Congrats to our Fall Raffle Winner: Will St. Germain

Will St. Germain is the proud winner of our Colorado TU Statewide Fall Raffle! Will won a two-day guided fishing trip (valid through 5/1/17) on the San Juan River quality waters for two anglers with Duranglers, offering first-class guide service on the San Juan and a range of southwest Colorado rivers.  Trip is winner's choice of float or walk/wade angling (or one day of each). In addition this package includes two night's lodging (double occupancy) at the Rochester Hotel in Durango (valid through 5/1/17). The historic Rochester Hotel offers comfortable accommodations and a gourmet breakfast each morning featuring a hot entree, homemade fresh-baked goods, fresh cut fruit, homemade granola, yogurt, and more!

Total value of the package is $1,239.

A big thank you goes to everyone who participated in the raffle! Thank you also goes to Duranglers and Rochester Hotel for their generous support of our event!

Even with all the great fly fishing diversity in the Durango area, the San Juan River below Navajo Dam is Durangler's specialty.  The San Juan is a very unique fishery and tends to frustrate many fishermen with it’s very small flies and unusual fish behavior.  The guide staff is very experienced with many years of guiding the San Juan River in New Mexico.  A wade or float trip on the San Juan with one of Durangler's guides is always an educational experience whether it’s your first or fiftieth trip to the San Juan.

Duranglers Fly Shop and Supplies had its humble beginning in 1983 when John Flick and Tom Knopick opened the San Juan region’s first and only full service fly shop and guide service. Tom and John had met nine years earlier as freshman in college and quickly began dreaming of making fly fishing their life. The dream became a reality December 10th, 1983 when Duranglers opened its doors in downtown Durango. Duranglers has come a long way from when Tom and John tied every fly they sold and built every rod. After 15 great years in the basement of the Newman building, Duranglers main shop relocated to a brand new location! Visit Duranglers big, bright Durango location at 923 Main Avenue.  In 2016, Duranglers received CTU's "Exemplary Guide & Outfitter" award in recognition of their contributions to coldwater conservation.

State of TU

Watch Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited, deliver the 2016 State of TU speech at the TU Annual Meeting in Bozeman, MT.

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Mick McCorcle, Chair of the National Leadership Council, gives the 2016 State of the Grassroots in Bozeman, Mt.

On the Public Lands Campaign Trail

As a 501(c)(3) organization, Trout Unlimited cannot endorse any political candidate, but that doesn't mean TU can't campaign for the issues that matter to us. Through TU's Sportsmen Conservation Project (SCP), the voice of anglers and sportsmen are being represented all over Colorado to ensure that public lands pristine to fishing and hunting, are kept in public hands. SCP is currently working on campaigns all over the state to protect areas important to sportsmen and women. These campaigns range from providing ideas and visions to local agencies during planning processes, helping protect areas from irresponsible use, keeping areas wild and native, and just offering a voice for anglers and hunters.

Rio Grande Watershed

Planning for the management of 1.8 million acres of the Rio Grande National Forest is no small task. The Forest has officially begun its revision process of the 1996 Rio Grande National Forest Plan. This plan revision is the first of its kind in Colorado since the adoption of the 2012 National Planning Rule. In the plan revision is the opportunity to participate in the next 15 plus years of management on Colorado's largest tract of National Forest. Trout Unlimited has already participated in many different levels and is currently putting forward a “Sportsmen’s Vision” for the forest which focuses on hunting and fishing resources, and puts watershed health and native fish first as a management priority. For more information on the Forest Plan Revision process on the Rio Grande NF, go to http://trout.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=ee32de170ad3433abd61485987a5ec09 (Please contact Garrett Hanks for more information).

Thompson Divide

The Thompson Divide is a pristine 221,500 acres of federal land in Pitkin, Gunnison, Garfield and Mesa counties south of the Roaring Fork Valley. Thompson Divide contains some of the state's best habitat for big game, cutthroat trout and numerous other species. Tens of thousands of big game hunters practice their passion in the timber and meadows of the Thompson Divide every year. The Divide is also home to the headwaters of several of the most popular fisheries in the state including the Roaring Fork, Crystal and the North Fork of the Gunnison.

