looper. I have cought and released Steelhead, but I always thought of the other clipped Rainbows as Loopers. As far as I know if it meets the size and It's clipped you can keep it. I'm sure there are a lot more folks in the know that can help us both out.
Take care, BD110

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators
Posted

If it has a clipped adipose fin its a Looper.
If there is a adipose fin its most likely a Steelhead but it could be a naturally produced Looper or a Looper/ Steelhead cross which in either case it still has to be released.

Posted

Native steelhead have a very tall tail compared to that of a looper. If the fish has a tall tail, and no clipped fin, I'd say for sure you were looking at a steelhead. Steelhead evolved to spawn in north shore rivers whereas the looper is more of a lake evolved fish and hasn't been around for over a hundred years in the system like steelhead. So the typical steelhead has a more of a torpedo shaped body with a large tail.

Posted

Thanks for the information people!
I rarely keep fish, but I really like to
know what I'm catching.

Posted

Loopers tend to be shorter and fatter than steelhead. They also tend to be a bit more darker in color, looking more like rainbow trout and the steelhead are usually brighter and more silvery in color. You can tell in the fight too, steelhead also fight much better than loopers.

Posted

Slipperyfish:
Thanks for the much needed definitive
information. It is good to know that
I've been catching steelies!

Posted

Slipperyfish is right. All hatchery fish have a clipped adipose - loopers and steelhead. The steelies also have a clipped maxillary. The part of the jaw that extends from the mouth is clipped on one side or other, depending on year class and other factors.

[This message has been edited by tie flyer (edited 04-22-2004).]

Posted

Hey guys,
Thanks for the replys I knew there would be plenty of info on this question. It's great to have different input from many sources smile.gif
Take care, BD110

Posted

I recently caught a looper that for all practical purposes could have been a steelie. It was completely silver with a light pink stripe. It fought like hell (took me about 15-20 to land her on the fly rod) and it had the torpedo shape of a steelhead. I was fishing next to a guy who was explaining to me the maxilary clip, but when i landed the fish, he couldn't find it. We then noticed that the fish had a pectoral fin clipped-designating it as a looper. That fish made a great picture and an even better dinner!

Here's to tight lines.
Remember we have women and children who visit this site. N.L.

------------------
"Beer is God's way of telling us that He loves us and wants us to be happy."

-Ben Franklin

[This message has been edited by Northlander (edited 04-28-2004).]

Posted

I probably should mention that that fish also had a clipped adipose- if this thread teaches anyone anything it should be that a clipped adipose means that the fish may be harvested. if the adipose is intact, the fish swims away!

rip some lips!

Posted

I'llTakeWhatiCanGet,

The maxillary clips can be quite subtle, often only appearing slightly shorter than the unclipped side. The presence of a front fin clip (pectoral clip) by itself doesn't necessarily designate the fish as a looper. There were hatchery steelhead stocked in the Gooseberry and Silver with an adipose, right max, and left or right front combination. These fish would be six and seven year old by now. See the DNR table on rainbow fin clips at http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/lakesuperior/RBTfinclip.pdf As these are old fish now, there aren't many in the lake and for the most part there won't be many clipped steelhead with front (pectoral) clips.

