Trout in the Classroom: The Eggs have Arrived!

Trout in the classroom (TIC) is an environmental education experience that fosters hands-on learning through the rearing of trout from eggs to fry.  The program provides K-12 students meaningful opportunities to apply relative topics taught in the curriculum to the life cycles emerging before them, as well as to the variety of challenges that arise out of maintaining a steady state environment for the growing trout.  A General Overview...

While the Trout in the Classroom program has been adopted on a robust level in many states throughout the U.S., it is just beginning to emerge as a teaching tool for schools here in Colorado.  In 2016, Colorado TU supported five sites around the state.  In 2017, we expect that number to more than double, with TIC programs being adopted by teachers, TU chapters, and their local communities throughout the state.  The sites will range from elementary school classrooms to college science labs and can be found across Colorado –from the suburbs of Aurora, to the Grand Mesa on the Western Slope.

Trout in the Classroom offers a high degree of flexibility for teachers when it comes to applying trout life cycles to the core curriculum.  Lesson plans can be adapted to link learning objectives with “real world” outcomes.

For example, students at a site in Blackhawk, CO routinely help test the water quality of their tank; identifying potential issues (i.e. the water is becoming too acidic), using problem solving skills to propose solutions (add “x amount” of a certain chemical compound), and charting the results over time.  Is the health of the fish or pH improving?

Within any TIC activity, youth find themselves emboldened by opportunities to apply math and science concepts to actual problems, as well as receive the added social benefits of identifying challenges within their environment and taking concerted efforts to solve them.

"I like testing the water to help keep the fish alive," says one of the students in the Blackhawk classroom.

In short, TIC is not just helping to prepare the upcoming wave of engineers and scientists – it is also empowering the next generation of stewards.

To demonstrate the impacts that TIC is having in classrooms around the state, Colorado TU will be following the program in a handful of schools and providing regular updates from the field.

October-November: The Eggs Have Arrived!

At the time of this article (early November), there are currently four classrooms that have eggs in the water and several others that are in the process of setting up their equipment.  Once a site is ready, the rainbow trout eggs are shipped over night from the Ennis National Fish Hatchery in Montana and arrive at the classroom early the next day.  Teachers have been working closely with their students to carefully place the eggs in the tank and some are even starting to see them hatch now!

Profile: 5th Grade Science Class at Gilpin County School, Blackhawk, CO

Student: Avery Ramsey, 5th Grade

"Our trout program in Gilpin is really cool.  It is amazing to watch them grow.  We learned about each stage in a trout’s life, and now we actually get to see it!"

Teacher: Vanessa Grenader

"Trout in the classroom provides hands on, inquiry-based learning.  As a project based teacher, this program fits into my curriculum perfectly.  I am able to engage the students, and integrate the 5th grade science standards into the program seamlessly.  My students feel like real scientists as they learn.  Now, I can’t imagine a school year without our trout!"

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For more information on Trout in the Classroom, you can follow the links below, or contact Dan Omasta (domasta@tu.org) at Colorado TU.

Colorado TU TIC Program

National Trout in the Classroom Project

Silverthorne, TU unveil Blue River Explorer Hike

In partnership with the Town of Silverthorne, the Gore Range Chapter TU in September celebrated the opening of the "Blue River Explorer Hike."  The half-mile hike along the Blue River through the town core of Silverthorne includes multiple interpretive signs highlighting different aspects of the Blue River's ecology, history, and significance in the community. Inspired by the popular "Junior Ranger" program of the National Park Service, the Blue River Explorer Hike program offers a free children's activity booklet and sticker that can be picked up by registering at the Colorado Welcome Center at the Green Village - Outlets of SIlverthorne. The Blue River Explorer Hike is a free, self-guided trail and is open daily. Signs along the trail explain trout biology, watershed management, challenges of water supply in Colorado, and solutions to help mitigate water shortages. Summit County Television produced a brief video about the new trail:

The Gore Range Chapter hopes that the trail will not only help engage and educate youth in Summit County and among its many visitors, but also may inspire others to bring similar educational programs to their home waters. For those that are interested in developing their own Explorer Hike program, Chapter President Greg Hardy can provide all the necessary details based on what the chapter learned in the course of developing the Blue River project (costs, grant opportunities, locally-available fund raising, development material, artist recommendation, etc.)

