Chinook salmon successful at guarding their redds. Chinook eggs hatch, 90 to 150 days after deposition, depending upon water temperature. Egg deposits are timed to ensure the young salmon fry emerge during an appropriate season for survival and growth. Fry and parr (young fish) usually stay in fresh water 12 to 18 months before traveling downstream to estuaries, where they remain as smolts for several months. Some Chinooks return to the fresh water one or two years earlier than their counterparts, and are referred to as "jack" salmon. "Jack" salmon are typically less than long, but are sexually mature and return at
Issaquah Salmon Days Issaquah Creek and windows that provide a view of the hatchery's fish ladder and holding pond. Although tours are not available during Salmon Days, docents from Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery are stationed throughout the hatchery to answer questions from visitors during the festival. Issaquah Salmon Days Issaquah Salmon Days is a festival held in Issaquah, Washington, United States, held from 10am to 6pm on the Saturday and Sunday of the first full weekend of October. It is initiated by a parade, celebrating the return of the salmon to their birth-waters, that embraces Issaquah's history, culture, and ethnic diversity.