we consider anything smaller than 20in a trout here in PNW

Chris Symons-regardless of what you “consider” a species is a species. Size has nothing to do with it.

well in this case they are the same species and size usually is what classifies them as either a trout or a steelhead. i wasnt trying to start an issue was just saying in my state thats still a trout and would be considered a trophy trout. ?

The term steelhead was originally used to describe sea run rainbow and Columbia river redband trout. The term has expanded to include rainbow trout that were introduce to the Great Lakes region which have left tributaries to enter the lakes. These fish grow much more rapidly in the Pacific waters which is why folks in the PNW tend to use size as a determining factor for steelhead vs not. I suspect that that the growth rate is not as rapid in the Great Lakes region so there are probably differing criteria there. I’m a gulf coast guy so I have no practical experience, just what I’ve read.