Rocky Mountain Flycasters Youth Day Camp

By: Dennis Cook, Rocky Mountain Flycasters Chapter of TU, and Dan Omasta, Colorado TU Many youngsters want - but often lack - opportunities for recreation and fun in the natural outdoors. In 2010, the Rocky Mountain Flycasters Chapter (RMFC-TU) launched a Youth Day Camp designed to provide this opportunity. The first camp encompassed six full days of fishing, conservation, and classroom sessions in the Fort Collins area, and has been a huge hit every year since. Fifteen high school boys & girls (ages 14 through 17) from the Northern Colorado region are selected based upon their application and a brief essay describing their interests, background, and expectations from attending camp. Most campers typically have zero to very elementary fly fishing knowledge.

Basic fly fishing skills are taught by experienced RMFC members and St. Peters Fly Shop guides, but the camp isn't just about bringing kids outside and helping them catch fish. It provides information and activities that inspire the campers to become more aware of the need to protect and conserve our natural outdoors. Specialized content (such as trout anatomy) is provided by professionals from Colorado Parks & Wildlife, the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Colorado State University.

A capstone activity encompasses a half-day restoration project on a local stream, designed and supervised by the Wildlands Restoration Volunteers organization. As campers better understand the relationship of trout as an indicator of water quality, they gain appreciation for the need to protect our coldwater streams - while also discovering that fly fishing can become an enjoyable, lifelong pastime.

"My son has gained confidence in his fishing abilities and has taken away a sense of responsibility for our precious river and water resources," said one parent of a recent camper. "I really feel like he has a better understanding that we need to keep our rivers clean and take care of them for generations to come. He’s not taking them as much for granted anymore."

Beyond a nominal $30.00 acceptance fee, funding for camp is provided by generous corporate and individual chapter member support. Additionally, all fishing attire and equipment is provided by RMFC-TU.  Camp activities occur on the Poudre River, Big Thompson River headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park, private ponds and Fort Collins Parks. Indoor classes are held in corporate and community conference rooms.

The RMF Youth Fly Fishing Day camp does a great job of teaching kids to fish and how to become successful anglers.  But the six-day event is more than just a fishing clinic - it is a collaborative effort to prepare and inspire the next generation of stewards.

For more information, please visit the Rocky Mountain Flycasters' Youth Camp page.

2017 Youth Camp Recap

Over the week of June 11 to June 16, campers from all over the state joined at the Bar N I Ranch in Stonewall, CO for the 2017 Colorado TU River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp. For the entire week, 15 campers between the ages of 14-18, joined Colorado TU staff, volunteers and camp counselors for a week of camping, learning, and fishing- for some of the kids, it was their first time ever fishing. The kids took part in various activities teaching them all about river conservation, native trout species, Western water issues, and of course, all things fly fishing.

The students arrived on Sunday, June 11 and right away the fun started. After the campers got their tents set up, the camp staff and counselors went over basic information about the camp, rules, and an overview of what to expect. After the orientation, the kids then got a chance to know one another. Finally, they learned about some basic fly fishing techniques including how to tie knots and when to use them and the basics to casting. The first day also covered some of the current river and water issues in Colorado.

Monday was the first full day of camp and after waking up, the kids went to the stream and pond at the ranch to learn about the entomology of the watershed. The kids took bug samples to learn about what the fish would be eating in the area and took water samples to determine the health of the stream and pond. After the sampling, students ate lunch and headed to nearby North Lake to fish for the afternoon. It wasn't long before kids started hooking into fish and in the first day over half of the kids had landed their first fish of the camp and for some, their first fish ever.

On Tuesday, June 13, the campers and camp staff headed to Alamosa to visit the Sand Dunes National Park. While at the Sand Dunes, the campers visited with National Park staff and Trout Unlimited's Kevin Terry to learn about the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout and how climate change is affecting the habitat of this species. During the trip to Alamosa, students also visited the Native Aquatic Species Hatchery, a facility based around the restoration of Colorado’s native species. Here, campers were exposed to the science behind genetics, and were able to see what it takes to bring back a species from endangerment. Tuesday wrapped up with a lesson on western water law and the issues affecting the region's most valuable resource.

