Meet our new CTU Youth Outreach VISTA staff

Bianca McGrath-Martinez has joined the Colorado Trout Unlimited team as the new Youth Outreach VISTA staffer to grow our capacity for implementing youth programming across the state.

Bianca graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore county in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies, focusing on environment, development and health. She also received a minor in Geography. Prior to joining CTU as their AmeriCorps VISTA, Bianca served with AmeriCorps at an education nonprofit in Compton, California. Bianca’s hobbies include hiking, reading, listening to music, and traveling.

Behind the Fin with Mike McGinnis

Join us Behind the Fin with Mike McGinnis, president of the Evergreen Chapter of Trout Unlimited, located in the Colorado foothills west of Denver.

How long have you been a TU member?

I celebrated my 40th year in TU last year having joined originally in 1977. 41 years now.

Why did you become a member and what chapter are you involved with?

In the beginning, I was very interested in the establishment and revitalization of trout in streams where I grew up in Tennessee.  Preservation of habitat became the focus shortly thereafter.  I have been President of Evergreen Trout Unlimited for approximately 10 years.

What made you want to be involved with TU?

 Establishment of trout water and preservation of habitat.

What is your favorite activity or project you have done with TU?

The Kids Fishing Clinics provide great joy to me.  To see the kids get so excited to catch fish always gives me a thrill.  I think we are establishing great conservation stewards for the future.

I know you won’t tell me your favorite spot, but what is your second favorite place to fish or favorite fishing story?

Actually, my favorite river of all time is the Little Red River in North Central Arkansas.  I grew up on that water and it will always be my favorite.

What does being a part of TU mean to you?

Being a part of TU means a lot to me.  In some small way, I think we are having an impact and I would like to think we're gonna leave the streams cleaner, the fish healthier and the love for the sport consistent.

What else do you do in your spare time or work?

I fish, golf, camp, ski, hike, hunt and do most outdoor activities.  Always have.

LEARN MORE

Check out the Evergreen Trout Unlimited Chapter

See upcoming events with the chapter here.

Like them on Facebook.

Behind the Fin with Nick Krishnan

Join us Behind the Fin with Nicholas Hari Krishnan, Graduate Student and Colorado Trout Unlimited Community Outreach Intern. 

How long have you been a TU member?

 I’ve been a TU member for about three years.

Why did you become a member and what chapter are you involved with?

I joined TU because it felt important that if I was using resources (the water) that TU protects, then I should support TU and get involved in protecting these resources.  I am a member of the Cutthroat chapter, but I would like to get more involved with the Greenbacks.

What made you want to be involved with TU?

What sparked my involvement with TU was the idea that fly fishing is predominantly practiced by a specific demographic and I wanted to do something to bring more diversity in to the sport, especially for those coming from underprivileged backgrounds.

What is your favorite activity or project you have done with TU?

Thus far my favorite project with TU has been organizing our pilot program for underprivileged youth outreach.

Nick giving some fly casting tips before the students hit the water.

I know you won’t tell me your favorite spot, but what is your second favorite place to fish or favorite fishing story?

One of my favorite fishing spots is the Blue river below Dillon.  That is where I went fly fishing for the first time, caught my first fish on a fly, and one of my favorite things to do in Colorado is snowboard at Keystone for half a day and fish the blue for half a day.

What does being a part of TU mean to you?

Students lined the banks of Clear Creek to practice their new learned skills from Nick's outreach program.

For me, being a part of TU means that I am not just using our natural resources but also helping to protect them and helping to teach younger generations how they can protect our natural resources as well.

What else do you do in your spare time or work?

I’m kind of obsessed with sports, I love playing soccer, basketball and flag football and I’ll watch just about any sport.

