Kokanee Day at Sheep Creek on Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Cool weather in September brings fall colors but you don't have to look high to see some of the brightest reds, check out the Kokanee Salmon in Sheep Creek. In September and October, this unusually colored wild fish can be found swimming in several of Utah's rivers and streams. Utah's kokanee salmon turn a brilliant red when they move into the streams to spawn. To mark the event, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will host a Kokanee Salmon Day on September 23, 2006, at Sheep Creek, a tributary of Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Kokanee salmon in their fall spawning colors

Besides watching the Kokanee at Sheep Creek, viewers usually see bighorn sheep from the viewing site and often visitors report seeing elk, moose, mule deer and bald eagles on their way. Division biologists will be on site between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. with display materials to help viewers see the fish and to interpret the Kokanee's behavior. The Sheep Creek Site is located about six miles south of Manila on highway 44.

Utah's salmon populations are a completely freshwater species. They follow a similar life-cycle to other salmon except instead of migrating from the Pacific Ocean to freshwater streams, Kokanee Salmon migrate from freshwater lakes and reservoirs. Populations from Flaming Gorge, Strawberry Reservoir and Porcupine Reservoir spawn during the months of September/October. Most other populations will spawn later in the year.

These early Kokanee spawning runs are an excellent opportunity to discover Utah wildlife. Viewers are asked to watch from the bank and to approach and move quietly to avoid disturbing the fish. Please keep pets and children out of the water. Studies have documented the fish are sensitive to bank disturbances and wading in the stream can disrupt the run, destroy redds (egg nests) and cover the eggs with silt.

— Ron Stewart, DWR Northeast Region Outreach Manager