Over the first few days the kids had free time to tie flies and practice their fly fishing skills and on Wednesday they had a chance to hone in those skills and use the flies they have tied. The day started off by traveling to North Lake for the morning. While at North Lake kids were catching fish left and right and by halfway through the morning, everyone had caught a fish. After returning to the camp, the kids ate lunch and broke up into teams of three for some additional fishing. One group headed to some beaver ponds, another group fished the stream, and the third group fished a lake on the ranch property.

Thursday, the last full day of the camp, consisted of a lesson from Colorado Parks and Wildlife on aquatic nuisance species and how anglers can do their part to protect our watersheds from these invasive species. Colorado Parks and Wildlife also lead a trout dissection for campers to learn about the biology of trout. Later in the afternoon, the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) brought a soil trailer to demonstrate watershed issues on a smaller scale. The students were able to see how issues of erosion, wildfires, and flooding can affect an entire watershed. After dinner on Thursday the campers watched the 2017 Fly Fishing Film Tour at the local Pinion Valley Lodge.

On the last morning of the camp, the campers helped pick up the fly tying and fishing material and break down their camps. Soon, parents were arriving for the closing ceremony. Campers, staff, and parents had a chance to comment on their experiences with the camp.

When the 15 campers arrived on June 11, there were nervous faces and uneasy feelings about what to expect for the upcoming week. But just a few days later on June 16 the campers had a hard time leaving one another. The friendships formed, the lessons learned, and the memories made will carry on forever and many students mentioned coming back in 2018.

Colorado TU wants to thank the campers, parents, volunteers, chapters, and all of the guests who helped make this camp a great success. The camp could not have been done without your support and we look forward to working with you all next year! CTU also wants to thank the Bar N I Ranch for their hospitality during the course of the week!

We hope to see many new and old faces at the camp in 2018!

A Native Odyssey: A conservation road trip of a lifetime

"The beauty and charm of the wilderness are his for the asking, for the edges of the wilderness lie close beside the beaten roads of the present travel."

—Theodore Roosevelt

President Theodore Roosevelt was a visionary, having set aside 230 million acres during his presidency for the American public to enjoy. In doing so, he was responsible for founding the U.S. Forest Service, and laying the ground work for the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service.

Fast forward a little more than a century. The U.S. government now manages 640 million acres of public land in trust for all Americans, a vast swath of shared real estate representing 28 percent of the American land mass. This large plot of public land in large part supports the $887 billion dollar outdoor recreation economy.

Today, our public land is under threat, with President Trump ordering the review of national monuments, and congress in tow with a push to transfer federal land to states governments that cannot afford it.

For two months this summer, five students from the TU Costa 5 Rivers Outreach Program will embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey in pursuit of 16 native trout species, all on their public land. With support from the U.S. Forest Service, Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing Products, Fishpond and Post Fly Box, these students will tell the stories of our native trout, the places they live, and the local economies they fuel.

These students will be chiming in on Trout Unlimited’s and Trout Unlimited Costa 5 Rivers’ social media accounts to document the adventure. They will fish and explore our public lands around the country, unearthing challenges facing our native trout species. In addition to pursuing each species on fly, they will be interviewing local stakeholders, including ranchers, TU Volunteers, TU and U.S. Forest Service staff. They hope to reveal a diverse set of perspectives on what public lands, native species, and clean water means to each region the students visit.

The students will be in Colorado on June 18-24. They will be working with the Pikes Peak Chapter of TU on June 19 learning about the Greenback Cutthroat trout story, tour the Henderson Mine in Empire, CO on June 20 as part of the TU Abandoned Mines program, fish for Cutthroats in Rocky Mountain National Park with the Greenbacks of Colorado TU on June 21-23.

This week we will be introducing this year’s Odyssey participants. Each of these students comes from a unique background, having shaped their conservation viewpoints from their respective fisheries from around the country. Stay tuned to the blog to meet the participants.

To stay up to date with the Odyssey, follow @Troutunlimited, @TUCosta5rivers, @USForestservice, @simmsfishing @Fishpondusa to discover the story of our native trout, public lands, and what you can do at home to keep your lands in public hands.

For additional opportunities to get involved with protecting public lands, please visit standup.tu.org.

Adam Beede wins Dr. Behnke Award

Adam Beede, the 2017 Youth Camp Director, was rewarded as the recipient of the Dr. Robert Behnke Award from the Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp. The Behnke award recognizes an individual who is a graduate of a TU Conservation Youth Camp, someone who has gone on to continue their river/conservation/fishery studies in college or a career in the field, and has contributed with a leadership role with a state Youth Camp.

