There's a ton of stuff going on over the next few weekends, including fishing seminars, rod trade-ins, daily specials and fly tying exhibitions by renowned local anglers. Be sure to stop by the Cherry Creek Anglers and West Denver TU tables and say hello.
Here's a link to their website, where you can find all the scheduled events.
Here's a link to a flyer listing all the participating tyers.
Nearly two dozen professional and experienced tiers from our region converge in Fort Collins to demonstrate their fly tying skills and share tips on tying and fishing with their special patterns.
Every year, well over 100 people attend the Rocky Mountain Flycasters Fly Tying Expo. Th is year's Expo promises to be even bigger and better.
With the price of admission you get a plate of food and a beverage, 10 raffle tickets ( 5 for students) for the fl y and rod drawings, and a wealth of tying and fishing information.
Learn from Rick Takahashi, Marty Staub, Dave Coulson, Jerry Hubka, Connor Murphy, Dennis Martin, Jason Haddix, Caleb Van Wagner, Mark Tracy, Marc McMillan, Dick Shinton, Jake Ruthven, Ted Meredith, Al Ritt, Grant Houx, Jin Choi, Tanner Irwin, Guy Turenne and others.
Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity! Map and more at rockymtn ycasters.org.
The West Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited is holding its 36th Annual Fly Tying Clinic on February 11, at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. This Clinic has become a staple for the local fly tying community, featuring about 60 of the best tiers from the Rocky Mountain Region, in addition to some outlying States such as Texas and Nebraska.
You'll have an opportunity to learn how to tie a wide range of patterns from the masters, asd well as the chance to buy their flies. In addition to the tiers, Alan Kube, recently named "Bamboo Rod Maker of the Year" will be available to discuss the merits of bamboo, and Jonathan Walter, a certified fly casting instructor, will be willing to provide you with tips on improving your casting. And, there will be door prizes, a bucket raffle, silent auction, and a chance to purchase tickets for a "Fantasy Raffle which offers the winner over $3,500 in merchandise.
Admission is $10 (children 12 years of age or under are admitted free), and $2 discount coupons are available at local fly shops. Doors open at 8:30 AM. Food and drinks will be available at the site. If you have any questions and/or want more information, please check the Chapter's website at wesdenvertu.org or call Jon Weimer at 303-830-1609.
It has been an eventful year for Colorado Trout Unlimited and our 23 chapters. We’ve seen a growth in capacity thanks to new full-time volunteers and additional National TU staff, conducted on-the-ground projects to improve habitat and restore native trout, extended our advocacy on behalf of rivers, and created new partnerships to strengthen our ability to conserve, protect and restore Colorado’s rivers and watersheds. All of these efforts were made possible through the involvement and support of our members, donors, and partners – and we deeply appreciate each and every one of you. Looking back at the past year, here are a few of the highlights from 2011:
This is a long list, but still far from complete. And with your help, we will work to make 2012 an even better year for Colorado’s rivers and watersheds. Thank you – and happy new year to you all!
By Fred Rasmussen and Karen Dils, Collegiate Peaks Anglers TU Chapter Inspiring the next generation to experience the natural world is part of Trout Unlimited’s (TU) mission and the mission of the Collegiate Peaks Anglers chapter of TU. Since 1986, TU has taught hundreds of youth about the aquatic environment and fly casting and provided scholarships for students interested in studying conservation.
A new opportunity to more fully engage young people emerged when budget cuts forced Salida Public Schools to a 4-day school week. Using TU's Stream Explorers materials and lessons prepared by volunteers, our chapter provided a series of special conservation workshops during three-hour blocks every Friday for five weeks. The emphasis was on hands-on learning and scientific data collection.
During the first 2 weeks youngsters investigated the behavior of aquatic life including insects, shrimp and fish. They explored what life forms lived in their river, where they lived, their sizes, shapes and how and where they moved. Students did experiments exposing organisms, including fish, to hot and cold, light and dark and changes in gravity. Using their recorded data, they were asked to hypothesize on the effects of seasonal changes in temperature and light on the behavior of fish in their river. Then students tied flies that imitated the insects in the river.
During week 3 students reviewed their bug lessons and traveled to the river to learn how to “read” the water. Volunteers provided basic instruction on fly rods, gear, casting, basic knots, spin casting, and safety, including hook removal and catch-and-release techniques. Students practiced fly and spin casting. Youngsters took home activity sheets to identify organisms that live near the river and were charged with researching a fishing related website they found helpful on the internet.
Week 4 brought a snowstorm and a cold front. However, the students showed up in 25 degree clear weather. Utilizing the services of the Chaffee County Shuttle, we drove to Mt. Ouray Ponds. Students fished with fly and spinning rods in the lake and river. There were a few bites and 2 fish caught, but students mostly enjoyed the gorgeous day and being outside.
In week 5 students studied fish biology which included a lesson on the similarities between humans and fish. They visited the Fish Hatchery where they learned about fish rearing and observed fish scales and fry under microscopes. At the end of the day, our chapter invited parents to see their students “graduate” and provided pizza. All participants received Stream Explorer certificates, an Embrace a Stream Hat, t-shirt, and a folder with all kinds of good information to take home. Of 11 students who started, 6 earned Stream Explorer membership with Trout Unlimited by attending 80% of the sessions.
Our chapter reached its goal: teaching young people about the aquatic world. Due to the success of this program, the Collegiate Peaks Anglers TU Chapter plans to provide additional programs for youth – possibly including a series of winter fly tying sessions since many students were quite excited about their brief exposure to this art.