5 Tips for Avoiding Frustrations with Tenkara & Native Greenback Cutthroat

Tenkara USA's Daniel Galhardo and Colorado Trout Unlimited's Dan Omasta, Grassroots Coordinator recently sat down to talk about CTU's efforts in river conservation and fisheries protections across the state. Omasta discusses the recent policy victories for public lands as well as CTU's programs in youth education and community engagement. They also discussed the true lineage of the native Greenback Cutthroat Trout and why some anglers might be surprised to learn that they have been seeing a hybrid version of Colorado's state fish rather than a true greenback. This is because of recent a study by scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where they found that the pure genetics of the greenback were isolated to ponds just outside of Bear Creek and Bear Creek itself. Take a listen below or read the full transcript of the episode here. 

Behind the Fin with Josh Anaya

Join us "Behind the Fin" with Josh Anaya, Secretary, Frostbite Fishoff Chair, Communications, and Webmaster for the Southern Greenbacks Trout Unlimited Chapter. 

How long have you been a member?

I've been a member for almost two years. My first meeting was our chapter's election meeting, and we still had a couple of board positions open -- one of them being chairman of our annual fundraiser, the Frostbite Fish-Off. I thought it sounded fun and interesting, and I had some similar previous experience in cyberspace, and figured I'd try it out "in real life". By the end of the year, I also absorbed the positions of Secretary, and Communications/Web Guy.


Why did you become a member and what chapter are you involved with?

Curiosity, mostly. In January 2017, I joined both Trout Unlimited, and Fly Fishers International. A friend at one of my local fly shops suggested I check out TU, and see if it was something I'd be interested in. I was (and still am) pretty new to fly fishing, and it seemed like a great way to immerse myself in the community, and accelerate the learning process. Our chapter is the Southern Colorado Greenbacks, Chapter 509. We have members from Custer, Fremont, and Pueblo Counties. 

What made you want to become involved with TU?

Again, curiosity, but I also have some legitimate concerns over the future of the Stream Protection Rule under the current administration, and where the planet in general is headed environmentally. I thought I'd see what TU was all about, and see what I could contribute to the organization.


What is your favorite activity or project that you have done with TU?

I'd have to say it was the Frostbite Fish-Off -- our chapter's annual fundraiser. This year we had fifteen teams of two anglers each competing for some great prizes, with a party and raffle afterward. All in all, we had about seventy people involved. I've signed on to be the chairman of the event for at least another year, but I'm also working on getting a Trout in the Classroom project going at my son's middle school for the 2018-2019 school year. 

Our chapter also has a lot of cross-pollination with our local Fly Fishers International chapter (shout out to the Pueblo Tailwater Renegades!), and we've had river cleanups, and planted willows along the Arkansas River with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The Renegades also host a Thursday evening "Bluegill Bash" at the ponds next to the Arkansas Tailwater, and that's been pretty fun, too.

What is your favorite activity or project that you have done with TU?

I'd have to say it was the Frostbite Fish-Off -- our chapter's annual fundraiser. This year we had fifteen teams of two anglers each competing for some great prizes, with a party and raffle afterward. All in all, we had about seventy people involved. I've signed on to be the chairman of the event for at least another year, but I'm also working on getting a Trout in the Classroom project going at my son's middle school for the 2018-2019 school year. 

Our chapter also has a lot of cross-pollination with our local Fly Fishers International chapter (shout out to the Pueblo Tailwater Renegades!), and we've had river cleanups, and planted willows along the Arkansas River with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The Renegades also host a Thursday evening "Bluegill Bash" at the ponds next to the Arkansas Tailwater, and that's been pretty fun, too.
 

I know you won’t tell me your top spot, so what is your second favorite fishing spot or favorite fishing story?