The award was established by the Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp to honor Dr. Behnke for his years of volunteering his time and his talents in teaching at the Pennsylvania camp as well as his educating and mentoring thousands of students during his career as a professor of Fisheries Conservation and Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University.  He was the author of more than 200 articles and papers regarding fish and fisheries and had served on numerous advisory boards for state and federal agencies.  He was the author of several books, including the seminal Trout and Salmon of North America (2002).  Bob began writing the quarterly column About Trout for Trout magazine in 1983.  Dr. Behnke passed away in September, 2013.

Adam is an alumnus of the 2011 Colorado Trout Unlimited River Conservation and Fly-fishing Youth Camp, served as a youth counselor for the camp three additional years, and is volunteering at the 2017 as Youth Camp Director. He is the youngest person to take on this role for the Youth Camp.

"I am honored and extremely excited to receive the selection for the Dr. Robert Behnke Award this year!" said Adam. "Attending the 2011 Colorado Trout Unlimited Youth Camp inspired me to start the Gunnison Sockeyes River Conservation Club and also to serve as Director for this year's youth camp."

This Spring, he graduated from Western State University in Gunnison majoring in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry. But he's leaving behind an incredible legacy of coldwater conservation leadership. In 2013, Adam founded The Gunnison Sockeyes, the first TU Costa Five Rivers collegiate club in the nation to found their club based on conservation rather than fly fishing. The club boasts over 160 members and has logged in excess of 220 man hours of service work in the Gunnison Watershed in the fields of Lake Trout Removal, Kokanee Salmon Spawning, Electroshocking, Stonefly Reintroduction and River Clean Ups.

"The Sockeyes logged 568 man hours of community service in the few years I went to Western State and I believe they will continue to put river conservation equal to, or ahead of, fly fishing in an effort to inspire the conservation of our rivers while having a blast in the Gunnison watershed," said Beede.

Adam has been head guide for Harmel's Ranch Resort the past three years sharing his passion for fly fishing and conservation with multitudes of ranch clients.

Colorado TU is extremely proud of Adam Beede for this incredible accomplishment and recognition. The work and leadership he has provided to the Colorado TU youth programs has helped instill the passion of fly fishing and conservation into other groups of kids. CTU is honored to have Adam be part of the Youth Camp team this year.

Adam will be presented the award at the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Rivers Conservation Camp graduation on June 23, 2017 at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. In addition, his name will be added to the plaque at the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Museum's Rivers Conservation Camp exhibit and will receive a certificate, a hand-carved trout pin, and a custom made pen to record his efforts in cold water conservation.

Behind the Fin: Wil Huett

How long have you been a TU member? Hard to answer. In the late 1970's-early 80's I was attending meetings of the Northern Colorado Anglers which eventually became the Rocky Mountain Flycasters (chapter #010). The chapter was chartered in 1983, so I was at least unofficially some kind of 'member' before there was a chapter!  A few years later I had a career change which created an unavoidable conflict with chapter meeting dates and so was relatively inactive for a long time. When I was able to become active again I became a life member - and was surprised when my new life-membership card arrived and bore an expiration date! I thought, how do they know when I am going to expire?

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

My initial interest was the 'fishing club' hook which brings so many members into TU. I wanted to learn more about the mythical art of catching trout on a flyrod. I grew up on the banks of the mighty Mississippi and had used a friend's flyrod to catch a few bass in farm ponds. A career change took me to NW Nebraska where I caught my first trout - on another friend's flyrod. I picked up a little more experience in the nearby Black Hills, but when I moved to Colorado and within a few blocks of the Cache la Poudre I was in 'real' trout territory and needed to know more.

What made you want to become involved with TU?

Growing up on the banks of the Mississippi and experiencing its periodic floods gave me no background for understanding the water scarcity issues of the west. When the mighty Miss and its tributaries flooded they used to let us older boys out of school and permit trustee crews from the state prison to help sandbag. It was usually a problem of too much water, so I was fascinated by the complexity of water law created by the scarcity of water and the mission of TU to conserve and correct the mistakes of the past just seemed to me to make manifest sense.

