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| Greenback Cutthroat Trout. |
Just this week,
scientists released information that turned the local fly-fishing world upside
down in Colorado. The Greenback
Cutthroat Trout, the Colorado State fish, was determined to reside in only a 4-mile-long
section of a small creek not to far from my home in Colorado Springs. Yes, you read that right. The purest strain and the only link back to
the original linage of one of the indigenous strains of trout in Colorado reside
within 15 miles the hustle and bustle of a city, Costcos, meth labs and
Apple Retail Stores. This essentially crushes
our idea of finding these fish in wild, remote, pristine areas, not touched by
man. Not only that, but the Greenback’s
natural drainage was the South Platte River.
This stream is located in the Arkansas River drainage. I will spare telling you all the details; you
can read the press releases here.
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| Bear Creek |
Let me tell you
that I am very pleased that they found these fish and the research has
determined that they are pure strain and steps have already been taken to
protect the fish as well as some being used as a brood stock. I give credit to the researchers for taking
the time to do the work and to process all the information to get where we are
now. The technology didn’t exist to get these results several years ago. There was recent research that supported the
idea that all of the cutthroats east of the Continental Divide were probably
not pure stains. There was an
understanding that Greenback Cutthroats were “mutts”. A mixture of different fish originally thought
to be native to the drainage. This new
evidence has shaken the foundation of cold-water
conservation and the restoration community. Now, it’s time to go back to the drawing
board and plan the new path forward to save these pure stain cutthroats.
It is ironic
that the same people who gathered fish from the west slope and from California,
Germany and Scotland, to spread the wealth in fish diversity, wrecked the fragile
balance of the cutthroat’s existence.
Some of these same people moved the native Greenbacks around from
drainage to drainage and this is how one isolated pocket of fish survived all
these years. I just thank God for those
that put these fish in this stream and did so over a hundred years ago, never
knowing they were protecting these little gems from the rest of the world and
from extinction.
What I find
amusing is that while we were happily trekking up to high mountain lakes
contained within remote wilderness areas to hold one of the few remaining
specimen of this species, it turns out that we were fooled; we were holding an
imitation. While we were admiring these fish at 12,000’ elevation, the real
deal was miles away in a different drainage within miles of strip clubs and
hookah bars.
So, what are all
those fish in the pictures were have plastered all over the Internet? They are all beautiful fish no doubt, but
they just aren’t pure Greenbacks. They
are a cross of this and that, essentially, a “Colorado mutt”. Some East Slope genes mixed with some West
side genes, a little bit of Gunnison River, Colorado River and maybe some South
Platte River genes mixed in to make a good looking trout. For me, catching those fish at 12,000’ feet is
still just as exciting today as they were before. I can’t say I like them any less. I care about indigenous trout and I have held
some pure strain Rio Grande Cutthroats in my hands after fooling them with
flies. I have also held many brown trout
with mixed European genes and they all bring a smile to my face. Knowing the fish in my hands is a pure strain
brings me a bit more of a smile knowing we have not ruined everything yet. I hope that day comes for all of us, knowing
for sure the Greenback Cutthroat in our hands are the real deal. Until then, I will continue to look to the
west and think of all the small streams and high mountain lakes filled with
“Colorado mutts”. I will daydream about
what fly pattern I would cast to them.
And when I hold them in my hands, before I release them, I will grin all
the wider because they are still beautiful.
Photo: Doug Krieger — Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
