This evening there is a full moon. For many this is nothing more than a monthly astronomical happening. It makes the tides ebb and flow. It signals another month behind us. But for me, ever since the salmon runs have been an event in my life, the full moon has been my time keeper. For example, this past July we were in Victor, Idaho when one evening I watched the full moon rise over the Tetons. Beautiful yes but in my mind I am counting "August, September, October, 3 more moons till the salmon run is at it's peak". That's the way it is now, for me. Every full moon I am counting how many more till the peak of the salmon run here on the Salmon River.
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| Full moon rising over the Tetons |
The run has actually started. This past week we received the remnants of hurricane Lee and the added push of water down the river seemed to get them moving. Sure, right now they will enter the river in spurts, nothing steady yet. But the peak of the run will come when the moon is full during October. Everyone has their own idea as to when the salmon run peaks. When I began guiding here I met and worked with a guide, Tommy Cornell, who said the run doesn't peak till the leaves are floating in the river. This also has been a reliable tell for the peak of the run. But you can't see the leaves as you float down the river in the dark of early morning. The leaves don't illuminate the river like a street light the way the full moon does in October. And for time keeping purposes, the leaves don't fall every month.
For me, once the full moon of October begins to disappear, as October heads towards November, I will look at the next full moon and the one after that and the one after that, and I'll count the months off till the salmon run peaks again.
