Fish were plentiful for the first settlers of Los Gatos Creek. Newspaper stories in the 1880s describe catches of 100 to 200 trout a day. One pioneer wrote that "speckled trout were so plentiful, they could be caught with your hands." Based on the locations of fish collections made in 1895 and historical habitat condition suitable for salmonids, Los Gatos Creek likely supported a healthy population of steelhead trout (coastal rainbow trout) ("Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus"). A 1952 California Department of Fish and Game document stated that substantial steelhead runs had not been seen in Los Gatos Creek since 1937, when agricultural pumps lowered the water table throughout the Santa Clara Valley and dewatered the lower reach. However, stream resident coastal rainbow trout populations remain in the portions of the creek maintaining permanent flow, just below and above of Lexington Reservoir. The Santa Clara Valley Water District reservoir system has now raised water tables sufficiently that lower Los Gatos Creek once again supports steelhead trout. However, stream resident rainbow trout may produce offspring which become anadromous.