Family Flyfishing Festival with Team USA

The World Youth Fly Fishing Championships are coming to Colorado this August (click here to learn more about the event and how you can take part)!  In conjunction, on August 15^th at the historic Camp Hale, hosted by Nova Guides Lodge, families will have the opportunity to interact and learn from the best young flyfishers from around the world including the three-time defending gold medal winners of Team USA. Whether you are the next aspiring Team USA member or a first time angler, the Family Fly Fishing Festival has something for you.

Just as the World Youth Fly Fishing Championships will bring together anglers from around the world, Colorado Trout Unlimited aims to bring our State together for the Family Fly Fishing Festival and Conservation Symposium. Youth of all ages and adults alike are invited to have some fun with the tournament’s competitors while learning some new skills along the way.

On the private ponds of Nova Guides, instruction - including from members of Team USA - will be offered for anglers of different abilities. Other outdoor activities from partners like Colorado Parks and Wildlife, River Watch, and the Eagle River Watershed Council will be available for the whole family: fly casting, fly tying, entomology and fish art and more. Lunch will be provided during the Conservation Symposium where guests can learn about the waters of Colorado and the groups who work to protect them - including learning about restoration efforts planned in the Camp Hale area with the National Forest Foundation.

When:  Saturday, August 15, 2015 What Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Activities:  Fly fishing demos and learning, fly fishing on lake, speakers Where:  Nova Guides at Camp Hale Directions:  directions or smart phone map link

Registration is $10 per person or $30 for a family of four.  Click here to sign up!

Help trout - and yourself - with Post-Gala Sale!

Pictured:  A trophy brook trout caught in Labrador.  Our post gala sale includes a package offered for a week in Labrador with Three Rivers Lodge.  

On March 13, more than 200 people gathered for the 2015 Colorado TU River Stewardship Gala.  We recognized Richard Adkerson for his leadership in addressing the legacy of abandoned mines in Colorado and the west.  We had a fabulous jazz trio providing music during the reception.  Boathouse Distillery hosted a tasting of a special CTU-label bourbon.  Youth participants from our annual camp and in-school programs shared their stories with the audience.  And we raised nearly $40,000 to help support TU efforts in Colorado.  It was a great evening!

But even if you missed the Gala, you can still participate by purchasing one of several special items we are offering through a post-gala online sale!  Your purchase will help support the work of Colorado Trout Unlimited, and we have some great items available - from a week of wilderness fishing for trophy brook trout in Labrador or at Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed, to fishing closer to home on the world-class San Juan tailwaters, from two tickets to the Colorado Symphony Orchestra to spring skiing lift tickets at Winter Park.  Don't miss out on your chance to enjoy these great experiences while giving back to the Colorado rivers and fisheries you love.

To look at the items available for this special online sale, click here.

2015 CTU Rendezvous Registration NOW OPEN!!

2015 Colorado Trout Unlimited Rendezvous:

April 17th - 19th 2015

This is the largest annual meeting held for every TU members, chapters and supporters. This 3-day weekend is packed with workshops, presentations on important conservation issues, the annual business meeting for the CTU Council where new officers will be elected, plenty of time for networking, sharing ideas and socializing, and a Saturday evening banquet featuring delicious food and presentation of CTU's annual awards. This weekend is great for all members (new and old), chapter leaders and anyone interested in what CTU is going to be up to for the next year.

The theme for Rendezvous 2015 is REDDStone, Hatching Colorado's Trout Future. The next few years will be pivotal for the future of Colorado's rivers and trout populations. As threats such as population rises, natural disasters, oil and gas development and uncertain political leadership become more of abundant, it is as important as ever to look at the health of our watersheds and develop a plan for protecting our valued resources. This year at Rendezvous our theme is centered around planning for our future. The presentations and workshops are designed to ask the hard questions, and learn how each of us can be a valuable player in the future of protecting Colorado's trout.

We have lined up speakers this year that will guide our conversations about planning for the future. We are very excited to announce that James Eklund, Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Eric Kuhn, with the Colorado River Conservation District will be presenting Colorado's Water Plan and answering our questions about how watershed health will be incorporated into the plan.  Doug Krieger with Colorado Parks and Wildlife will also be in attendance presenting their Master Plan for the next couple of years. In addition to outside agency updates there will be both National and Colorado TU staff, and Chapter Leaders presenting on what TU is doing in CO to plan for our future and protect our water ways and trout populations. Below is a link to the agenda which is currently in Draft form. We will be updating it as we confirm titles of presentations and other logistics.

COME JOIN US at the RENDEZVOUS 2015 to learn more river conservation!! Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for FUN and Fishing!

Click here for additional information and to register!!

