Ask Fish and Game

Q. OK, I'm confused about how many steelhead I can keep. I caught eight last spring; can I keep only 12 now since the limit is 20? A. No, you may keep 20 steelhead, in addition to the 12 you carded this spring. Maybe the confusion comes because the spring season and the fall season are both tallied on the same tag. Steelhead cards are valid for the entire calendar year, covering both spring and fall steelhead seasons. Spring and fall steelhead season limits are independent of each other. The 2003 fall season limit is 20, regardless of what the spring season limit was or how many steelhead you entered on your 2003 steelhead card under the spring season. There are spaces on the steelhead card for both the spring and fall seasons to accommodate a limit of up to 20, even though season limits are frequently set at less than 20. The 2003 fall steelhead season daily limit is three and you may have up to nine fish in your possession while in the field. Remember, only adipose-clipped steelhead may be killed.