Running the fish ladder beside Rainie Falls doesn't always go smoothly. In 2023 we were unsticking boats, and in 2025 we got stuck at the bottom. Both runs are below.
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Rainie Falls Fish Ladder 2023: Unsticking Boats on the Rogue
The Rainie Falls fish ladder on the Rogue River is narrow and technical, and in 2023 this video turned into a lesson in problem solving: getting stuck boats unstuck and getting everyone through.
Video: rainie fish ladder 2023 By Jacob Linkhart on the SOLWYRX Paddlesports YouTube channel.
Filmed: 2023
About Rainie Falls
Rainie Falls, about two miles below the Grave Creek put-in, is a Class V drop. Most boaters skip the main falls and run the Class III fish ladder channel on the far right instead (The Mountaineers). The fish ladder is tight, though, and loaded rafts hang up on the rocks all the time.
Working the problem
Watching boats get stuck here, the fix was rarely muscle alone; it was the group working the problem together. Freeing a stuck boat is risky, though, because people get hurt stepping out in moving water, and that's taught in swiftwater rescue classes, not in a video (see Picking Your Boat).
This is still one of my favorite early videos. Watch the 2025 version, Rainie Falls Fish Ladder on the Rogue River (2025), to see me get stuck there myself.
Source: The Mountaineers, Rogue River: Grave Creek to Foster Bar
Rainie Falls Fish Ladder 2025: Stuck at the Bottom
At the Rainie Falls fish ladder on the Rogue River in 2025, I got stuck at the bottom while blocking the channel and had to lever hard on my oars to get free.
Video: Raine Falls Fish Ladder on the Rogue River By Jacob Linkhart 2025 on the SOLWYRX Paddlesports YouTube channel.
Filmed: 2025
About the fish ladder
Rainie Falls is a Class V drop about two miles below Grave Creek. Most boaters skip the main falls and run the Class III fish ladder channel on the far right (The Mountaineers). It's narrow, rocky and easy to hang up in, as I showed back in Rainie Falls fish ladder 2023.
Getting free
Stuck at the bottom and blocking the channel for everyone behind me, I used the oars as levers against the rocks to push the boat off. My Sawyer oars held up to it, which shows how tough they are. To be clear, that's not a recommendation: levering oars against rocks is hard on any oar, and you should only do it when you have to. Afterward, check your blades and shafts and fix any damage with a Sawyer DIY repair kit.
My oars are Sawyer DyneLite XD MXS. More on caring for them in Sawyer DIY Repair Kits and Gear Care.
Personal trip report: flows, wood and hazards change, and what worked for me that day isn't a rule for your boat or group. Check current conditions, scout, and boat within your training.
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Updated October 31, 2026 · By Jacob Linkhart, owner of SOLWYRX Paddle Gear · Spot a mistake? Email me and I'll fix it.