Keeping Public Lands in Public Hands

Snow flurries began to whirl out of a steel-gray sky, and temperatures plummeted. But the crowd of hunters and anglers gathered on the steps of the state Capitol in Denver was just getting warmed up. "Hands off our public lands!" a speaker shouted. The group roared its approval.

On February 25, members from Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the National Wildlife Federation, and other sportsmen groups turned out to turn up the heat on Colorado lawmakers who might be thinking about introducing legislation to transfer to state control public lands like National Forests and BLM lands.

The groups' message, delivered despite cold and snow: Not on our watch.

"Our public lands are not for sale!" said Kent Ingram of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, one of several speakers who spoke from the heart about what public lands mean to America's sportsmen. These special places "one of the defining qualities of Colorado's quality of life," he said.

Coloradans agree. A bipartisan poll by Colorado College found that more than 80 percent of Coloradans cited the ability to be near and recreate on public lands as a significant factor for living in the West, with 72 percent saying that public lands belong to all Americans, not individual states.

Kirk Deeter, longtime columnist for Field and Stream and editor of TU's Trout magazine, brought it all home. He noted that he travels all over the world to fish and hunt, but he chooses to live in Colorado and always returns here because of its magnificent public lands and access to outdoors opportunity.

He said that proposals to strip Americans of that birthright and heritage are "unAmerican" and won't be tolerated by sportsmen.

"We're going to fight," said Deeter.

Deeter's passion was clearly shared by the crowd. "These public lands are our birthright, they're our heritage, and they're shared and owned by all Americans," TU's Ty Churchwell told the Durango Herald.

This latest rally for public lands (other recent rallies in New Mexico and Idaho have brought out hundreds of sportsmen) sends a strong, clear message that hunters and anglers won't sit by quietly while our public lands are degraded or sold to the highest bidder.

Anti-public lands lawmakers, take note.

Colorado TU Gala: March 13, 2015

Reserve your seats for the Colorado TU River Stewardship Gala on Friday, March 13, and join us for an evening celebrating Colorado's rivers and helping raise funds for their conservation.  This year we will be honoring Richard Adkerson of Freeport-McMoRan with our River Stewardship Award, in recognition of his leadership and support in restoring streams impacted by abandoned mines.  The evening also features a wide-ranging live and silent auction, with trips and items for the angler and non-angler alike. Tickets to the Gala include admission, dinner, and complimentary beer and wine, and can be purchased online for $100 - table sponsorships (with reserved seating for 10) are also available for $1000.

The Gala will again take place at the Arvada Center, conveniently located by 68th and Wadsworth in Arvada, with ample free parking available on-site.

The Gala will feature an outstanding auction with diverse fishing and nonfishing experiences including a one-week trip for trophy brook trout in Labrador, a five day horsepack trip in the Yellowstone backcountry, a week-long Alaska fishing lodge experience, a five-day five-hunter package for wing shooting in Argentina, a one-week photo safari in South Africa and more!  Check out our Auction Sampler to see some of the great items that you can bid on.  Of course, along with our larger packages we'll also have a wide array of other items including regional fishing trips, performing arts tickets, ski packages, and more.

Make your plans to join us for an evening to remember on March 13!  Click here to reserve your tickets.

About Richard Adkerson and Freeport-McMoRan:

Richard Adkerson is the President, CEO, and Vice Chairman of Freeport-McMoRan Inc.  Under his leadership, the company has invested generously in restoration efforts aimed at healing rivers impacted by the west's legacy of abandoned mines - sites where no responsible party remains to clean up waters being impacted by mine tailings and drainage.  Among other projects, Freeport-McMoRan has helped TU, the Bureau of Land Management and other partners to advance an award-winning restoration partnership on Kerber Creek in Colorado's San Luis Valley - where a wild brook trout fishery again thrives in waters that were once too polluted to support self-sustaining fisheries.

Pat Dorsey - Guest Speaker (and Fly Tier) for West Denver’s Chapter Meeting on February 4th!

At West Denver Trout Unlimited's February 4^th Chapter Meeting, Pat Dorsey will be the main event!! Pat is the Guide Director and a partner at the Blue Quill Anglers Fly Shop, overseeing 30 plus guides.  He is the recipient of numerous awards and a prolific author—frequently appearing in national fly fishing magazines and writing several best-selling books on fly fishing and fly tying.   He is as native of Colorado, and has been guiding on the South Platte for more than 11 years, spending at least 200 days a year on this stream.

On February 4^th, Pat will talk about fly fishing tail waters, sharing his tips and tactics for fishing these types of waters, covering nymphing, dry fly and streamer fishing.   He’ll be doing double-duty that night and also serve as our guest fly tier as well.  Pat has been commercially tying flies for over 15 years, and he’ll be tying some flies that you’ll want to have in your arsenal.

