The Rapid Below Tucker’s

The rapid below Tucker’s was another formidable obstacle for boaters before the 1964 flood.  It began as a shallow bar, which forced boaters into a deeper channel on the far left.  As the rapid progressed, boaters had to move quickly to the right to avoid some boulders with sharp drops.  Then the bar flowing from right to left and the left drops formed steep waves, and the river went straight over an enormous hole, which had to be avoided or you would capsize.  This was definitely a rapid I would never have considered inner tubing.  However, after the 1964 flood the river widened and the steep drop was gone.  There were still some large waves, but there was no danger.  I inner tubed the post 1964 flood lower Tucker’s rapid many times without any difficulty.  When the river flowed past lower Tucker’s rapid, it left its canyon environment and spread out into numerous bars.  The change was quite dramatic.  It revealed one of the finest steelhead fishing spots on the Upper Rogue.  It was also not uncommon to see salmon spawning in August.

The reader might ask where the name Tucker came from.  Nion and Phyllis Tucker had purchased the property adjoining the rapid from Walter Bowne in the 1930s.  Rogue’s Roost, which is what the Tucker’s called their summer home(their home was in Burlingame California) was truly something to see.  It boasted a swimming pool, a large vegetable garden and it was surrounded by magnificent trees.