By Glen Edwards, West Denver TU Chapter On Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, the West Denver chapter held a brief dedication ceremony at Mayhem Gulch for the recently completed WDTU Canyon Reach project on Clear Creek. This project concentrated on safe access for young families and marginally mobile adults, both relative to the busy highway, and relative to the stream. Three separate stretches received major winter habitat and feeding lane structures, as well as boulder clusters for easy fishing access, constructed by the contractor, Frontier Environmental Services. The lowest stretch is at Mayhem Gulch, located 9.5 miles up Clear Creek Canyon from the intersection of Highways 6 and 93 just west of Golden, or just below Mile Marker 262. The middle stretch is upstream at a large unpaved parking area just below MM 261, and the upper stretch is further upstream near the Canyon Park Open Space sign just below MM 260.5.
Contributions to the project from CDPW's "Fishing is Fun" program, the Jefferson County's Conservation Trust Fund, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Alfred Frei and Sons quarry, CTU's GoMo Grant, the Henderson Mine, the Trask Family Foundation, as well as several private donors and our own WDTU chapter, totaled approximately $300,000. Educational signage for the project is planned, but not yet installed.
Jefferson County Comission Chairperson Faye Griffin spoke briefly at the Oct. 28 Canyon Reach Project dedication ceremony, and the Director of the new Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Rick Cables, was the keynote speaker. Cables impressed the audience with his down-to-earth enthusiasm for efforts like the Canyon Reach Project , and for his obvious support for conservation groups like Trout Unlimited.
Durango, Colo. — Trout Unlimited announced today its strong support for S. 1635, the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act of 2011. The bill, authored by Sen. Mark Udall and co-sponsored by Sen. Michael Bennet, would conserve more than 60,000 acres of outstanding fish and wildlife habitat on public land in Southwest Colorado, and with it, countless opportunities for sportsmen and women to hunt, fish and provide sustainable economic benefits to the communities in the region. “This is a beautiful, high-altitude area that is heavily used by both local sportsmen and visitors to our area,” said Marshall Pendergrass, current president of TU’s Gunnison Gorge Anglers chapter and resident of Montrose. “It’s the key to the tourism economy of Telluride and Ouray.”
Local TU members worked with fellow residents and several conservation organizations to help craft the legislation, which has the support of a wide variety of stakeholders in the area.
“I’ve attended meetings on this proposal from the beginning, and this bill is not a surprise coming down on this area from federal officials. This bill was crafted from the grassroots,” said Ouray resident Tony Chelf, an active member of the Gunnison Gorge Anglers chapter. “It wasn’t easy, but now that the work is done, the bill ought to be passed quickly.”
Both Pendergrass and Chelf, joined by the 10,000 members of Colorado Trout Unlimited, called on Colorado Rep. Scott Tipton to support a twin measure in the House of Representatives to ensure the bill’s speedy passage through Congress.
“This isn’t a partisan measure,” Chelf said. “It’s not only what the majority of people in this area want to see, it’s a win-win for everyone.”
See also:
by Bob Berwyn Summit County Citizen's Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — With its flows reduced by upstream tributary diversions, and its river-bottom cobbles choked by highway traction sand, the Fraser River has long been a symbol of the imbalance between resource protection and other uses of water in Colorado.
But the Grand County stream will soon get partial relief, as various agencies from both sides of the Continental Divide teamed up to construct a settling pond near the entrance to the Mary Jane ski area in a project tha symbolizes an emerging spirit of tran-smountain cooperation.
Better maintenance and capture of highway sand can help reduce impacts to tiny aquatic organisms that form the base of the food chain in the river, helping to sustain healthy fisheries. The larvae of the aquatic insects need a coarse bed of rocks at the bottom of the stream to thrive. When the sand fills in all the gaps between the rocks, the bugs have nowhere to go.
The settling pond will also protect municipal and resort water infrastructure and equipment.
By Tonya BinaSky-Hi News
U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., recognized Fraser resident Kirk Klancke on the senate floor in Washington D.C. on Oct. 12 for Klancke's “commitment to preserving our environment and making Colorado a better place to live, work and play.” In his speech to members of the 112th Congress, Udall highlighted the fact that Klancke, president of Grand County's chapter of Trout Unlimited, was recently selected a finalist for Field and Stream's “Heroes of Conservation” Award. “Both Kirk and I have spent time enjoying the natural beauty of our state while appreciating the value of preserving it for future generations,” Udall stated. “His work embodies what I have long held to be true — we don't inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children and the generations that will follow.”
Learn more about Colorado TU's efforts to Defend the Colorado River
From Erik Heikennenen, President CMCTU: CMCTU’s First Annual Tying and Giving Back fly tying event is scheduled for October 25, 2011 7pm-9pm. Here’s your opportunity to sit down and tie flies with some of “best of the best” professional fly tiers, guides and authors.
The event is also a great way to acknowledge Breast Cancer Awareness Month and help Casting for Recovery. All flies tied by you and our guests will benefit breast cancer survivors attending Casting for Recovery fly fishing retreats!
With and through the guidance of former Chapter Board Member, Jim Williams, CMCTU members have tied and donated 92 dozen flies this year and over 250 dozen in the past 5 years to Casting for Recovery.
Don’t forget this is your chance to sit down, at our member / audience tying table, next to professionals and tie up a few flies of your own.
Are you ready to show the folks at Casting for Recovery we have a few more flies to tie for them?
Join us at Tying and Giving Back!
