Ocean caught Steelhead

 This may be a dumb question...but,
 I see a lot of nice steelies caught in the Chetco this year.....
 Why do we not catch them in the Ocean?
 Thanks for any knowledge or input.

I hear of them occasionally getting caught by guys targeting salmon in the ocean, but it's pretty rare.  Part of it is probably simple numbers.  There's just a lot more salmon than steelhead out there.  My speculation is that the steelhead might also be generally living in slightly different areas than the salmon.  Maybe different depths, maybe different bottom structure (if they tend to stay closer to the bottom like kings).  Maybe they're just a lot more spread out and not as tightly schooled up as the salmon.   

I know a couple of people that target them in the ocean they do okay but its really a crap shoot, weather, ocean conditions an then the fact they don't really group come in. They more or less filter in ever so slowly. I couple of years ago me  and some friends where surf perch fishing and started catching 5-8lb. steelhead in the surf.

Kings do not stay on or near the bottom in the ocean,  just in the sound and rivers.

I remember hearing something a while back about people catching steelhead off the west side of Widbey Island at a certain time of year...I can't remember when that time was but it was pretty interesting...I think they were bank fishing too so a guy could get close to shore and cast from a yak...Check that out if you can.

My friend goes out every December and catches steel off the west end of Whidbey Island. It can be done but I know that guy is retired and puts his time in. He's fishing from shore..

Brookings? Good on you! Crescent  City here. A few years ago...around 35 years..... a friend of mine caught a steelhead on Jan. 1....in the ocean.
I had a 20' boat that I was trying to make a living at commercial fishing for Dungeness with rings. There had been a stretch of shitty weather, and I had needed to pump the bilge so I asked him if he wanted to run outside the harbor with me. We ran about 1/2 mile outside and turned the bilge pump on. While doing that he pulled out a jig pole with a plain lead jig and dropped it to the bottom. I chided him about it since I knew it was a sand bottom at that point. Just before I was ready to turn it off he yelled, "I got one!" I'm thinking 'bullshit' at that point. About 5 minutes later he brings about a 10 lb. flashing steelhad to the surface. We net it. I sneak it up the boat ramp wondering if it's really possible to catch a steelhead in the ocean in January. It was. We did. Haven't caught one in the ocean since.