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

I love to get involved with our youth activities, and field work. The RMF annual Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Day Camp is one of the highlights of my year. It is such a terrific program I truthfully tell people that in my first year as a mentor in the camp I learned things I hadn't learned in the previous 40 years of fishing, The info these students are presented is that good! (or maybe I was just that slow a learner?)

One of my favorite field work projects was installing plunge pools on the Michigan River near Gould many years ago, with fellow RMF members including "Dr Trout", the late Robert J Behnke, PhD, himself. It was a two day project so we camped out and got rained on overnight. Dr Behnke had not brought a tent so he just rolled his sleeping bag under my jacked-up pickup truck to stay dry. He truly was a man with one foot firmly planted in the field and the other in the academic world!

I am also looking forward to our chapter cooperating with the Alpine Anglers in Estes Park to rebuild the fishing access pier up the Big Thompson, I helped build the original (in '89' or '90') and would love to have a hand in seeing it rebuilt to give the mobillity impaired a better chance to fish the "Big T"

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

My favorite fishing spot is any spot I happen to be in which harbors fish. I advocate carrying a flyrod in every vehicle because you never know when you will run into a fishing emergency! Although exotic locales beckon to many I have trouble getting too far away from my home rivers - and ponds. I flyrod a lot of local natural area ponds for warmwater species too. Also take a trip to Canada each June with a couple of RMF's founding fathers, but home waters are the preferred locales since they are close.

One of my favorite memories occurred one week to the day before the 2013 flood devastated the lower Big Thompson and its North Fork. I was fishing the North Fork and saw a rise just inside a culvert under the county road. I watched long enough to see the fish was rising regularly in roughly the same spot, but it was going to be a tough, horizontal, back-handed cast, low enough to get into the culvert and into the feeding lane. I tried and missed. The fish kept rising. I tried again and missed. The fish paused but then resumed. I tried once more and got it just right...and Fish On! It dove into the pool just out of the culvert and bulldogged me. I know it was a big fish for that small stream, but had no idea for a few minutes that it was an 18 inch brown trout! Out of that tiny stream! I have no proof because my camera-bearer had gone back to the truck to escape a light rain and proceeded to fall asleep. So I released the fish and a week later as the flood swept the canyon had to hope he or she could survive somewhere in Nebraska. Once North Fork restoration work is done, some of it by RMF volunteers including me, I hope to find a similar fish hiding in a similarly deceptive spot. And then have to hope I'll be able to reproduce that tricky cast again.

What does being a part of TU mean to you?

TU membership means I am leaving a legacy, giving a gift to the future.

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

It seems spare time is so scarce in retirement I wonder how I had time to work! But I did: 40 years in the broadcast business and then 15 years with the American Red Cross before retiring. I volunteer with Rocky Mountain Flycasters, currently serve in the Trustee slot of Immediate Past President and fill the Community/Media Outreach chair. I think I have about 240 RMF volunteer hours thus far in this fiscal year. Also volunteer occasionally with a couple of other conservation organizations, read voraciously, do handyman fix-up projects on my near 100 year old home, and am finally trying to learn to tie a fly that doesn't look like an insect scraped off a windshield.

2016 Annual Report

The 2016 Colorado TU Annual Report is now available! This year we broke it down basin-by-basin to show that no matter where you fish, Colorado TU is on-the-ground working to make the watershed healthier, protect the lands and streams, and ensure that the fish habitat is sustainable for future generations.

In the South Platte basin, Colorado TU and chapters worked to engage young, inner city, girls through the great outdoors by introducing them to fly fishing and conservation; CTU worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to reintroduce the Colorado state fish, Greenback Cutthroat Trout, to it's native watershed along the Front Range; Trout Unlimited tackled abandoned mine issues, and various chapters worked to repair their homewater streams from the devastating floods of 2013.

The Arkansas River basin is home to Bear Creek where the last wild population of Greenback Cutthroat trout were found. The Annual Report discusses how CTU and the local chapter worked to connect this rare fish with the community. The Arkansas River basin also included the Colorado TU Youth Camp where 15 students ages 14-18 were introduced to the basics of conservation and fly fishing.

The San Juan, Animas, and Dolores basins included work on restoring the trout habitat and cutthroat trout populations into Hermosa Creek, rerouting the San Miguel river through the Telluride Valley Floor, and protecting the southwest rivers and streams from hardrock mining issues.

