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The Flying Fish Of Rainie Falls.
By A.J. Klott, Sat Dec 10th
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, powerand persistence of Salmon and Steelhead, then you owe it toyourself to jump in your car, hop the next train or bus, or taketo the air on the the next plane to Medford Oregon. And don'tforget your hiking boots.
The Rogue river is home to one of the last great runs of nativeSalmon and Steelhead in the lower forty-eight, and the wild andscenic section of the Rogue is home to Rainie Falls.To get toRainie Falls you will have to drive to the town of Merlin onpast the hamlet of Galice, and park at the trailhead on thesouth side of the river just before the Graves creek bridge,which is the start of the wild and scenic section of the RogueRiver. Rainie Falls, which at this time of year takes a ten footplunge over boulders and rocks, and works itself into a solidclass five river rating, looks pretty much impossible tonavigate from either direction.Most floaters portage around thefalls or take and line their boats and rafts down the "fishladder" on the north side of the river. However, if you arewilling to take the two mile hike to this small but naturalwonder, you will be rewarded with one of the finest spectacleson this here earth. The leaping of Salmon and Steelhead as they try and climb thethundering falls is a sight to see. For most folks, the closest they will get to witnessing thisincredible display of fortitude, will be when they pick up theremote and flip over to the National Geographic channel just intime to see a slow -mo, one dimensional group of pixels hurlitself into the air. Tail flapping, body contorted and trying tostretch itself over a natural barrier--which didn't seem likesuch 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 theymight be a little higher up on the fish IQ chain. Now, if I were a Salmon and I reach the falls - I think tomyself- 'Why do I want to exhaust myself dodging sea lions, boatmotors, lines, ten foot falls, water borne fungus whichcan destroy my gills and prematurely end my "fishy sex" run,andeven more lines,-- just to bury some eggs in the rocksand wait for Mr. Right to come by and spray his fish manhood onmy little darlings.' If it were me, I take a couple of half hearted jumps at thefalls, call it good and head back to sea for another three yearsof gorging myself on fish and ocean adventure. But thats's just me. The fish of the Rogue River have different intentions and Godbless them for the effort they make to keep the species in tact. On this early fall day the fish are extremely active and italmost seems like some sort of pescatorial Olympics is takingplace here at the falls. At times, four to six fish can be foundat one time in the air. These are big fish too, some going asbig as fifty pounds. It seems like each
fish has his own method of attacking the tenfoot height, some go into a high arching rainbow leap, some firethemselves into the falls like a bullet, and some flip in theair in a "Fosbury " style flop. (Incidently, the legendary DickFosbury grew up in Medford--I wonder if he got his jumping stylefrom watching the Salmon??) Over and over, the fish relentlessly try and maneuver over thefalls. Some hit the rocks on the side, some Steelhead seem to havethere own spot where they continuously try and hit a "crease" inthe rushing water, and others mis- time their jumps and fallfeebily short of the falls. On occasion, you see a mighty fishmuster the power to reach the magical spot where they can propeltheir fins one more time up and over the brink to the upperlevel. Amazing. Think about it, these small- in comparison to ourselves-creatures have the strength to leap over a basketball rim. Ifyou or I could do that we could quit our day jobs, sign healthyNike contracts, and go all day!! In fact,I think Nikeshould consider the "Slammin' Salmon" basketball shoe, completewith a smiling Rainie Falls Salmon--because I know I saw more"hang time" at the falls then Michael Jordan has ever exhibitedon the court. They could even take the twenty million dollarsthey would pay an athlete, and put it towards Salmon andSteelhead habitat restoration!! We must have sat for a half hour, watching the great acrobaticsand trying to see if we could recognize the same fish who weretaking multiple jumps at the falls. It is hard to believe thereis such a great success rate, but judging by the number of fishthat make it into the upper river to spawn--most do. But, not before exhausting themselves at the falls. There is no at the falls, and if you intend to fish youmust go at least three hundred feet downstream. If you are still in the mood for some more strenuous hiking, youcan 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 toWhiskey Creek, and flyfished for a little while for some of thelegendary half pounders of the Rogue River canyon. The days are shorter this time of year so be sure to leaveyourself plenty of time to make the round trip-with our latestart we only had about an hour and a half of time, andmade it out right at dark. For the most part, was just an afterthought thisafternoon... ...The real treat this day, was for Salmon and Steelheadappreciation, and once you witness these great fish in theirquest for a return to their birthgrounds, I defy you to not comeaway with a healthy respect for the Salmon and Steelhead--andperhaps for the great spirit and determination of speciessurvival in general. About the author:A.J. Klott Author, writer of humor,and "fly tack"peddler.A.J. writes about the people,characters and modern dayevents that surround the world. His first book is dueout in December of 2005. If you need a laugh or a fun gift,visit his website at: http://www.twoguyswithflys.com
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