Steelhead / Rainbow question

Hey all you yak wars fellas out there I got a question. When fishing anadromous waters DFW says anything under 16" is a rainbow everything over a steelhead right? so is this the way that it works in there too.  What do you all think?

That is how I would do it.

Thanks rob! If you ever want to fish my neck of the woods and want a tourguide hit me up.

To be technical, it is not a steelhead until it goes to the ocean and comes back.  The whole size thing has been argued to death multiple times.  But no rainbow becomes a steelhead until it goes to the ocean and comes back. 

To be technical, it is not a steelhead until it goes to the ocean and comes back.  The whole size thing has been argued to death multiple times.  But no rainbow becomes a steelhead until it goes to the ocean and comes back.

I agree 100% but the way the law is written is another thing! I guess I should actually look it up before saying that but that is what I have been told. About to put up a new post then Ill check it out when done and post the actual wording of what DFW considers a "Steelhead" here

Page 32 of the downloadable 2013 freshwater regs.

"Anglers must have a nontransferable Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card issued by the department in their possession while fishing for steelhead trout in anadromous waters. For purposes of this regulation, a steelhead trout is defined as any rainbow trout greater than 16 inches in length found in anadromous waters."

If I were to keep and call an 18" trout caught in anadromous waters a rainbow I would technically be breaking the law just sayin

It's a funky regulation, but CDFW has to draw a clear line somewhere so I can see why they'd choose 16 inches.  One change to the regs for 2013 that I was very happy to see was the reduced limit on the Sacramento River.  They removed the one wild "trout" limit and changed it to 2 hatchery trout/steelhead per day.  The original limit didn't make sense since in essence, it was allowing anglers to keep juvenile wild steelhead.

Yeah the laws are wrong and stupid.  But then again when has the DFG or now the DFW done anything smart. 

Sounds good to me from a harvest perspective. People shouldn't be allowed to take home 16-20" future steelies. Especially wild fish like the amended Sac reg that Clayman mentioned. That seems like a step in the right direction, right?