The Rio Grande from Rio Grande Reservoir downstream to South Fork is loaded with wild trout, and its scenery is unparalleled. Photo by Mark D. Williams.

Sons and daughters never know how much fishing with a parent means to that parent. They never fully understand until they become parents, too.

How do you tell your son how much it means that he knows the difference between a Panther Martin and a Rooster Tail? How significant it is that a daughter takes her own trout off the line?

Legacy.

There are only so many reasons we fish, and one of most important is legacy. The Rio Grande is a facilitator for this tradition, and what a great river it is!

Randy Denham has been fishing the Rio Grande for more than 45 years and is well aware of everything the river offers him and his family.

"I don't think Sam has any idea how much our fishing trips mean to me," said Denham.

Sam is his 16-year-old son, who loves nothing better than to cast all day long with his father on the Rio Grande and then go back to their cabin at Masonic Park to talk about who caught more and who caught the biggest fish.

I've known Randy for more than a decade now. We rib each other about most things, but especially our styles of fishing the Rio Grande. He's a spin-fisherman, and I'm a fly-rodder.

April to June on the Rio Grande is tough for fly fishing -- spotty at best, too danged high at worst.

Spin-fishing is the ideal way to match the spring's high-water brawn. The fish are active and feeding after the long, cold winter. The Rio Grande is one of the first major rivers in the state to become fishable after runoff. By early to mid-June, the banks are clearing.

One of the best spots is the stretch from Rio Grande Reservoir downstream to South Fork. It's loaded with an amazing amount of wild trout and unparalleled scenery.

Fly-fishing is often an art, but I've seen it done badly enough that it's less like art and more like finger painting. If you've ever watched someone spin-fish well, it too can be an art. At the risk of hearing about this forever, Denham is one of those guys. I've fly-fished beside him on this river while he flipped lures, and the guy is amazing.

That's all I'm going to admit -- I don't want to hear about how he caught more than I did that day.