the salmon run in lake tahoe happens in late september through mid-october.
when do the salmon run in lake tahoe?
late september through mid-october
each autumn, from late september through mid-october, mature kokanee salmon ("oncorhyncus nerka"), transform from silver-blue color to a fiery vermilion, and run up taylor creek, near south lake tahoe. as spawning season approaches the fish acquire a humpback and protuberant jaw. after spawning they die and their carcasses provide a feast for gatherings of mink ("neovison vison"), black bears ("ursus americanus"), and bald eagles ("haliaeetus leucocephalus"). these non-native salmon were translocated from the north pacific to lake tahoe in 1944, and taylor creek is their primary spawning stream in the tahoe basin. kokanee appear to compete for forage with the recently established threatened lahontan cutthroat trout in fallen leaf lake.
taylor creek (lake tahoe)
lake tahoe became a transportation hub for the surrounding area as mining and logging commenced prior to development of railroads. the first mail delivery was via a sailboat which took a week to visit each of the lakeside communities. the first steamboat on lake tahoe was the paddle wheel tugboat "governor blasdel" towing log rafts to a sawmill on the south side of glenbrook bay from 1863 until her boiler exploded in 1877. the "truckee" and propeller-driven "emerald" were also towing log rafts in 1870. j.a. todman brought steam-powered passenger service to lake tahoe in 1872 with the 125-passenger side-wheel steamer "governor stanford" which reduced the mail delivery trip around lake tahoe to eight hours. todman expanded service with steamboats "mamie", "niagara", and "tod goodwin". lawrence & comstock provided competition with their steel-hulled steamboat "tallac" in 1890 and later purchased todman's steamboats "mamie" and "tod goodwin". the carson and tahoe lumber and fluming company purchased the "niagara" and built the iron-hulled steamboats "meteor" in 1876 and "emerald (ii)" in 1887. the "meteor" was the fastest boat on lake tahoe with a speed of per hour. lake tahoe railway and transportation company dominated the passenger and mail route after launch of their 200-passenger steamboat "tahoe" on 24 june 1896. the 154-ton "tahoe" was long with a slender beam so her engines could push her over the lake at 18.5 knots. lake tahoe railway and transportation company purchased "tallac" and rebuilt her as "nevada" with length increased by to serve as a backup steamboat when "tahoe" required maintenance.
lake tahoe