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F'isb. es Colorado squawfish thrived in old,West,' made 'thrilling' catch, senior citizens say By Connie Young Information and Education Coordinator u.s. Fish and Wildlife 5.ervice In. the' early . 1900s, landing Colorado squawfish estimated at 20 to' 80 pounds gave some anglers the thri II of a lifetiJ,lle, according to a research document published by the Recovery Program for Endangered Fish of the Upper Colorado River Basin. "I pitched that green frog out there and this (Colorado squawfish) hit it; just about straight across, and he ran. down thaI fast water,. rimes and took out about' 200 feet of line before I, turned him around," the report quotes Maybell, Colo., resident Gene Bittler as sayirig. "It was one' of the most thrilling fish'j ever caught. if you want' to Icnow the truth." The report, "Historical accounts of. upper Colorado River Basin" eridan- gered fish," is based on more than 100 interviews conducted with senior citi- zens in Colorado, Utah and Wyomirig. The document includes historic photos of the fish as well as residents' first- hand accounts of catching, cooking and eating the now-endangered Colorado squawfish, humpback chub, bonytail chub and razorback sucker. Anglers reported catching voracious Colorado squawfish on everything from swallows and mice to earthwonns and chunks of chicken or rabbit. Tim Merchant of Green River, Wyo., said his grandfather caught squaw fish using chicken parts 10 bait multiple hooks on a clothesline. His . grandfather tied the line to the bumper of his truck and .waited. "When (the lirie) went tight, they'd just back the truck up and drag those fish out on the. bank," Merchant said. 'They were as big as a junior high . school kid; 90 pounds. That's a big fish." . Anglers told of Colorado ~quawfish . that were up to 5 feet long and 80 or more poundS; most recalled squaw fish . in the range of 20 to 40 pounds. Many of the seniors said they used Colorado squawfish for food, especial- ly during the Depression. Humpback chubs, bonytail chubs 'and razorback suckers also were consumed, but reportedly were bonier. . "I Icnow those bonetails (referring to all chubs) aren't. edible because I tried to eat one when I was.a kid, and they're absolutely sickening," Merchant said. "There's about 2 mil- lion bones in each of them." But Tom Hastings of Green River, Utah, recalled a trapper who regularly .ate razorback suckers. "He'd catch those suckers and eat them. I don't Icnow' how they .fIXed them, but they 'thought they were better than catfish," Hastings said. Several seniors compared the taste of Colorado squawflSh to salmon. "Gut them and chunk.them and put them in quart jars, pressure cook them. Damn, they made salmon taste bad," said LyildonGranatofPalisade, Colo. Seniors recounted both positive and negative attitudes toward the fish. As Don Hatch of Vernal, Utah, explained, "When you grow up and all your life you've been told they are just trash fish, it's hard to get over that feeling. Of course they're valuable, of course they're endangered so that's the reason you should take care of them. We Icnow now." Anglers used several different names for each fish, sometimes mak- irig identification difficult. For exam- ple, Colorado squawfish commonly were called "whitefish," as well as See TALES, Page 7 Photo courtesy of Museum ofWeslern Colorado A group of anglers in the early 19005 pose with their <;l!tch near Fl\J~a, Colo. Colorado squawfish once were oommon In the Colorado River Basin, but now are one of four fish species at risk for extinction. 6