Behind the Fin: John Bocchino

• Name: John Bocchino
• Fly Fishing Guide for Rifle and Rise Outfitters in Gunnison
• Life time member of TU
• Web designer and communications for Gunnison Angling Society 
• Best Quote from John: “I really wanted to contribute in any way I could to protecting our coldwater fisheries. We face constant challenges and I believe TU plays a major role in protecting what I love the most. I just want to do my part."

Member of the Gunnison Angling Society Chapter of TU, John Bocchino lives for fishing. His passion for fly fishing has led to the creation of a successful business, Rifle and Rise Outfitters. John has been a board member, vice president, and president of his chapter and currently works on the website and communications. The term Good Enough may fit nicely with his band name, but as a volunteer and member of TU, John is so much more than just "good enough."

- How long have you been a TU member?

I joined TU sometime in the 90s and then became a life member shortly after that. My business, Riffle and Rise Outfitters, is a registered TU endorsed business as well.

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

I joined TU and got involved because I wanted to try to make a difference with regard to coldwater conservation efforts. Fly Fishing is my passion, and I wanted to do my part to protect the resource. I was getting back into fly fishing in a big way while living in northern VA in the 90's. I became very involved at the state level in Virginia and helped with web development efforts and other projects for the VA Council of TU. In 2006, I moved to the Colorado Rockies for the mountains, rivers, and trout. I am an active member of our Gunnison Chapter of TU, the Gunnison Angling Society. I served on the Board, and was also VP and President. I built a new website for the chapter and continue to manage that, as well as chapter communications. - What made you want to become more involved with TU?

I really wanted to contribute in any way I could to protecting our coldwater fisheries. We face constant challenges and I believe TU plays a major role in protecting what I love the most. I just want to do my part.

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

I enjoy the web development work I’ve done for my local chapter, and I also enjoy helping to promote youth education as it relates to TU. I’ve been very involved in helping to raise funds and send kids to the CTU youth camp for several years now. I also recently managed two college interns from Western State Colorado University here in Gunnison, who worked for our chapter this past spring.

- What is a favorite fishing spot and favorite fishing story?

It’s tough to identify just one favorite spot for fishing. My favorite river here in Colorado is the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. Between guiding and fishing, I probably spend about 150 days per year on the water. I remember my early days fishing the Catskills back in the 90s and early 2000s, where my friends and I would spend a week up on the Beaverkill and the West Branch during May, June, and September. We called it fish camp and really looked forward to those trips. I got into the hatches in a big way and started tying flies and calling out bug names in Latin while on the river. One day, one of my buddies came up to fish with us and he was just a beginner. He really didn’t fish much. Well, he proceeded to out-fish us in a major way and when I asked him what he was using, he said, “I don’t know. A big gray fuzzy thing.” So much for all the years of studying hatches and learning Latin.

- To you, what is the best tactic or fly for catching trout? The most important thing is patience. That is the key word for fishing and definitely for guiding as well. You need to move slow, concentrate, and have a lot of patience and just enjoy the ride. It’s not brain surgery. We’re just catching fish. I definitely don’t have just one top fly that I use. I enjoy dry fly fishing the most, and when I can’t do that, I love to streamer fish. So chasing big trout with a streamer is one of my favorite things to do. And for that, I like a size 4 Sculpzilla.

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

I have an outfitting business, Riffle and Rise Outfitters, which I set up last year so I could work for myself. This was my second season on my own and it was great. I like guiding for myself and having total control over what I do and how I can take care of my clients.  When I’m not working/guiding or fishing, I enjoy playing music. I play guitars, dobro, and harmonicas, and I’ve been playing in a little band here for the past few months. I have a small recording studio in my house and we get together to record music every now and then. We’ve also performed live a few times this year. We’re not all that great and try not to take it too seriously, but we have a good time messing around with music. (I’m a fly fishing guide, not a rock star!) We go by the name Good Enough. I guess that says it all!

Herman Gulch Trout Salvage

The creek along Herman Gulch may not seem like much, and in some places it’s no more than two feet wide. But it’s still able to maintain a strong ecosystem that allows cutthroat trout to survive. After much consideration by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, it was decided, based on monitoring data from the West Denver TU Chapter, the creek was a great spot to reintroduce native greenback cutthroat trout. On September 11, the West Denver Chapter joined forces with The Greenbacks and Colorado Parks and Wildlife and set off to Herman Gulch to catch as many trout they could and transport them into Clear Creek.