In the Colorado River basin, TU helped secure protections for the Roan Plateau and Thompson Divide from harmful oil and gas development, worked with local ranchers and farmers to improve the health of the Upper Colorado while enhancing agriculture water usage. TU also helped lead the Learning by Doing initiative that, among other things, secured $8 million in funds to protect and restore the Upper Colorado River.

Along the Yampa, Trout Unlimited's Brian Hodge was rewarded the U.S. Forest Service’s Rise to the Future Award for his work restoring miles of streams and trout habitat in the Routt National Forest. The local chapter also worked to engage youth in the basin by connecting them to their local watershed and introducing them to the issues present.

The Gunnison River basin included engaging youth through the Adopt-a-Trout program in Tomichi Creek where students, in collaboration with local agencies, tagged wild trout to study the movements of fish in the creek. TU also worked with local farmers and ranchers to improve agriculture processes and trout habitat in the Gunnison valley.

In the Rio Grande basin, Trout Unlimited worked to protect the Great Sand Dunes Cutthroat from potential changes in the environment. The Rocky Mountain Flyathlon came to Saguache for the annual race and fishing events that help raise money for Colorado TU's work in protecting native trout and their habitats. The local chapter and Trout Unlimited also worked to repair sections of the Conejos and ensure that winter flows were hospitable for trout.

The work we accomplished last year could not have been done without the generous support of our donors and partners listed on page 23 of the Annual Report. All donations to Colorado TU are leveraged through corporate partnerships, volunteer sweat equity, and matching grants to make your dollars go even further!

There are many more stories in each basin and projects from around the state that you can read in the 2016 Annual Report. You can view the report here or make sure you check it out in the Spring edition of High Country Angler!

Take a Moment to P.A.U.S.E

Photo provided by Troutfin Studio at www.markajessop.com By: Peter Stitcher of Ascent Fly Fishing

Exhale... You've done it.  You've successfully escaped the office.  You've tunneled under the suburb's privacy fences, and the incessant drone cell phones and email notifications are fading into the distance behind you.  In front of you lies a day without obligation and a river full of potential and the promise of hungry trout.  Before you run down the trail and lose yourself on the water, slow down and PAUSE for a moment.  Mother Nature has something to tell you, and listening will prove the difference between a day spent  staring at the water or one punctuated with tight lines and wet hands as you release fish back into the river.

This message is a story about which bugs are hatching, what the trout are eating, and which fly patterns will give you the greatest chance of success on this water, on this day.  The lines of this tale surround the river; it is recorded among the willows, whispered on the wind, and chiseled along the bed of the river.  Guided by the acronym PAUSE, the fly fisher can interpret nature's cues, tie on the perfect combination of flies, and be ready for an epic day on the water.

Parking lot to the River - Matching the hatch starts when you park the truck and continue on your way to the water's edge.  While not the most appetizing script to read, plastered to your windshield and the grill of your car is a record of the bugs that were flying and hopping along the lake or river that you are planning to fish.   The fragile wings of mayflies and sturdy grasshopper legs act like braille to the astute angler and are the first clues as to what flies they might fish that day.  As you leave the parking lot and work your way down to the water, observe what is hopping and flying around you.  Grasshoppers frantically leaping off the trail ahead of you, the wayward beetle landing on your shoulder, and the shrilling of the cicada, and caddis flies stirring into flight as you push through streamside trees are all indicators of food that might be falling or landing on the water.

Above the Water- Swallows flying and swooping over the water are going to be your first indicator that bugs are hatching from the water and dry flies might be on the menu!  As you reach the water's edge, watch for swarms of invertebrates over the water and streamside vegetation.  Even at a distance, the chaotic flight of the caddis, the purposeful straightforward flight of the stonefly, and the orderly wave-like motion of the mayfly will be evident, and will help to direct you to the most likely dry flies in your fly box.

Under the Water - It is beneath the surface of the water that trout do 75% of their feeding,  and that's where the angler's most important information will be found.  Using an Invertebrate Seine along the streambed and pulling rocks from the current to observe what is holding onto their surface will give you a detailed menu of which bugs are most abundant, as well as their size and color so that you can lay your fly box alongside and choose the closest match.

