wanderish life

The salmon run this year (2025) has been unusually sparse. Typically, the creek sees heavy movement in late October, but this season was noticeably delayed — likely a result of low snowpack and warmer-than-average temperatures in the Tahoe Basin. We visited the Taylor Creek boardwalk in mid-October, hoping to see the classic bright-red wave of Kokanee salmon, but none appeared. I later heard that a small run had picked up again in mid-November, so we returned with a small hope of spotting salmon and maybe a bear.

Near the bridge by the road, we watched ducks paddling through the water and spotted several dead salmon along the banks — a sign that the run had finally occurred, even if late and light. We followed the boardwalk toward the viewing platform (stepping on sandbags placed along the flooded section of trail) when we noticed a group of photographers gathered ahead. Sure enough — a bear was in the creek.

We kept a respectful distance, lowered our voices, and watched as he moved through the water, scooping up salmon with surprising gentleness for his size. Most were already dead, but he managed to swipe a few still-kicking fish as well. The number on his ear tag read 1988, and a quick search led us to learn his name: Colin — one of the well-known resident bears of the Taylor Creek area, frequently photographed during fall spawning season.

We arrived around 3 p.m. and stayed for roughly thirty minutes, quietly observing until he eventually wandered off into the brush and disappeared from view. All photos below were taken on our iPhones.