Umpqua Fish Ladder

With the jam-packed days we had at the Roseburg session of REALOregon, there was a concern that we would miss the sight with the dwindling daylight needed to navigate the steps at the North Umpqua fish ladder.

As the name suggests, the fish ladder is located on the Umpqua River as the water snakes through the landscape on the journey to the ocean. Although I enjoyed the walk down to the viewing windows beneath the water line, I found out many more fascinating tidbits when researching the tour after it had concluded by referencing the reader board information at the site.

By going following the prompt on the reader board and going to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife site, average citizens can get a peek at and keep up with the wildlife in the State. Even those who are not interested in hunting or fishing can find good information and wonderful pictures about the natural areas of Oregon. From the information that I have gathered, the actual counting of fish now is monitored in the months of January, April, July, September and November when the fish are more likely to be seen although the fish ladder is open to the public year round.

This information flag was posted on the website;

Due to budget and staffing cuts, the last 100 percent count was April 30, 2015. ODFW is now counting 200 days per year which will give a count accuracy of at least 90 percent. At this time, staff is unsure how often future counts will be posted here.

Also on the website, information can be found about hunting and fishing seasons, how-to videos and tutorials.

The Winchester Dam was built in November 1890 and is in the National Register of Historical Places. Constructed from large timber cribs, the dam was originally built 4-feet high and in 1907 the dam was raised to sixteen feet. Winchester Dam provided water and electricity for the town of Roseburg until 1923.

In December 1945 a more permanent fish ladder and the first fish counting station on Winchester Dam was built. Two counters working the daylight hours, counted fish that swim over a white board located about four feet below the counter. The ladder was closed when counting was no longer in operation. In 1964, new public and counting windows were constructed in the upper pools of the ladder. These viewing areas were improved again in the 1980’s. Since the fall of 1991 all counts have been conducted from a 24 hour video camera.