Spider Webs - Spiders are Mother Nature's PhD level Entomologists and are the most efficient samplers of insects along the river.  If it has been hatching or hopping along the water where you are fishing, the spiders will have caught them.  Look for spider webs in the bushes and snags along the river and hold your fly box up to their latest catch to match the hatch.

Eddies -  Like the Bermuda Triangle of Trout, swirling currents and backwaters along the edge of the river provide a catalog of the most active bugs in and on the water.  Spinning on top of the rotating current will be a sample of spent invertebrate cases, crippled insects, and expired post-spawn adults.  Beneath the surface of the water, the same currents that trapped the adults in their dizzying spin also  act to deliver aquatic insects to these collection points where they can be easily observed and matched by the angler.

Success never comes easily for the fly fisherman.  There is no such thing as a lucky fly that will produce every trip to the river, and there are no infallible guides equipped with crystal balls through which to foresee the next hatch.  However, for the fly fisher who takes a moment to PAUSE and observe, the rewards will be immediate, the fish will be more frequent, and the experience on the water will be that much richer!

Peter Stitcher is an Aquatic Biologist and the Chief Fly Geek at Ascent Fly Fishing.  At Ascent we don't guess what the fish are biting on, we know!  With our Biologist Crafted Fly Selections you can tell us where you are fishing, when you are fishing, your budget, and skill level, and we will match down to the life cycle to the fly what the fish will be eating when you are on the water! You can see our full spread of flies and gear, and read our Sci-Fly Fishing Blog at: WWW.ASCENTFLYFISHING.COM

Ascent Fly Fishing is also a proud Trout Unlimited Business partner, and have provided free TU memberships to more than 1000 of our clients in the last two years. 

Keep Grass Green while Conserving Water

Who doesn't love standing barefoot on cool, green grass during the summer? Sure, standing in a river wetting a line is by far the way to spend your days, but many people enjoy the look and feel of a healthy lawn- especially after a summer's day on the water. Xeriscaping is an awesome trend to conserve water while keeping your home's landscape appealing. But it's a common misconception that having green grass and being an effective steward of our water supply don't go hand in hand. Of course using little or no water on landscapes is the best way, but there are ways to keep your grass green while keeping our rivers and trout healthy.

• Rely on the Mother Nature: Sure, this one is obvious but it should go with saying that grass is more resilient than one may think. Grass lawns can tolerate up to two months in hot, dry conditions and still come back when there is water available. Kentucky bluegrass, a common grass along the Front Range, is very drought resilient. "During hot, dry spells, you can let your lawn naturally turn brown and go dormant... Grass will bounce back when rainfall and cooler temperatures return," according to Scotts.
• Use a rain barrel: Staring last year, it is now legal to use a rain barrel to collect up to 110 gallons of water in Colorado. According to Conservation Colorado, using rain barrels could conserve up to 1,200 gallons of water each year per household. A study by the state of Colorado found that in just Douglas County alone, 97 percent of rain water was lost to evaporation and vegetation. Using these barrels, the rain will be collected in a covered unit to reduce the amount of evaporation. The water collected can be used to water the grass or other vegetation without having to turn on the sprinklers or hose.
• Recycle water: Use the waste water from daily household usage like showering or washing dishes for use on your lawn. Collect the waste water by plugging the drain to then scoop the water with a bucket and water trees, shrubs, or portions of the grass that need more attention- most likely the portions in direct and intense heat. (Bonus Tip: Planting water efficient or native trees can help keep grass shaded and covered from the heat).
• Mow Smart: When cutting the grass, keep the lawn blade sharp and the setting high. With a taller height- 3 to 4 inches is the recommended setting- the grass will keep the soil shaded and protected from the sun and increase the ability to retain moisture. Instead of throwing away the clippings, spread them around the lawn. If the grass is cut high and the clippings are small, they will break down quicker and return nutrients to the soil as well as offer more shade for the soil. TrueGreen says, "Don't throw away those clippings when you mow. Be sure to spread them around your lawn to give it an extra source of organic nutrients. Mulch also has the same effect of helping the area retain moisture."
• Water at the right time: Running the sprinklers or watering the grass in the morning or at night is ideal as less water is lost due to evaporation from the heat. It is also not necessary to water every day. About one inch of water every week is needed for healthy grass. Switching to water efficient sprinklers and using a timer is a great way to ensure you are not over watering.