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South-Central California Coast steelhead in general have longer, streamlined bodies that are suited to the small, flashy streams of central and southern California.

Historically, annual runs of adult SCCC steelhead averaged about 27,000 adults in wet years. Reliable abundance data are severely lacking, but best estimates suggest that less than 500 adults return to fresh water each year to spawn. During historic drought from 2012- 2016, there was limited documented spawning in most watersheds across the DPS, suggesting populations may shrink in the next few years.

The behaviors and habitats of SCCC steelhead are not well documented, but are apparently similar to those of Southern steelhead. in general, they spend one to three years in fresh water, then two to four years at sea before returning to natal rivers to spawn from January to May. in years with low rainfall, such as 2012- 2016, lagoon barriers may not breach during the rainy season, making fresh water migrations impossible. Juveniles may migrate from fresh water to lagoons and estuaries, or between reservoirs and tributaries, multiple times in a single year. immature steelhead typically spend several weeks to months in estuaries, where they grow rapidly to increase their survival at sea. in the Pajaro and Salinas rivers, desiccation of tributary streams in dry years forces juveniles out to sea if estuary mouths are open or upstream into headwaters where perennial streamflows exist.

SCCC steelhead are distinct from Southern steelhead in their genetics and the environmental conditions in which they live. Recent genetic research suggests that juvenile Rainbow trout females are more likely to migrate to sea than males; this could be because their egg production depends on large body size, which increases significantly with time spent at sea.