The Flying Fish of Rainie Falls.
It is early fall here in Southern Oregon.
The trees are full of color, and so are the rivers and streams.
If you have ever wanted to witness firsthand the majesty, power
and persistence of Salmon and Steelhead, then you owe it to
yourself to jump in your car, hop the next train or bus, or take
to the air on the the next plane to Medford Oregon. And don't
forget your hiking boots.
The Rogue river is home to one of the last great runs of native
Salmon and Steelhead in the lower forty-eight, and the wild and
scenic section of the Rogue is home to Rainie Falls.To get to
Rainie Falls you will have to drive to the town of Merlin on
past the hamlet of Galice, and park at the trailhead on the
south side of the river just before the Graves creek bridge,
which is the start of the wild and scenic section of the Rogue
River. Rainie Falls, which at this time of year takes a ten foot
plunge over boulders and rocks, and works itself into a solid
class five river rating, looks pretty much impossible to
navigate from either direction.Most floaters portage around the
falls or take and line their boats and rafts down the "fish
ladder" on the north side of the river. However, if you are
willing to take the two mile hike to this small but natural
wonder, you will be rewarded with one of the finest spectacles
on this here earth.
The leaping of Salmon and Steelhead as they try and climb the
thundering falls is a sight to see.
For most folks, the closest they will get to witnessing this
incredible display of fortitude, will be when they pick up the
remote and flip over to the National Geographic channel just in
time to see a slow -mo, one dimensional group of pixels hurl
itself into the air. Tail flapping, body contorted and trying to
stretch itself over a natural barrier--which didn't seem like
such a big deal on the way downstream.
All this so they can pro-create and DIE.
Of course the Steelhead just do this to pro-create, so they
might be a little higher up on the fish IQ chain.
Now, if I were a Salmon and I reach the falls - I think to
myself- 'Why do I want to exhaust myself dodging sea lions, boat
motors, fishing lines, ten foot falls, water borne fungus which
can destroy my gills and prematurely end my "fishy sex" run,and
even more fishing lines,-- just to bury some eggs in the rocks
and wait for Mr. Right to come by and spray his fish manhood on
my little darlings.'
If it were me, I take a couple of half hearted jumps at the
falls, call it good and head back to sea for another three years
of gorging myself on fish and ocean adventure.
But thats's just me.
The fish of the Rogue River have different intentions and God
bless them for the effort they make to keep the species in tact.
On this early fall day the fish are extremely active and it
almost seems like some sort of pescatorial Olympics is taking
place here at the falls. At times, four to six fish can be found
at one time in the air. These are big fish too, some going as
big as fifty pounds.
It seems like each fish has his own method of attacking the ten
foot height, some go into a high arching rainbow leap, some fire
themselves into the falls like a bullet, and some flip in the
air in a "Fosbury " style flop. (Incidently, the legendary Dick
Fosbury grew up in Medford--I wonder if he got his jumping style
from watching the Salmon??)
Over and over, the fish relentlessly try and maneuver over the
falls.
Some hit the rocks on the side, some Steelhead seem to have
there own spot where they continuously try and hit a "crease" in
the rushing water, and others mis- time their jumps and fall
feebily short of the falls. On occasion, you see a mighty fish
muster the power to reach the magical spot where they can propel
their fins one more time up and over the brink to the upper
level.
Amazing.
Think about it, these small- in comparison to ourselves-
creatures have the strength to leap over a basketball rim. If
you or I could do that we could quit our day jobs, sign healthy
Nike contracts, and go fishing all day!! In fact,I think Nike
should consider the "Slammin' Salmon" basketball shoe, complete
with a smiling Rainie Falls Salmon--because I know I saw more
"hang time" at the falls then Michael Jordan has ever exhibited
on the court. They could even take the twenty million dollars
they would pay an athlete, and put it towards Salmon and
Steelhead habitat restoration!!
We must have sat for a half hour, watching the great acrobatics
and trying to see if we could recognize the same fish who were
taking multiple jumps at the falls. It is hard to believe there
is such a great success rate, but judging by the number of fish
that make it into the upper river to spawn--most do.
But, not before exhausting themselves at the falls.
There is no fishing at the falls, and if you intend to fish you
must go at least three hundred feet downstream.
If you are still in the mood for some more strenuous hiking, you
can continue downstream, but the trail is not nearly as worn,
there are boulders, creeks and blackberrys to navigate through,
and there is plenty of bear sign along the way. We hiked down to
Whiskey Creek, and flyfished for a little while for some of the
legendary half pounders of the Rogue River canyon.
The days are shorter this time of year so be sure to leave
yourself plenty of time to make the round trip-with our late
start we only had about an hour and a half of fishing time, and
made it out right at dark.
For the most part, fishing was just an afterthought this
afternoon...
...The real treat this day, was for Salmon and Steelhead
appreciation, and once you witness these great fish in their
quest for a return to their birthgrounds, I defy you to not come
away with a healthy respect for the Salmon and Steelhead--and
perhaps for the great spirit and determination of species
survival in general.