Noone said that none live to spawn again, some just think that only a small percentage of fish live to spawn again.
 
We've agreed to disagree in the past on just how high or low that precentage is, so I'll try not to go too far into this.  I think the reason you don't see large quantities of dead fish, similar to dying salmon, is that they are dying off over a longer time frame. The majority of the salmon die off in a short time frame (a month or so?) and most tend to hang around in the rivers waiting to die. I think that's why you see more of them compared to steelhead. I'd bet there are many dropbacks in the lake as we speak with open wounds from their spawning run, that will soon die of some disease as the lake temps warm.  Some have certainly already died.
 
With all of the fish that are stocked over the years, they certainly don't live forever, so we must agree on 1 thing, that they all die at some point.  Why don't we see these fish? Do these fish only die on stringers and in ice jams?
 
  The last time I was on Elk creek  there were 10 dead steelhead on the bottom of the hole I was fishing. Some other holes had several as well, some had none.  There were also many left alive that most certainly made it back to the lake.   What happens/happened to them when they got there, who knows?
 
Anyway, that's the only point I'd like to make. Is that just because you're not seeing thousands of dead fish, doesn't mean they are all living.
 
 
 
 

Spoon, let me ask you this then. why some years it seems like almost all the fish are in the 4 to 6 pound range? some years there seems to be many more fish in the 7 to 10 pound range (happened a few years ago), and some years there are a TON of jacks or fish in the 2 to 4 pound range. what i am saying is that perhaps many of these fish in the 1 to say 6 pound range return healthy to the lake and come back to spawn. some possibly for a second or third time.
 
just because you don't see a lot of fish in the 12 to 14 pound range does NOT convince me that they are not returning. remember a fish over ten pounds is hard to catch even at the Catt which has a healthy population of wild fish and return spawners.
 
i will admit one thing. i believe that many of the fish in the 6 to 8 pound class die. however, many years there is a HUGE run of fish in the 3 to 4 pound range. i firmly believe that these fish (which make up a large portion of kelts come late spring) make it back to the lake and return as 7 and 8 pounders......
 
research, where is the research????

Spoon, i have caught MANY 3 and 4 pound hens spitting eggs. also a larger perecentage of the fish at the headwaters are much smaller, so they DO travel far. they may not all spawn, but they ARE experiencing the rigors of migration through small shallow streams.
 
many of the fish left in late spring are 3 and 4 pound spawned out hens. are thes ONLY spring run fish? i doubt it since PA does not get a great spring run. These fish have been in the streams for awhile and are bright chrome and full of energy when they emigrate. they do not look sick or weak by any means.
 
what i am saying is what IF the reason why PA has such good runs of steel is not ONLY due to the million or so smolst stocked annually, but also due to many of these younger fish in the 3 to 4 pound class making it back to the lake to return to the streams in subsequent years?
 
something to consider isn't it? being that the catch and release rate IS so high on PA streams. like i said before i don't see any research that proves the majority of steel die........ only speculation.
 
 

the studies i have seen so that the return numbers are low for even a second spawning run, and those that make 3 or more are real rarities
the reason that there very few really big ones is that they don't live to make multiple return trips

i am also wondering if the steelhead fishery is actually as much of a "put and take" as is promoted. by this i mean what if it has been at such an impressive level due to catch and release tactics in the past 10 years or so. sure if nobody practiced C & R there would still be a very good run of steelhead every year due to the enormous number of smolts stocked annually, BUT would it still be at the ridiculous numbers that we now have?
 
are the large number of 6 to 8 pound fish a result of fish being released as jacks and younger fish in the 3 to 4 lb range? if everyone kept every single fish caught in a year would we still have the HUGE runs we now have? or would they merely be "good" runs? (remember over 80% of steelhead anglers practice C & R according to PFC surveys)
 
again, i don't want this to turn into a keep em or release em debate. i'm just throwing it out there for consideration, and to find out if there are actually any studies to prove one side or the other. i have a very hard time believing that all or even a majority of these bright healthy dropbacks go back to the lake to die.....

THROW EM BACK! THROW EM BACK!
 
lol. couldn't help myself........

lol, i KNEW you wouldn't get it. right over your head. well, i thought for a while there we had a pretty good discussion going.... then the put and take/rope em smoke em comes out. lol......
 
not about that, but i guess you knew that right?

I knew!!!