In order to help keep the Thompson Divide free from energy development, Trout Unlimited created Sportsmen for Thompson Divide to provide a sportsmen’s voice to the effort and work with a coalition with an array of interests to protect the area permanently. The BLM is expected to announce their decision to cancel the leases within the Thompson Divide late fall of 2016.

While the canceling of these leases is a victory for sportsmen, the effort needs to continue on in order to ensure permanent protection for the Thompson Divide. TU is working with and encouraging the counties and politicians to introduce and support legislation that will keep the Thompson Divide from being offered for mineral lease permanently once what is expected to be a favorable Record of Decision from the BLM is announced. (Please contact Tyler Baskfield for more information).

Upper Gunnison Watershed

A Public Lands workgroup of Gunnison County has been meeting monthly in 2016 to discuss the possibility of expanded permanent protections of lands in Gunnison County. Trout Unlimited has a representative on the committee and originally submitted a proposal to the workgroup for consideration. TU’s asks center around Sportsmen’s Emphasis Areas and protecting cutthroat watersheds. For more information, check out this summary from the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative: http://www.gunnisonpubliclands.org/workinggroup (Please contact Garrett Hanks for more information).

South Park MLP

South Park may be one of the most popular places in Colorado for sportsmen of all kinds to practice their craft due to it's world renowned  public fishing opportunities, big game herds and vital source of drinking water for Front Range residents.

South Park is currently undergoing a Master Leasing Plan by the BLM. This type of planning focuses on ensuring oil and gas development on public lands occurs in a balanced, responsible way. Master Leasing Plans are designed to help protect public lands and resources, including national parks, wildlife habitat, clean air and water, as well as other uses such as outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing, farming and ranching.

TU has worked to ensure sportsman’s interests in South Park are represented in the BLM’s Master Leasing Plan. These include: setbacks from surface water bodies, limiting oil and gas activity during winter months in elk wintering areas and other sensitive areas, phased leasing options and specific mitigation measures that protect clean water and area wildlife resources and protecting some critical lands by directing energy development outside of specific areas.

The BLM will announce its draft alternatives to the South Park’s Master Leasing Plan early winter of 2016. TU will cooperate with sportsmen, landowners, oil and gas interests and land and wildlife management agencies to make sure South Park continues to provide sportsmen with opportunities for outstanding hunting and fishing in the future. (Please contact Tyler Baskfield for more information).

Lower Gunnison Watershed (and beyond)

Currently under review is the BLM’s Uncompahgre Field Office Resource Management Plan. These plans are similar to a Forest Plan in that management guidelines will be set for the next 10 to 20 years. In this planning effort, multiple major watersheds are being considered for management changes. The lower Colorado, the Gunnison, the San Miguel, and the lower Dolores all are included in the Uncompahgre RMP footprint. Along with these larger landscapes, smaller scale analysis is being done in regards to impacts to Colorado River Cutthroat and Greenback Cutthroat lineage fish. Likewise big game habitat and migration corridors are all affected by the decisions made in this Resource Management Plan. You can participate in this process and submit your own comments here: http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo/uncompahgre_rmp.html (Please contact Garrett Hanks for more information).

Upper Dolores Watershed

Recently Trout Unlimited submitted comments to the Rico/West Dolores Travel Management plan. This evaluation of Forest Service motorized vehicle use was an important opportunity to protect some of the amazing landscape of the upper Dolores watershed. In particular, TU was engaged in stream protection buffers and responsible alignment of trails and roads with an eye toward coldwater fisheries and big game habitat. Of particular concern was a proposed motorized trail paralleling Spring Creek, which TU had previously worked to designate as Outstanding Waters. We are hopeful that hard work done in the past, with ongoing participation in our public land management will continue to forward our mission for healthy watersheds. More on the Dolores Travel Management Plan can be found at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=44918 (Please contact Garrett Hanks for more information).

