How old are the fish when they spawn?
Coho salmon generally spawn at 2+ years (two summers in the lake). Some male cohos will spawn after only one summer in the lake. The majority of steelhead spawn at 3 and 4 years, with some spawning at 5 to 6 years. The oldest steelhead spawned at the Root River Steelhead Facility was an 8 year old male. The majority of chinook salmon spawn after spending 2 to 4 summers in the lake. A chinook spawning after 4 summers in the lake would be 3+ years old, since they are stocked as spring fingerlings that are less than a year old. Brown trout typically spawn at age 2 to 4.