My second favorite fishing spot would be pretty much anywhere in the World of Warcraft. I've been playing on and off for about twelve years now -- mostly to keep in touch with friends (big /cheer to my friends in the Bloodbath & Beyond guild). I haven't had the time to do all the cool end-game stuff for quite a few years, but every once in a while I'll log in, play for a night or two, and sneak in some fishing. That's actually where I got my start fishing -- I've always been a video gamer, and have played online games for about 20 years, and many of the bigger online games have fishing systems built into them. Two years ago, though, I had fished all there was to fish in Warcraft, and I was looking at about four months before the newest version would be out. I'd always see people fishing along the Arkansas whenever I'd ride that route, and one day I thought, "A lot of my gamer buddies like fishing in real life. I'mma learn2fish." I found a class at one of my local fly shops that was actually happening that weekend, and I jumped right in. 

What does being a part of TU mean to you?

After only a year or so, I'm still defining what I want that to be. I'll help with TU's mission where I can, and when I can. I'd like to be more active at the State level, but I'm still figuring out what kind of impact I can have at the local level, especially with working with local businesses and government entities.

Beyond being an awesome angler, what else do you do in your spare time or for work?

I wouldn't exactly call myself an awesome angler...yet. Professionally, though, I'm a software developer, but I have a lot of other things going on the side. My evenings are usually spent playing games with my kids, or helping them with their homework. Once everybody's asleep, I'm usually working on some art project or another, whether it's digital like 3d modeling, or something more traditional like painting and sculpting. I picked up fish carving after this year's Western Rendezvous after I stumbled across Bill Rottman's artwork in a shop, and then met him a month later at the Annual Woodcarving & Woodworking Show in Colorado Springs, hosted by the Pikes Peak Whittlers. I'm also working on a couple independent video game projects. 

I tie, too! The shop I learned to fly fish at -- The Drift Fly Shop in Pueblo -- has classes on tying, and I jumped into that, too. I love the art, and I was just awarded my bronze level award in fly tying from Fly Fishers International. Next on my project list are to complete the silver and gold levels of the award.

Joel Evans, CTU Board Member, featured in news report about saving the rainbow trout in Colorado

REPOST FROM KRTV.COM: 

Joel Evans has been fishing the same stretch of the Gunnison River in western Colorado for more than 40 years. Like most anglers in those parts, for him, one species of fish is king: the rainbow trout. 

Colorado wildlife officials working to save fish

But in the 1990s, that fight between fish and fisherman shifted to one between rainbow trout and a parasite that invaded Colorado rivers. It causes whirling disease, an aquatic plague where young fish are deformed, swim in circles and die of starvation. 
 
What does he like about them most? "There's a bit of fight involved," he said. since, Renzo DelPiccolo of Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been working to keep the rainbow trout alive through various breeding programs, but at great cost and with only limited success. He's seen a tenfold decrease in the fish's population. Ever

Anglers All and Below the Canopy Present: Truchón

NEW fly fishing film! Presented by Anglers All and Below the Canopy Media, this destination angling film is set in Chilean Patagonia. The Greenbacks of Colorado Trout Unlimited screened the film at their Field Season Kickoff party back on May 31. Don't worry if you missed it, because you can watch the full feature below.  

Presenting “Truchón!" This destination angling film set in Chilean Patagonia is all about saving up, stepping out of the regular routine and immersing yourself in the capable hands of Cinco Ríos Lodge! Filmed in the Spring of 2017, “Truchón” is a short glimpse into the vast angling opportunities for Trout & Salmon that exist in an area with more terrain variety then just about anywhere on the planet. During the on-location production for Anglers All Travel & Cinco Rios Lodge, angler/filmmakers Doug Garvey & Davis James experienced a full solar eclipse, low flying Andean Condors & open pit cooking amongst their filming and fishing schedule! In case your wondering, “Truchón” translates into English as “Big ole Brown Trout!” Filmed and Edited by Davis James Additional Filming by Doug Garvey Anglers: Doug Garvey & Davis James Guiding by Cinco Rios Lodge Produced by Chris Keely & Davis James Audio Mix & Design by Daryl Eakins

Anglers All Blog announcing the film. 

Greenbacks - CTU