Colorado’s Gold Medal Waters

Protecting and increasing extremely productive fisheries and access in Colorado is a mission that resonates with the vast majority of sportsmen in the state. The Gold Medal Waters Campaign focuses on increasing the miles of Gold Medal and Outstanding fishing waters in Colorado while also identifying and analyzing threats that have the potential to negatively impact waters that currently meet Gold Medal criteria. TU continues to work with sportsmen, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, landowners and land management agencies to protect and increase world class angling opportunities for sportsmen in Colorado. (Please contact Tyler Baskfield for more information).

Visible ID on Colorado’s OHVs

When used responsibly, Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs) are an outstanding way to recreate in and gain access to Colorado’s backcountry. As more people move to and recreate in the state, OHVs have become substantially more popular. TU is working to ensure that sensible measures are taken to protect sensitive wildlife habitat and the solace and safety of other backcountry recreationalists. TU is working with a coalition of stakeholders to require OHVs on public lands in Colorado to have an identification sticker with an individual number that would be visible from a distance. The purpose of allowing OHVs to be identified from a distance is to establish a mechanism that would allow OHV users to police their own community and other recreationalists to be able report users not following regulations.

As part of the campaign to limit irresponsible OHV use, TU also monitors and contributes to Travel Management Plans on public lands throughout Colorado to ensure the protection of high quality fish and big game habitat. (Please contact Tyler Baskfield for more information).

Fly Fishing Rendezvous

The Fly Fishing Rendezvous - A Rocky Mountain Proud Fly Fishing Show on a Mission

Fly Fishing Rendezvous

Where: Jefferson County Fairgrounds - Golden, CO

When: November 5th - 6th; 8:30am - 5:00pm

Cost: $8 in Advance, $10 at the door

Website: www.flyfishingrendezvous.com

If you want to start thinking like a fish and fishing like a pro, the Fly Fishing Rendezvous happening November 5th - 6th at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden Colorado is a must visit event!  There will be more than 30 hours of classes and clinics from the region's best instructors, authors and fly tyers, including Pat Dorsey, Robert Younghanz, Duane Redford, and Rick Tackahashi.

You can check out the full vendor and class line-up and purchase your tickets online at: www.flyfishingrendezvous.com.

The Fly Fishing Rendezvous has partnered with Colorado Trout Unlimited and Project Healing Waters to highlight and support the vital work they are doing in conservation and support of our country's veterans.  In addition to raffles and silent auctions held at the event that support both of these groups, 10% of the admission fees go to support Colorado Trout Unlimited, and we encourage every angler to join TU and Project Healing Waters on mission in the conservation of our waters and support of the troops. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.

As much as any of us would love to have a stretch of river all to ourselves, an isolated fishing hole where big trout eagerly rise to our dry flies, and the lack of cell phone reception gives us a few hours respite from the demands of life, fly fishing at its core is a social sport.   For most of us, it was under the guiding hand of a parent, grandfather, or friend that we tied on our first fly, struggled through the basics of casting, and eventually netted our first trout.  There is a unique joy in sharing the water with family and friends, seeing the passion for fly fishing awaken in a new angler, and the excitement of working out a difficult drift with your fishing buddies until one of you finally catch that elusive trophy brown that has evaded you the past several hours.

Born from a passion to make the sport of fly fishing accessible to all, and to equip Rocky Mountain anglers with the knowledge and gear needed to experience greater success on the water, the Fly Fishing Rendezvous has become the fastest growing and most eagerly anticipated fly fishing show in the Rockies.  Featuring only the region's best fly fishing companies, fly tyers, authors, and guides, the Fly Fishing Rendezvous focuses exclusively on local waters and local companies, and equips anglers with local knowledge for success on our waters.  With its emphasis on educating anglers, the Fly Fishing Rendezvous has broken the mold of other fly fishing shows by giving participants access to more than 30 hours of classes with fly fishing's best recognized authors, fly tyers, casting instructors, and fly fishing geeks.  The topics of these classes are as diverse as the waters of our region: How to Fish Colorado's Technical Tailwaters, How to Match the Hatch and Hack Hatch Charts, How to Sight Fish Trophy Trout on the Taylor River, as well as fly tying demonstrations with the industry’s best tyers.  In addition to accessing an impressive line-up of classes, participants of the rendezvous will have the ability to interact with and buy gear or trips from more than 30 Rocky Mountain fly fishing companies.   Whether it’s a new fly reel from Ross, waders from Simms, $10 dozens on flies from Ascent Fly Fishing, or a guided trip on private water, there will be something for every fly fisher at this show!

