KOCKING AROUND THE FISH CREEK:

I remember bumping into a retired doctor in the city park in Dallas, OR and him still apologizing for a deceased friend who had been in charge of Oregon Fish and Wildlife. It was during his time that the logging companies did so much damage to the wild runs of salmon in Oregon, during the post WWII boom in logging.

Eagles were blamed by the big canneries in Alaska for eating too many salmon in the creeks, and hence the old bounty system. Didn't the Feds see their giant fish traps.

I saw a map on the wall of Oregon Trout yesterday, that showed the vast loss of range of Pacific salmon in the Northwest. An area almost the size of the whole state of Oregon.

Then the Alaska Fish and Game Department failed to forsee the bad run of pinks in S.E. last year. Probably goes to show that the ADF&G was underfunded by both the Legislature and the Governor. Unless the ADF&G was just not doing their jobs. Icicle Seafoods would appear to have known ahead of time. They bought a cannery on Kodiak Island last spring, and lo and behold, S.E. was way down and Kodiak was way up. Makes you wonder doesn't it. Do only Icicle employees walk the streams making counts, or does ADF&G and then just not tell anyone.

I found out that you can drive up Highway 62 out of Medford and get to a bridge where it crosses the Upper Rogue River and see the kings spawning.(Actually some were spawning around our feet fishing for steelhead one day.)

I got curious about a certain spot on Bear Creek, right in the middle of Medford. I had to walk across this pesky park, LOL, and then under the Interstate. Where, lo and behold, king salmon were ramming into a small dam, with the bottom of the fish ladder a foot and a half out of water. They had a lot more room to butt their heads out in the middle of the creek I guess.

I noticed another funny thing, that when you grow up running up and down creeks chasing salmon in the summers, you tend to go looking for salmon from then on. Once in a while you can help to restore a run in small or big ways. Somehow caring for creeks get to be part of your DNA I think.

But one thing is for sure, get Oregon Trout or someone to show you where you can see some salmon around here before they are the last ones that anyone will see in that stream or other. Robin Moulder, of Moulder Inc., was my guide one day last fall. He took me out one evening to the Rogue to show me his patented Planer. The Planer takes your line out to the middle of the stream and lets your bait or luhr just bob along right where you want it to. No better system has come along to simplify stream and river fishing. Should make it easy for anyone to go out and catch something. The ocean planer will spread your lines out for a lot better footprint trolling out on the lake or in salt water too.

Robin also came to my rescue and graciously cooked all the (Kodiak) salmon for 100 people at our wedding on the banks of the Rogue. But the real story was us standing on that bank, actually on a front lawn, in the late evening. The mists were starting to form, and a summer steelie jumped near the far shore. It looked almost like a vision through that light mist. No wonder steelheaders get so psyched up over fishing for them; the places they go are some of the coolest places on earth in my opinion. I'm sure though that if there weren't any fish in the stream anymore, I'd have a different outlook.

Governor Schwartzenegger has even taken an interest in things salmon. "In light of PacifiCorp’s characterization of the value, it seems only appropriate that dam removal be explored as part of the discussion and quite frankly, as part of the eventual solution to restore Klamath River health.” The key it seems is that when the electrical power is needed, there is no water in the river to make it, and when the water is high, consumers don't need it all. So, get rid of them already!

It breaks my heart to see those kings butting heads with the dam on Bear Creek in Medford. Then someone goes and puts these little fish signs by the gutters so you won't dump engine oil down them. Why don't the sign putter-uppers just go across town and let those king salmon through so they can spawn at the same time.

Clips from a conversation at Savage Rapids Dam boat ramp: "Now sweetie, you know you can't swim in the creek because you got a rash all over last time from all the chemical runoff." "I don't know why they built this dam in the first place."

Turns out that people are finding little concrete dams on lots of little tributaries, from when settlers got water for all kinds of uses. Alaskans are finding that culverts under roads are stopping fish runs all over the place. And don't forget the joys of snorkeling in these rivers and creeks, when you can find a hole big enough and the water clear enough. Bring a cheap underwater camera, you'll have a blast. I recommend taking your date to Umpqua Falls in the summer and snorkeling about 75 yards below the fish ladder. And there's always sliding over the falls like everyone else.