Kokanee Salmon Run and Festival at Lake Tahoe

During the fall at Lake Tahoe, the kokanee salmon start their annual salmon run, and the Fish and Wildlife host their annual kokanee salmon festival. The Kokanee Salmon Festival takes place on the first weekend in October. This generally aligns with the spawning of the kokanee salmon, and the start of their annual salmon run. There are a host of activities and fun that come along with the celebration of the kokanee. Outside of fishing tournaments, this is one of the coolest kokanee salmon events I’ve ever been too. Furthermore, I enjoyed getting to rub shoulders with biologists and state conversationalists. Usually I just see these guys when they’re asking about my fishing license, so it’s nice to be able to really ask them some questions without feeling like they’re there to get you in trouble.

About Kokanee Salmon

Kokanee salmon are landlocked sockeye salmon, which means they don’t return to the ocean and live their entire lives in lakes or reservoirs before spawning in rivers, streams, or gravel close to lakeshores, and I’ve been fishing for them for years. Kokanee are a schooling fish that feed on the zooplankton in the water. They tend to find where these plankton are at and then they congregate and feed all in that one area. These plankton, and the kokanee that feed on them, like to hang in water that is around 50-55 degrees, so these salmon are usually only able to survive in deep alpine lakes and reservoirs, such as Lake Tahoe. Kokanee can be found from depths of 10 feet, all the way down to over 100 feet deep. During the spawn though, they move upstream into the rivers and inlets, and people have a lot more opportunity to see them.

Activities During the Lake Tahoe Kokanee Salmon Festival

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services brings out a fun giant inflatable fish (which is technically a cutthroat trout, but I still thought it was cool), and there are a lot of other cool activities for the whole family. Smoky the bear usually makes an appearance as well. The festival is designed to be able to inform families and get kids exposed to and excited about nature.

The Taylor Creek Visitor Center provides the opportunity to actually watch the kokanee in the water. You can see the fish moving upstream, and even some of the spawning activity. It’s one of the only areas in the world where you can actually see below the water in their underground viewing stations. This was something I really liked. Additionally, biologists are there during the festival, usually between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm to teach people about the spawn and migration. They’re available in the viewing area, and along the 1/2 mile walkway by Taylor Creek.

Other Salmon Festival Activities for Kids

• Treasure Hunt
• Fish painting
• Smokey Bear
• Ice Cream Truck

About the Kokanee Salmon Run at Taylor Creek and Lake Tahoe

When kokanee salmon reach the end of their life cycle (usually around 4 years of age), they return to the streams or inlets where they were born to lay eggs, and die. Female salmon can lay hundreds, if not thousands of eggs at a time. The males also return and spawn, fertilizing the eggs, as they also come to the end of their life cycle. The salmon lay the eggs in the rocks, gravel, and sand of the streams and inlets around Lake Tahoe. Taylor Creek is one such area frequented by the salmon. The kokanee salmon at Lake Tahoe have been going through this cycle for more than 50 years now.

The salmon run also tends to attract quite a few bears as well. As the salmon go up stream to spawn and die, there is a fishy feast left over. The bears don’t let it go to waste. Salmon are a fatty fish, and many of these bears count on the kokanee to help them finish fattening up before they go into hibernation for the winter.

Where is the Lake Tahoe Kokanee Salmon Festival

The kokanee salmon festival is located at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, which is located on the south end of the lake.

About the Taylor Creek Visitor’s Center

The Taylor Creek visitors center is open from June to October. Leashed pets are permitted, and there are even flushing toilet facilities. It’s a nice, high quality facility. The Taylor Creek visitors center is extremely popular, especially during the kokanee salmon run and spawning events, with the peak in popularity coming during the festival.