Gore Range Chapter Lady Anglers Night

Article by: Phil Lindeman of Summit Daily posted on 10/18/2016

Most folks would quit a puzzle with no solution. Then again, Kristina Dougherty isn’t your average puzzlemaster.

“I’ve always looked at the river like a giant puzzle,” said Dougherty, a guide with Anglers Covey in Colorado Springs and member of Gore Range Anglers, the Summit County chapter of nonprofit Trout Unlimited. “When you can crack that code — when you find the right combination of flys and small adjustments to get a fish — it’s the best. I love the fact you can never learn it all.”

On Oct. 20 (as in tomorrow), Dougherty and another female guide, Summit resident Sarah Barclay of Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen, bring their love of fly-fishing, rivers and all the associated puzzles to the monthly meeting of Gore Range Anglers. The topic for the month: how female guides across the state and nation are breaking into a sport that’s traditionally been dominated by dudes. Officials with Gore Range Anglers asked Dougherty and Barclay to talk about their wildly different experiences with fly-fishing, but it’s still no surprise that the two share a passion for the small and sometimes frustrating aspects of the sport.

“It’s the consummate riddle that’s never solved, when you’re on the river and fishing,” said Barclay, a real estate agent with Slifer, Smith and Frampton who’s been moonlighting as a guide with Blue Quill Angler for more than a decade. “And it takes you to beautiful places. Just don’t wait for it to show up on your bucket list — get out there now.”

That’s exactly what Barclay did 12 years ago, when her boyfriend bought her waders and boots for Christmas. It became the best Christmas gift she ever received, she said, and she soon fell head over heels for everything angling: the flys, the technique, the water, the serenity.

Along with her angling career — she’s been a guide for more than a decade and regularly works with at-risk youth — Barclay also plans to talk about one of her favorite locations: the Bighorn River in Montana, a tributary of the Yellowstone River. She discovered it not long after discovering the sport, and today she considers it her home river.

“A guide friend told me: ‘Have a river that you fish and know intimately, all times of the year and in all conditions,’” said Barclay, who travels north to the Bighorn at least four times per year. “So I followed what he said, and now I fish it in winter and summer, all year long, from low flows to high flows.”

Dougherty’s introduction to the angling puzzle came about 15 years ago, when she was fresh out of high school and learned to fish with her dad.

“A lot of people learn from their dads, but we went through the process together,” Dougherty said. “We had a lot of laughs that way. I’ve always been kind of a daddy’s girl, so if he was going to do it I wanted to be there too. He didn’t realize he created a monster. The addiction took root right away.”

In March, Dougherty turned her addiction into a full-time guiding gig with Anglers Covey, which boasts six female guides. She regularly fishes the South Platte and Arkansas rivers and joins trips across the region with a female-friendly group, Pikes Peak Women Anglers, with nearly 30 members in Colorado Springs. She also leads mother-daughter trips, like an excursion last week when one of the novice mothers caught three fish in 30 minutes. She must have heeded Dougherty’s advice: “Don’t overthink it.”

“By experience, women pick up the sport faster than men,” Dougherty said. “They use more finesse, they pick up on casting quicker, and all of that is important when you’re starting. Just try to learn as much as possible in your own time.”

Barclay’s advice for ladies? Follow her example and give it a go.

“There are so many people who would love to teach you and help you,” Barclay said. “We are blessed in our county to have over six fly-fishing shops, these star-studded rivers, and it’s a really fun demographic to be a part of. Everyone is fired up to help everyone else.”

