PILAR — Fly-fishing lines snaked across the Rio Grande, hissing as they hit the surface of the water on a recent Saturday.

"Perfect cast, Marcus!" someone yelled.

And then 10-year-old Marcus Cordova had the first catch of the day: a palm-sized, glossy, orange-and-green fish that quickly wriggled out of his grasp and returned to the Rio Grande.

Cordova was one of a handful of youngsters who joined Santa Clara Pueblo member Vidal Gonzales for a day of fishing on the river Sept. 6 in Taos County, at a spot just south of Pilar.

Gonzales, 27, started running a fly fishing camp through his business, the Uncivilized Outdoorsman, in 2022.

Participating Hispanic and Indigenous youth are matched with a mentor and then learn about fly fishing, languages, culturally significant sites and skil

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