As far west as I got this weekend was Salmon Cascades on the Sol Duc. It's been raining, I thought, and maybe the salmon have come up the river?? Oh yes. Some jumping yesterday, and it rained all day while I was out there. Today lots lots more water, and lots more salmon. Some of them were really big.
Before the river flow picked up on Saturday and before other people were around, I was standing in a spot where I could actually hear the splat-plop when a fish bounced off the cascade he was trying to penetrate and fell back down onto the water surface. Maybe I saw one make it: he got his front end stuck in and was swimming like mad up through the downpouring water, but almost immediately was out of sight on the other side of a boulder, so I couldn't see if he got washed back down or got through. Sunday, vast lots of water pouring down. Still, occasionally you could hear over the roaring cascade the flitter-flitter-flitter as a 30-inch fish's fins and tail swam like crazy as it landed in the flow. Sometimes one with good jumping power but bad aim would end up in a little deadend pothole on the other side. You'd see it nosing around and thinking about what to do. Then after a while slither itself over the edge and back down into the river to try again.
They spawn a couple of miles further up, between RM 61 and RM 63. So every year some strong clever fish must make it. Go, fishes, go.
1 comment:
wow! this is so exciting. i was just reading a few days ago about the local areas where we can see the salmon run. this time of year we are quite busy trying to finish outside projects before the winter rains arrive. we have difficulty fitting in too many activities with our busy schedule - still have not made our fall leaf excursion. :( maybe this weekend. hope we get to do it all.
i got your comments and sent you an email a few days ago but forgot to give you a heads up. i was concerned the mail would go to your junk mail folder and may be deleted because my address is unknown to your mail service provider. let me know if it did get deleted so i can re-send.
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