The return of fall is marked by the return of chinook and coho to the Rogue basin; you might catch a glimpse of them in Bear Creek

By Frances Oyung

The return of fall marks the return of rain, cooler temperatures, and spawning salmon in the Rogue basin waterways.

After adult salmon reach maturity, they travel from the Pacific Ocean to their natal watersheds to reproduce. For salmon, this act will be the end of that individual fish’s life.

Chinook and coho

The Rogue River and its tributaries support some of the largest salmon populations in Oregon. Of the six species of Pacific salmon, two occur in the Rogue basin: the chinook salmon (also known as king), Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and the coho salmon (also known as silver), Oncorhynchus kisutch.

Chinook salmon are the first species to return to spawn in the Rogue in the fall.

All of the Pacific salmon are anadromous, meaning that the fish are born in fresh water and then make their way to the ocean, where they live for a period of time, reach maturity, and then return to the freshwater streams and rivers where they were born. In addition to salmon, other anadromous fish in the Rogue include steelhead trout, (Oncorhynchus mykiss) which is a sea-run form of rainbow trout, Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) and white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). 

Where to see salmon

Spawning chinook salmon occur in many Rogue basin locations in October. Look for them in areas of moving water with small gravel to cobble-sized substrate.

Middle Rogue tributaries such as Bear Creek, flowing through Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford and Central Point, often have chinook spawning through the end of October into the beginning of November. Fall rains allow for easier access to the upper reaches of Bear Creek. The furthest downstream sections of the Bear Creek area (Central Point to Medford) usually have some of the highest density of spawning chinook.

Chinook salmon are not as abundant as some of the other species of salmon in the Rogue, but can grow to a body size larger than any other Pacific salmon. Depending on the geographic population, coho are listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In the Rogue, they are listed as threatened.

Other spawners

After chinook start the fish spawning cycle in Bear Creek, other fish species spawn, including coho salmon, summer steelhead, cutthroat trout, winter steelhead and Klamath small-scale suckers. Pacific lamprey spawn in the spring. As stream flows get larger and fall rains progress, it is harder to see these other species of fish during spawning, but if you are in an area with suitable spawning habitat, you just might catch a view.

No fishing

Bear Creek and its tributaries are closed to fishing (except for the forks of Ashland Creek upstream of Reeder Reservoir), primarily to protect wild steelhead and coho. If you see people harassing, snagging, netting or angling that targets fish in Bear Creek or tributaries, please report it to the Oregon State Police dispatch at *OSP or 541-664-4600. They will want to know the exact location and details.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife fish biologists would also appreciate reports of these types of activities. Poaching of all kinds can have an impact on the sustainability of wildlife.

If we are going to keep the Rogue basin’s native fish populations strong, we will need to prioritize protecting the habitat they require throughout their life cycle: cold, clean water with the appropriate habitat to reproduce in, a safe place in the tributaries to rear, free passage to the ocean, and the ability to return to their natal waters.

Salmon viewing walks

Rogue Riverkeeper works year round to protect water quality to maintain a habitat to sustain native fish. We host salmon viewing walks each fall to see these miraculous fish and talk about our work to protect them.

Check out our events calendar or our Instagram and Facebook feeds to see where and when we are doing salmon walks.

Here are the upcoming salmon viewing events:

• Sunday, Oct. 19: Salmon Viewing Walk on the Applegate River
• Sunday, Oct. 26: Salmon Viewing Bike Ride on the Bear Creek Greenway
• Monday, Oct. 28: Salmon Viewing Walk on the Greenway + Bear Creek Restoration Tour with Rogue River Watershed Council

A spawning salmon swims upstream in the Upper Rogue River preparing to spawn. Frances Oyung photo

If you miss our events, get yourself out onto a local waterway and scan the riffles and gravel beds for fish. A salmon’s journey is nothing short of miraculous. I hope you can get out to catch a glimpse of these incredible fish this fall.

KS Wild Side appears every month and features a staff member from KS Wild, a regional conservation organization based in Ashland. Frances Oyung is program manager for Rogue Riverkeeper, a program of KS Wild that works to protect, defend, and restore clean water, native fish and healthy communities in the Rogue basin (rogueriverkeeper.org).