Stavelot was born from the Amblève. There’s no doubt about it: its first inhabitants were attracted by its clear, fish-filled waters. The first Stavelotans were undoubtedly fishermen.
The men who founded La Truite in 1910 followed in their footsteps. Among the members of its first committee were Alfred Briska (Chairman), Armand Schuind (Vice-Chairman), Jean Levarlet (Secretary), Emile Dubois (Treasurer), Armand Grégoire, Charles Dopagne, Henri Marechal and Edmond Gaspar.
More than a hundred years old, La Truite has lived through the twentieth century to the rhythm of the Amblève’s whims, with multiple memorable catches. The archives bear witness to this: from 1910 to 1940, we learn, for example, that trout and salmon delighted the people of Stavelot, but also marcatchous fish from much further afield (Verviers, Liège…) who came expressly to wield their boners in these limpid waters.
A purely subsistence activity at the dawn of the twentieth century, fishing was gradually transformed into a leisure and sporting activity. Popular competitions were regularly held at David’s ponds.
And this is where the associative nature of La Truite comes into its own. Young and old alike found satisfaction and fulfillment here for many years.
But dark times were to come: despite the tanneries and two wars, La Truite would hold on! This was without taking into account the industrialization of the banks of the Warche (paper mills, dairies…) in the 1960s, as well as the ever-increasing discharges from the riverside populations of the Amblève and its tributaries. All these aggressions had their toll on the fish, and therefore on the fishermen.
For many years, residents of Stavelot saw their river red one day, foul-smelling the next, green or grey the day after that…
Until one fine day in 1993, when the Malmedy wastewater treatment plant was commissioned. Others soon followed suit. With this impetus, it wasn’t long before trout and grayling were gobbling here and there, a pike surprised by a passing bystander, ducks frolicking in love… Nature had reclaimed its rights!
The company, which remained dormant during this long period, took off again under the impetus of Léon Colinet, Jean-Marie Lagamme, Jean-Marie Parmentier and their comrades.
Let’s thank them!
By the early 2000s, over 120 members were registered and practicing their passion with fervor.
La Truite is relaunched and, alongside it, the Amblève river contract is born, with the leitmotiv of protecting and sustainably managing the river so that such a situation can never happen again.
Sources: les archives de l’Amblève by Patrice Lefebvre and Jean-Marie Parmentier. Stavelot 2000.