Happy fishin

Guest
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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Wanderer
      Up until April 24th? 😉
    • leech~~
      April 25th! DH'O
    • smurfy
      🤣 WELL.......LEECH...... since its free where's your name????????🙄
    • leech~~
      Dang, this is like a free meal on Lakestreet in Mpls.  I didn't know this many folks were still on the site until someone said "Free raffle drawing"  🤣 🤣 
    • SkunkedAgain
      Nah, I'm not changing my guess. It's more fun to make early predictions and see how far off I am.   I'll turn on the hair dryer and see if it helps.
    • JerkinLips
      Because I temporarily changed the rules, and smurfy was the 2nd person to wager a guess, I changed his prediction to April 25th.  Also, since SkunkedAgain was the originator of this competition and was the 1st person to guess, I will give him until Friday to change his prediction if he wants to (although he may regret if the ice goes out on April 18th).  After him, no more "changes" will be allowed on my board.   Lots of "good" open dates available for those that have not predicted yet.  Updated board below:  
    • SkunkedAgain
      https://www.timberjay.com/stories/moccasin-point-upgrade-has-longtime-users-concerned,22802   Moccasin Point upgrade has longtime users concerned DNR hopes to get major remake of key access underway later this year Posted Thursday, March 20, 2025 10:36 am   Marshall Helmberger LAKE VERMILION— With funding finally in place, the Department of Natural Resources is planning to move forward with an estimated $2-plus million renovation of the Moccasin Point landing, and users of the site say they’re concerned about the changes. The landing has been heavily used for decades by anglers, Boundary Waters visitors, residents of nearby islands and other remote-access properties on Lake Vermilion and, perhaps most critically, by emergency responders for everything from fire to medical response. Moccasin Point has also been a protected harbor for private barges loading and unloading as they service the many water-access properties in the area. Sarah Schmidt, who spends summers with her husband Jake at their cabin on nearby Pine Island, said there’s a lot at stake for people who depend on the landing. “A lot of people have designed their dream home around having access to that landing,” she said. “People need propane, they need lumber, and if they need to install a septic system, they need lots of gravel,” she said. For the many hundreds of island or other water-access property owners on the lake, all of that material comes by barge. Moccasin Point is particularly well suited for such use, since it is arguably the most protected harbor on Lake Vermilion, with islands and mainland protecting it from wind from just about any direction. It’s also centrally located on the sprawling lake and close to concentrations of island homes and cabins. Scott Kelling, northeast regional manager for DNR Parks and Trails, said the plans for the reconstruction of the landing are still being finalized, but insisted they will take into account the unique mix of recreational and commercial use of the landing, including use by all three of the barging companies that service customers on the lake. According to Kelling, the remake of the landing will include removal of the old pier and the reconstruction of a new one in nearly the same location. “The new pier will serve the same function,” said Kelling, and will include an additional ramp that will be dedicated for barge loading and off-loading. Kelling said an engineer’s inspection of the existing pier determined it was near the end of its useful life, although Schmidt said she thinks that opinion reflects the DNR’s desire to remove the structure rather than its actual condition. Kelling acknowledges that it’s not the only reason for replacing the structure. “With our redesign it’s just not in the right location,” he said. Adequate parking is another major concern of longtime users of Moccasin Point. Tim Logan, whose family has owned island property near the landing since the 1950s, said plans the DNR had shared a few years ago seemed to show less parking than is typically used at the site. Schmidt notes that during high-traffic weekends, the parking area is frequently full and overflow parking can extend for hundreds of feet along Moccasin Point Rd. She said she counted 163 vehicles parked at the landing at one point last Memorial Day weekend and said there are routinely 90-100 vehicles during the summer season. Many of the regular users of the landing, particularly those on island properties, use the site for long-term parking of their vehicles for days, weeks, or months at a time. That’s unusual at public landings, which are typically limited to day use. Kelling said the DNR is making an exception to that rule for Moccasin Point, given the many varied uses of the unique property. “Overnight parking will be allowed,” he said. Kelling said the current plan will allow parking for a bit over 100 vehicles, which is more than some original plans for the site. “We’re doing everything we can to maximize the parking there, at some considerable expense,” he said. Longstanding issues Kelling said the DNR’s plan for reconstruction is motivated by a desire to “manage the site more responsibly on a number of fronts.” The DNR acquired the site in 2008 and had planned to undertake reconstruction of the landing back in 2013 but lacked the funds at the time to accomplish the work. The funding was approved in 2023 and the DNR has been working on design of the project ever since. According to Kelling, the site has operated essentially as a “free-for-all” for years, with uses and resource impacts that aren’t typically permitted at DNR-managed access points. “There are currently a number of transgressions out there,” said Kelling, including long-term storage of personal property and building materials. He said the site, which slopes toward the lake, also contributes large amounts of sediment into Vermilion during heavy rainfall. “We need to better manage the stormwater,” said Kelling. “Currently, a lot of sediment and other things end up in the lake when it rains.” Schmidt questions whether the change will be an improvement, since the DNR’s reconstruction of the site will convert the existing grassy hillside that currently serves as the site’s parking lot into a paved parking area. Kelling said the parking area will be leveled before being paved and that stormwater will be directed into one of two planned stormwater ponds in order to contain sediment. Schmidt claims the ponds will become a mosquito breeding ground. Kelling said he expects the final design will be completed soon and he is expecting to hold an open house in early summer so interested users can see what’s planned for the site. He expects actual construction to begin sometime in October if all goes as planned. That initial work will include blasting of some underlying bedrock in order to level the site. But most of the work will take place in 2026, he said, and during that period, it may be difficult to maintain public use of the site, although he said use of the site by barges should still be possible, with potentially some minor delays. But he said other users of the site may want to explore other access options for that summer. Kelling said he hopes to have more information on that at the open house later this year. “A goal of the open house is to really share the timeline and alternatives for users,” he said. “They might need to park somewhere else in 2026.”
    • smurfy
      i wanna change mine to the 29th of april...........i've been seeing ice reports to much up that way. 🙄
    • leech~~
      Agreed, but I had a bit of a technicality and had to change.   You!  🤣
    • CigarGuy
      I think once you guess your date, that should be it. If you can change right up to their date, that kind of takes the fun out of it.....in my humble opinion! Let vote on it!😀
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