Tuesday October 13, 2026
The Plumas Sun —
The kokanee in Bucks Creek are getting ready to spawn. They are now congregating below the gravel riffles where they were born a few years ago. The water temperatures in the creek are an ideal 45 to 55° F for them to deposit and fertilize their eggs, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Kokanee are the landlocked form of the sockeye salmon, which mature in the ocean and migrate into streams. The kokanee, on the other hand, mature in lakes or reservoirs and migrate into tributaries in the fall to spawn.
This year, the kokanee are already congregating where the mouth of Bucks Creek is normally located, at the southeast end of Bucks Lake just below the Mill Creek trailhead and Whitehorse Campground. This fall, the mouth of the creek is almost a half-mile further downstream because Pacific Gas and Electric Company is repairing the dam and the Haskins Bay Campground boat ramp. The lake elevation was 5,132 on Oct. 6, about 8 feet below average seasonal levels. After repairs are completed, water levels are expected to rise back to normal levels during the rainy season, PG&E officials said.