The late John Voelker was a noted trial lawyer who eventually attained a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court.
In addition, he was an author, writing under the pen name Robert Traver. Best known for Anatomy of a Murder, a novel, he also wrote fly-fishing books like Trout Madness, in part to explain his passion for the sport to others baffled by his obsession.
“I fish because I love to,” he explains, “because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful.”
He wrote in Michigan, but his words ring true in Durango. The lakes and streams of the Animas River watershed, and the river itself, have two traits in common: They are “invariably beautiful,” and they hold many trout.
Both rank high on the list of what visitors and locals like most about this area.
The latest fish survey of the river in town indicates that the trout population is holding its own after years of decline. That is welcome news.
Final results from the survey and from tests on water quality and toxic metals in fish and other river inhabitants are still being compiled. But it appears that despite the spill of millions of gallons of wastewater from the Gold King Mine, the river ecosystem has survived.
Wildlife officials are cautiously optimistic that the Animas is on the rebound; that should continue as extensive mine cleanup begins near Silverton.
Local angling guides and fly shops share that opinion, citing a summer that saw good numbers of trout and prolific hatches of aquatic insects fish eat.
As for those other river inhabitants, the ones in waders and vests, it is best to think of them as yet another welcome indicator species.
As to their quirky obsession with trout and all manner of bugs, let Traver have the last word:
“My fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion. Because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed, or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility, and endless patience.”
It is good to see anglers in the river, too.
