Every October, countless Kokanee Salmon make their way from Lake Tahoe to Taylor Creek. For four to six weeks, the fish swim upstream to spawn.

"They're born in Taylor Creek, then they swim out to the lake," Jean Norman, U.S. Forest Service said. "They mature out there. They return when they're two, three or four years of age."

Taylor Creek is on the south end of Lake Tahoe, near Camp Richardson. The fresh-water salmon spend some of their time in schools until they are ready to spawn. Once a male is ready, he will leave and find a clean, rocky area to create a redd to nest in. He will wait there until he can attract a female.

"She'll wander over and he'll do a little dance and kind of dance around her and that will encourage her to start the process," Norman said.

She will lay the eggs in the redd and the male will fertilize them. 

"Then they'll patrol, is the best way to think of it above the redd until they die, about one week, 10 days at the most," Norman said.

The young fish will hatch in January or February. Once they grow into fingerlings, they make their way into the lake. They also face a lot of predators along the way, including a variety of trout that wait at the mouth of the creek to eat them. That is when they learn to gather in schools, protecting the fish on the inside of the group. Mallards also have a way of uncovering the eggs for food and the merganser ducks will eat adult fish. 

"They swim under the water, grab them by their tail, bring them up,  flip them in the air and swallow them," Norman said. "Those poor kokanee, at the very beginning of life for their eggs, they get eaten right away and at the end of their life, right as they're spawning, they're getting gobbled up by the mergansers, so they can't win for losing."

Eagles will swoop down and grab them, and seagulls will eat the dead fish. Norman says eight to 12 bears might be spotted around the two-mile creek, but they do not count on the fish as food.

"The majority of bears don't know how to fish and as an adult, they can't seem to figure it out," Norman said. "So if a mama bear teaches her cubs how to fish and they grow up as adults, then they, yes, will be able to fish."

Visitors are welcome at Taylor Creek Visitor Center but they are encourage to keep their space around bears.

"We ask visitors to keep your distance, don't bring food on the trail to tempt those bears to come close to us and always stay on the trail," Norman said.

Many visitors got a glimpse at a bear as it crossed the creek, Friday, seeming to mind its own business.

"I don't think it scared none of us because we were anxious to see one, too, but my thing is the salmon," Marguerite Rusk, Simmesport, Louisiana said.

People come to Taylor Creek from all over the country. Others make the short drive from their nearby homes.

"It's exciting because I didn't expect to see what we just saw, those big schools of the salmon and the weather," David Gasior, Findlay, Ohio said. "It's a lot cooler than we thought it was going to be so it's been kind of a fun day."

"Each time we come, it's a different experience," Liz Hildebrand, Gardnerville said. "It's just, it's really delightful. So we look forward to it every year."

"It's really neat," Michelle Ellis, Minden said. "Just hit it at the right time, too. I've been here when it hasn't been so great and today's wonderful."

Beavers are also having an impact on the creek by building dams. They are causing water to divert to other areas of the meadow. Some parts of the walking paths have small amounts of water on them as a result.

"We're trying to work around that so we can live in harmony," Norman said. "So the plan for the future is to rip up the pavement and put in more boardwalk on the Rainbow Trail so that the beavers can continue what they like to do."

The beaver dams also cause problems for the Kokanee Salmon, who can't swim past the dams. Some salmon are finding other creeks but most of them still come to Taylor Creek though.

The Fall Fish Festival is this weekend, running from 10 AM-4 PM, Saturday and 10 AM-3 PM on Sunday. Visitors are encouraged to leave any food in their cars and do not bring any to outside. The idea is to keep bears away. Food will not be sold at the visitor center either.