CTU Fall Board and Leadership Meeting

Registration is now open for Colorado Trout Unlimited's Fall Board and Leadership Meeting. This meeting is a great opportunity for you to network with other TU leaders in the state and learn about what projects are currently happening. There will also be a tour of Hermosa Creek where participants will get a first hand look into a collaborative conservation project. This meeting will be held in Durango, CO the weekend of October 22-23.

Click on the registration link to find the agenda and learn more about the details of the weekend.

https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/7023/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=84398

Forward Rising Fly Fishing Camp

Written by: Heather Sees, president of the GreenbacksPhotos by: Emma Brown

Colorado TU, with help from The Greenbacks of Trout Unlimited, strive to educate, connect with, and influence the next generation to become conservation stewards and active participants in the fly fishing community. We recently had the opportunity to partner with a new camp, Forward Rising to accomplish just this.

Forward Rising Inc, the creator of Forward Rising camp, is a new organization that focuses on engaging inner city girls through conservation, fishing, and the great outdoors. The organization hopes to use these activities to offer the girls outlets to the challenges they face.

The weekend kicked off when the Girls, Inc. of Metro Denver van arrived at Lynwood Park in Bailey, CO with six young ladies who were eager, yet a bit hesitant, for the jam packed weekend! As the young ladies got off the van there was a bit of a buzz about what the weekend had in store for them. We kicked off the weekend Friday evening by having a team building exercise where the girls worked together to set up their tents and sleeping bags. After “home” was established the girls were introduced to the amazing team of volunteers and we all participated in ice-breaker games to get to know each other a bit better.

Saturday morning started out pretty chilly so everyone was moving a bit slower, but you could sense the excitement in the air! We kicked off our day with a session on wilderness survival from Mary Margaret Sweeney, PhD – Director at Way of the Wild. Mary spoke about the basics of wilderness survival, emergency shelter construction (with participation and help from the girls) and instruction on how to build a one minute fire. Overall, the young ladies walked away with knowledge on what to do in an emergency if they find themselves in that situation. Following the wilderness survival presentation, we had the pleasure of having Luke Caudillo, UFC fighter, speak to the group about overcoming challenges and following your dreams.

After a short lunch break we kicked off the rest of the afternoon focused on entomology, fly tying and fly fishing. The girls suited up in waders and boots and headed to North Fork of the South Platte River to search for bugs. After turning over rocks and doing the “San Juan shuffle” in front of the bug seines we came away with a few bugs that would later be identified as mayflies, small craw-fish and a couple worms.  After a lesson in entomology and discussions around the importance of healthy rivers we tied up some San Juan worms in hopes of tricking the fish!

The time had come – rods were rigged up, safety and catch and release practices were discussed and each young lady was paired up with a volunteer to try their hand at fly fishing.  Shortly after we hit the pond there were screams of excitement – missed fish!  After switching up bugs we heard the words that any angler wants to hear “FISH ON!”  For the next couple hours we saw several fish to the net – some girls got it on their own, some with a little help, but the end result was the same.  After a few hours of catching fish we had a quick dinner and ended the night with a campfire, s’mores, stargazing, a quick visit from Fraser the Fish and reflection on the past couple days!

Sunday morning came faster than we expected and the weekend was coming to an end.  The weekend contained many firsts – 1^st time being in the river, 1^st time putting up a tent and sleeping outside, 1^st time catching a fish, 1^st time making s’mores, 1^st time seeing the stars and for some, 1^st time being out of Denver.  As we cleaned up camp and packed up the van there was still a lot of excitement about the weekend!

The 1^st annual Forward Rising camp was a huge success, a GREAT time was had by all and we had the opportunity to share our passion and knowledge with the next generation!

A special thanks goes to the sponsors of the camp: Bass Pro Shops, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, SaraBella Fishing, Urban Anglers, Pig Farm Ink. The camp couldn't have been done without their generous support and donations to CTU, The Greenbacks, Forward Rising, and Girls Inc of Metro Denver.

