7751

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7751
• Author: Quartarone, F.
• Title: Historical Accounts of Upper Colorado River Basin Endangered Fish.
• USFW Year: 1993.
• USFW - Doc Type: Denver, CO.
• Copyright Material: NO

Historical
accounts of
upper basin
endangered
fish

8

he said. "We didn't kill them, we just dragged 'em out in the bushes over there
and leave 'em. We didn't catch that many of them, a couple of 'em a trip would
do it.
"They were bigger than me I guarantee you," Merchant said. "Oh a hell a
lot bigger. I was only 5 or 6 years old ..."

Photo courtesy of Gene Bittler
Tom Hiester, a Maybell, Colo., resident poses with a Colorado
squawflsh he caught In the Yampa River during the 1940s.

Lure..hitting Colorado squawfish
Other evidence about the sporting qualities of the Colorado squawfish
comes from accounts of it readily being caught on the classic anglers' lure - a
red and white daredevil spoon.
Retired Utah game warden Steve Radosevich (Browns Park, Utah)
responded to a question about how readily he caught Colorado squawfish out of
the Green River with lures.
"Oh my heavens yes, with lures," Radosevich said. "Red and white red
devils. They were very easy to catch."
Radosevich fished a portion of the Green River below present-day Flaming
Gorge Reservoir, near the river's confluence with Red Creek. He also recalled
using lures to take Colorado squawfish below Flaming Gorge Dam during its
construction.
"Well, I know when the dam was being built up here, around what they call
the outlet there, the bypass, me and one of the 'fisher boys' out of Utah, we
were catching squawfish up there. We'd use lures," Radosevich said. "They'd
eat just about anything you'd throw in there ... I don't know they was either
awful mad about something or awful hungry about something. But you go on