Middle Fork Coquille River Explained

Middle Fork Coquille River
Map Size:300
Pushpin Map:USA Oregon
Pushpin Map Size:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of the mouth of the Middle Fork Coquille River in Oregon
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:United States
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:Oregon
Subdivision Type4:County
Subdivision Name4:Douglas, Coos
Length:40.3miles[1]
Source1:Southern Oregon Coast Range
Source1 Location:near Camas Mountain, Douglas County
Source1 Coordinates:43.1047°N -123.6642°W[2]
Source1 Elevation:1552feet[3]
Mouth:South Fork Coquille River
Mouth Location:near Myrtle Point, Coos County
Mouth Coordinates:43.0336°N -124.1169°W
Mouth Elevation:26feet
Basin Size:310sqmi

The Middle Fork Coquille River is a tributary, about 40miles long, of the South Fork Coquille River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins near Camas Mountain in Douglas County in the Southern Oregon Coast Range. It flows generally south, bypassing the community of Camas Valley while passing through the valley of the same name, then curves west and north to Remote in Coos County. The Middle Fork then flows generally west, passes by the small community of Bridge, and meets the South Fork near Myrtle Point. The confluence with the South Fork is 41miles by water to where the main stem of the Coquille River enters the Pacific Ocean at Bandon.[4]

Oregon Route 42 runs along the river from Camas Valley to the mouth.[4] The land in the watershed is used mainly for timber production and farming; commercial forests dominate much of the region.[1]

Tributaries

Named tributaries of the Middle Fork Coquille River from source to mouth are Estes, Lake, Cole, Lang, Wildcat, Bar, Reed, and Jim Bilieu creeks. Then come Day, Mill, Bingham, Mystic, Twelvemile, Bear, and Slater creeks followed by Panther Creek and another Lake Creek.[4]

Further downstream are Upper Rock, Slide, Sandy, Frenchie and Tanner creeks. Then come Belieu, Myrtle, Salmon, Big, King, McMullen, Endicott, and Indian creeks and another Mill Creek.[4]

Fishing

The Middle Fork supports populations of wild cutthroat trout as well as small runs of salmon and steelhead. Fishing for cutthroat is catch and release. The river is closed to fishing between mid-September and the end of November to protect spawning salmon.[5]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Introduction to the Coquille Watershed. Coquille Watershed Association. February 20, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161117211548/http://www.coquillewatershed.org/Coquille_Facts.html. November 17, 2016.
  2. Web site: Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) . United States Geological Survey . November 28, 1980 . [{{Gnis3|1146140}} Middle Fork Coquille River]. February 20, 2016.
  3. Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  4. Web site: United States Topographic Map. United States Geological Survey. Acme Mapper. February 20, 2016. The map includes mile markers along the main stem and each of the large Coquille River forks.
  5. Book: Sheehan, Madelynne Diness. Fishing in Oregon: The Complete Oregon Fishing Guide. Flying Pencil Publications. Scappoose, Oregon. 10th. 2005. 69. 0-916473-15-5.