Fly Fishing Field Trip

On September 15, Colorado TU joined Mountain Range High School of the Adams 12 School District for a fishing event on Hunters Glenn Lake in Thornton. About 30 students of all grades came to fish- some for the first time. The event is the capstone field trip to their Fly Fishing unit during a Physical Education course. Led by teacher, John Marquez, the students learned how to cast, select flies, handle fish, and how to be stewards of our natural resources. The program is part of the National Fishing in Schools Program (NFSP) that "educates students about fish, insects, aquatic environment, resource stewardship and conservation using fishing, and learning the skill of casting, as the instructional tool."

Trout Unlimited and Colorado Parks and Wildlife helped teach the kids about conversation efforts in the state and how students and anglers can be more involved. "Trout Unlimited has been a very valuable partner to us because it puts our students in touch a with an organization that is responsible for preserving our cold water fisheries.  TU helps us paint a larger picture to our students in our fly fishing unit that includes conservation as well as the skills necessary to enjoy our natural resources," said Marquez. "We could not do our day on the water without our partnership with Trout Unlimited."

At the event, about half the students caught a fish and when asked how many students would go fishing again, all said that they would like to continue fishing in the future.

CTU and MRHS, with help from the NSFP, students are being introduced into conservation and fly fishing at an early age. These students are the future of fishing and the next generation of environmental stewards.

World Fly Fishing Championship In Vail

Last year we saw the World Youth Fly Fishing Championships come to Colorado. This year, the adults came to compete on the waters in Colorado's Eagle Valley. Team USA finished in third place, earning a bronze medal after catching 289 fish. While France (302 fish) and Spain (293 fish) won Gold and Silver, respectively. Throughout the event, 3,802 total fish were caught and safely released.

USA team member, Lance Egan placed with the individual bronze medal with 60 fish caught.

The teams fished on sections of the Blue River, Eagle River, and Colorado River. As well as one "loch" sector at Sylvan Lake state park. "Loch means lake and signifies still water fishing.  Anglers fish in pairs on drift boats," according to the FIPS website. "The term “loch-style” is used to describe a method of still water fishing where the flies are cast, presented, and retrieved ahead of the drift of a boat, as it’s blown across the surface of a lake."

Teams were allowed practice sessions in the three days prior to the event starting to get  a feel for the water, fish, and tactics to use while on the water.

The event also featured a conservation symposium, hosted by Colorado Trout Unlimited and sponsored by Eagle Valley TU. The symposium featured a screening of Patagonia's Dam Nation Film. Following the film was a speakers panel, including representatives from CTU and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, that talked about different conservation issues going on in Colorado and throughout the United States.

Colorado Trout Unlimited is a proud sponsor of Team USA Fly Fishing and is proud of the team's accomplishments and achievements during the Fly Fishing Championships in Vail.

Denver TU Carp Slam

For the last 10 years, Denver Trout Unlimited has hosted the Carp Slam. A fishing event on the South Platte River right through Denver. Proceeds from the event go towards the continuing efforts of improving the South Platte. This year over $16,000 was raised that will be used to seed Denver South Platte River restorations, habitat studies, water temperature monitoring and helping secure water for the Chatfield expansion Environmental Pool.

Chris Galvin, defending champion, hooked into one of the Mile High Stadium carp under the I-25 bridge and carefully moved it downstream in order not to disturb the pod. Ten minutes later, he tricked another for a masterful 2 fish within a few minutes. He added another only ten minutes before the morning session ended to take the lead going into the lunch break at Black-Black Cafe.

In the afternoon session he left his amateur, James Davis, alone while he scouted for more carp. When he returned he found that Davis, the last slamateur to register and initially classified as an alternate, had landed two carp! With 5 carp for a total of 113.75 inches, the Galvin/Davis team defended the title and brought home the coveted Carp Cup awash in Upslope beer. The total inches of carp was the largest team total since Carp Slam record keeping began.

Second place was snatched by Trevor Tanner and Kyle Richards. Third place went to the team of Frank Smethurst and rookie Vernon Naake with 3 fish for 70.38 inches.

Awards also went to the individuals that raised the most funds. Ronnie Crawford with DTU won this gold scale custom carp reel as the top crowd source fundraiser.