Doors open at 6 PM at the American Mountaineering Center (10^th Street and Washington Avenue in Golden).  Pat will start tying at 6:30 PM.  We plan on having refreshments (soft drinks and beer).  Please plan on joining us on the 4^th.  A good and informative time should be had by all.

For additional information please contact Chapter President Tim Toohey at tim2e@comcast.net.

Small town turns out big for Browns Canyon

Public meeting in Salida with federal officials turns out hundreds in support of Browns Canyon National Monument By Kyle Perkins from www.sportsmenforbrowns.com

Hundreds of people turned out Saturday in Salida, Colorado, to show support for a Browns Canyon National Monument. The droves of green “I support a Browns Canyon National Monument” stickers were visible evidence of the overwhelming support, along with speaker after speaker urging administration officials to designate the canyon now.

Don’t let anyone tell you this is a top-down executive overreach. Local residents and stakeholders, frustrated by years of congressional fiddling, made it clear that this is a grassroots effort and that they want to get this special place protected.

The stretch of the Arkansas River that veers from the highway south of Buena Vista and rushes through a steep canyon full of Gold Medal Water fishing, amazing white water rafting, and a pristine backcountry habitat is truly a unique place. Floating and finding pocket water within the canyon can produce over 20” trout, and the population of elk, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain lion and black bear create a healthy habitat for hunting and wildlife in general. This 22,000-acre rugged canyon is a truly wild place that I have visited more times than I can remember.

For over 20 years, legislative efforts to protect this canyon have had local and state support, yet Congress has failed to act. From bills sponsored by former Colorado Senator Wayne Allard in 2006, and by current Senator Mark Udall in December of 2013, momentum has built—only to be thwarted by congressional inaction and gridlock. However, on November 25, an official letter from Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet requesting President Obama to declare Browns a national monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906 became headline news in the state. Local and state word spread fast with articles from all major state newspapers.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, one of the few opponents of the measure, claimed in a recent piece that there were many local opponents of the Browns designation. If that’s true, they failed to show up Saturday– supporters vastly outnumbered the handful of nay-sayers in the crowd.

In addition to the Colorado Senators, the public meeting was attended by administration officials and included Deputy Director of BLM Steve Ellis and U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell.

What I saw were individuals and groups from across the valley and state come together to protect a place they love and to support our valued public lands, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities. Indeed, local stakeholders in the Arkansas Valley reminded the Colorado delegation that this is a local effort, with bipartisan support from local elected officials and overwhelming support from the local business community.

“I take tourists and residents whitewater rafting and fishing through Browns Canyon, exposing them to the natural beauty that is at the heart of Colorado’s outdoor heritage,” said Joe Greiner, owner of Wilderness Aware Rafting in Buena Vista. “A lot of people put national monuments on their bucket list. A national monument designation will put Browns Canyon on the map and have an even bigger impact on our local economy.”

“Americans love our public lands and the rich outdoor experiences they provide,” said Jim Impara, vice president of the Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited. “We also understand that there are highly valued, iconic wild places that are not yet protected. Browns Canyon is one of those special places. Let’s keep it the way it is.”

“It was a true showing of the local community and the support we have to protect Browns,” said local resident Susan Mayfield. “It was a large theater of about 400, and an overfill room of many more in support of finally and permanently protecting one of our local pride and joys. The people in Chaffee County have spoken. It’s time.”

The public meeting sent a strong, unequivocal message to the White House: Coloradans want to protect Browns Canyon—and it’s time to get this done. This is our best chance to do that in a generation.

Where Are They Now? Youth Camp Alumnus Collin Papuga

Collin Papuga has been living in Alaska and is living his dream; he has been an Alaska resident for the last 3 plus years where he just completed his first season running his own guiding company, Tightlines Alaska.  Collin graduated from Kenai Guide Academy last April and passed the test for his guide license in Coopers Landing, AK.  He is an alumnus from Colorado TU's 2^nd youth camp in 2007 held at Peace Ranch near Basalt, CO.   I remember Collin as a very passionate and experienced angler at the ripe young age of 14.  Growing up in Grand Lake, he had already spent some time working an internship for Mo Henry’s Fly Shop in Winter Park, where eventually guided for the shop as well.   Once at camp, Collin was happy to show all of his fellow campers his advanced double haul skills.  Collin was a natural leader during the camp and it is great to see him living his dream with his own Alaskan guide service. Fish on!  Collin fishing the Frying Pan during the 2007 camp.

