unexpected The Fish of the Rio Grande: A Legend as Old as Creede by Cole Birdsey and Stacia Rice
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N.L. Roberts and his 13 3/4 pound rainbow trout caught out of the Rio Grande in 1916. Photo Courtesy of Creede Historical Society
The Rio Grande river helped forge this valley. It has proven resilient and strong, not unlike our very own Creede. Fed by high mountain streams, such as Ute, Pole and Bear creek, the upper Rio flows into the Rio Grande Reservoir, where much of it is stored for the agricultural uses of the San Luis Valley. It’s the tenacious, hardy trout that call the Rio home, though, that have left their mark on Creede history. Creede Candle, the mining town’s earliest newspaper, boasted many stories about the luck of local anglers on the Rio Grande from the paper’s beginning in 1892. One of the earliest, and grandest, fish tales of the Rio Grande was told by Ben Birdsey, whose notorious ability to exaggerate even the simplest fishing story is still evident in today’s Birdsey Family, some of whom operate Ramble House. Published in Creede
Candle after a fishing trip on the Rio in 1906, Ben colorfully illustrated the scene of him snagging a monster trout, and the beast turning on him in an apparent attempt to drown him. A broken pole, but certainly no ego blows later, he laid the foundation of legendary trout lurking in the shadows, and for years took eager anglers to his famous spot in hopes of seeing one of these monsters again. We can’t help but wonder what Ben Birdsey had to say when N.L. Roberts landed a nearly 14 lb Rainbow trout from the Rio Grande in 1916, ten years after Ben’s famous monster trout wrangling. At the time, this was thought to be the largest trout ever taken from a running stream. Robert’s original mounted monster is on display at Ramble House, as well as other large silhouettes of 30-inch plus trout since Ramble House’s opening in 1956. The Rio Grande simply does not grow fish of these sizes any longer. The Rio Grande River was dammed in 1912 by the Farmers Union Irrigation, whose goal was to regulate water flow for agricultural uses of the San Luis Valley. In turn, this meant the fish of the Rio Grande would have less room to roam, and ultimately, less room to grow into the monsters of the past, especially during winter. Although seeing a trout that may be considered a monster is a rarity today, the Rio Grande boasts large quantities of fervent trout, of which doggedly persevere through every long winter of low water flow to emerge voracious in the spring runoff. Where giant trout may lack, bugs certainly do not. Albeit caddis hatch all summer long, the salmon fly hatch of June is what many consider the big kick off for dry fly fishing on cont’d >>>
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