This is a male steelhead, or sea-run rainbow trout, in spawning colors. I landed this beautiful fish in the headwaters of the Carmel River, in waters that are blocked from the ocean by a large reservoir and dam. I later found out that hundreds of mature steelhead are manually trucked over the dam each year so they can reach the prime spawning habitat above the dam. Surprisingly, the young fish running downstream are able to survive a nasty ride over the spillway on their way to the Pacific Ocean.