The Colorado TU youth camp strives to ignite the passions of young men and women to become future stewards of our coldwater fisheries.  Here are a few of Collin’s accomplishments since attending the 2007 camp:

• Internship for MoHenry's Fly Shop in Winter Park as a Fly Fishing Guide
• Volunteered countless hours for the Colorado Division of Wildlife
• Youngest youth ever to electrofish on the Colorado River for the Division of Wildlife's annual fish count
• Selected to compete in America Cup Fly Fishing Tournament on the Youth Team
• Graduated from Kenai River Guide Academy in 2014.

Collin explains how he has grown as angler from a very early age:

"When I was 10 I found my Dad’s old fly rod and this was the point at which I put the spinning rod down and I was literally “hooked” on fly fishing! My Grandma bought me a fly tying kit and I began tying flies. I went fly fishing any chance that I could.

My Dad took me on my first trip to Alaska when I was 11 to go fishing, backpacking, hiking and touring the inside passage. When I returned home I told my Mom, “I’m going to move there someday”. I returned every summer thereafter to Alaska to continue this awesome experience of The Last Frontier. The day after I graduated from High School my parents put me on a plane to Alaska and I’ve been pursuing my passion and dream ever since."

Subsequently, Collin says: “I saved my money the last three years to enable myself to pursue my dream of starting my own business. I’m a well-rounded fisherman and Fishing truly is my passion. I would love the opportunity to share my craft with you and give you the thrill of catching an Alaska fish on the Kenai River. Let’s go have some fun together!”

Collin will be back in the Denver metro area attending the International Sportsman Show and will have a booth in front of the casting pond, booth #659.  Look for his banner name, Tightlines Alaska.   He will have many pictures of the first season hanging on display and two video slides shows of Alaska.   Collin will be tying flies he uses on the river and telling stories of his passion about Alaska, and rekindling old and new friendships.

- Story contributed by Larry Quilling, CTU Director at Large, founding camp director of the Colorado TU Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp.

Fraser the Fish - The Man… The Fish… The Legend…

Behind that beautiful scaly head (ok it’s actually furry) is a hard working volunteer!!  CTU staff lucked out when we found Dustin McCory.  Or is it that he found us?

Dustin made a phone call to CTU one fateful day in 2013 “How can I get involved?”  Not a member of any one chapter, nor aware of what he was about to get himself into, he remembers the pause on the other end of the line…

“Are you available this weekend?” -  CTU Outreach Coordinator Stephanie Scott had just recruited her next Fraser.

“I was scared to death…terrified.  As soon as I put the head on, all the fear went away”

“It is difficult - I can’t see very well, and it is very heavy.  I almost fell off a stage once.”

Without further ado; the man behind the fish…

Dustin McCory

Dustin’s transformation into our hardworking fish began a deeper very personal transformation.  A web developer by day, he once allowed work to consume his life.  “I lived in Avon for two years, and never once fished…TU brought me back to fishing.” In his journey back to himself, he is compelled to leave the computer screen behind every chance he gets. Dustin spent every weekend in 2014 from June through October camping, hiking, and fishing.  “I just get in my car and go.”  It seems he is finding a more balanced life; time alone, time on a river, new friends, and fish heads…

                                                                                   by - Rachel Kohler

Next Sighting:  2014 Fly-Fishing Rendezvous – November 22/23 – The Apex Center, Arvada CO.

This weekend he is traveling with CTU staff to the Fly Fishing Rendezvouz!! Come on down, meet the legend, and start the conversation with your kids about why we must protect headwaters like the Fraser River.

"Will Work for Water"

The Fraser River, a major tributary of the Colorado River, flows from Berthoud Pass to the town of Granby. Denver Water is currently draining most of the Fraser River’s flows through its Moffat Collection System pipeline—and it wants to take more.  

Come to the Fly Fishing Rendezvous!!

You are invited to the first annual Front Range Fly Fishing Rendezvous. This event is to FREE to attend and guaranteed to be a great time. There will be great vendors there to talk about their products and fishing organizations there to talk about fishing opportunities across the state.

Here is a sneak peak at the vendors that will be there:

Accent Fly Fishing http://ascentflyfishing.com/

Slayfest http://slayfestfishing.com/

The Bug Guy http://www.the-bug-guy.com

5280 Angler http://www.5280angler.com/

Native Nets http://www.nativenets.com/

Titan Rod Vaults http://www.titanrodvault.com/

There will be a silent auction, raffle prizes and more!! Throughout the weekend the vendors and other fishing enthusiasts will be giving presentations, providing a great opportunity to learn from the experts!! The host of the rendezvous is donating all of the proceeds from the event to Colorado Trout Unlimited.

Come hangout and enjoy the fun!! Visit the event page on Facebook by clicking here.