Habitat use and food web linkages are critical data for fish conservation and habitat restoration efforts, particularly for threatened salmonids species. Otolith microchemistry has been shown to be a powerful tool for reconstructing fish movement, but over small distances (kilometers), geology-derived differences in otolith chemistry are rare. Here, we demonstrate that otolith {sup 13}C/{sup 12}C ratio (i.e. {delta}{sup 13}C) of anadromous steelhead trout can be used to distinguish residence in small streams from residence in larger streams and rivers. While previous research has shown that water dissolved inorganic carbon {delta}{sup 13}C is the primary source of carbon in otoliths, the downstream change in food {delta}{sup 13}C in this watershed appears to be the primary control on otolith {delta}{sup 13}C. As a result, this method can also be applied to the problem of reconstructing feeding history at a location