Volunteers split the stream into five sections with each section getting two buckets and four anglers. At the end of the day, the groups successfully caught and transported over 100 healthy trout into holding pens downstream.

Future plans from CPW include shocking and removing the remaining non-native trout before winter. Native greenback reintroduction is set to begin in early spring of 2016.

Below are more photos from the event. Courtesy of Tim Toohey of West Denver Chapter.

Dateline Durango: Animas after the spill

On August 5^th, 2015, the Gold King mine near Silverton unleashed 3 million gallons of mine wastewater into the upper Animas River. Within hours, the plume had traveled downstream to Durango – right in the middle of a busy summer in a tourism-based town. The striking pictures of the orange plume spread across the globe in minutes. The media coverage was massive and the world took note. Lost among the “Orange River” pictures, the apocalyptic commentary with words like disaster, catastrophic, etc., and the hyperbolic ventilating about the impact to the fishery has been the good news: the Animas River has weathered the spill and the fishery through the Town of Durango is doing well.

If you didn’t know to look for very faint traces of iron residue, you wouldn’t even know we had this insulting event in early August. The Animas is back to its usual state of water quality. As to the fishery, there has been no fish mortality documented from the spill, while bug sampling by an aquatic biologist with Mountain Studies Institute indicates a still thriving population of mayfly nymphs and caddis pupa. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) had installed pens of fingerling trout in the Animas before the plume arrived – a canary in a coal mine, if you will. None of those fish died either. In the past few weeks we have seen Baetis, midges and Tricos coming off. CPW ran an electro-shocking episode after the “Spill” with the usual re-capture protocol and got essentially the same results as the year before. Actually, the survey showed a slight improvement.

While long-term effects of the spill are yet unknown, anglers, local fly shops and outfitters are breathing a sigh of relief that one of America’s great trout rivers has survived this ugly onslaught.

This is not to diminish our concern for the Animas River and the fishery in the canyon below Silverton. This reach has been substantially impacted by three draining mines at the headwaters of Cement Creek, which flows into the Animas at Silverton. This, plus the recent “Spill”, highlights the very need for Good Samaritan Legislation for which TU is strongly advocating – so that abandoned mine cleanup projects can proceed here and elsewhere.

The bottom line is Durango is still a great place to visit and to be your base for fly-fishing outings.

- Buck Skillen, President, Five Rivers Chapter TU

The latest fishing report/forecast from Duranglers:

Except for some rain events the Animas has been fishing very well with solid Trico and midge hatches. Streamers have been effective as well. The Dolores River below McPhee Reservoir has suffered due to low flows the last few years but, with this past good water year, has been fishing much better. With forecasts for a good snowpack we are optimistic for the rebound to continue. Our high mountain streams will continue to fish for a bit but winter will come soon to the high country. The Piedra River and its tributaries are great options in the fall. The San Juan River below Navajo Dam has been fishing great this year. From now until at least Thanksgiving expect great midge and BWO hatches with some good dry fly fishing on the right day. And of course the San Juan is one of the best winter trout fisheries anywhere.

2015 Colorado TU Fall Raffle

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A GLENWOOD SPRINGS FISHING GETAWAY - AND HELP COLORADO'S RIVERS!When you purchase a ticket in Colorado Trout Unlimted's statewide raffle, you'll have the chance to win a trip for a lodging, dinner and soak package in the beautiful Glenwood Springs area, while providing funds to support river conservation across the state.

One winner will receive a package featuring a full day float trip for two on the "lower upper" Colorado River with Confluence Casting, plus one night's lodging in a Classic Victorian room at the historic Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, and a $25 gift card for an evening soak at the Glenwood Hot Springs.  Total package value is $709.

Raffle tickets are $5 each, or $20 for five.  The drawing will take place at 1 pm on November 5 at the Denver Athletic Club (14th & Glenarm, Denver) - at the Denver Angling Society luncheon.  You need not be present to win.

https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/7023/t/12607/shop/shop.jsp?storefront_KEY=643

Tom Jones Honored at National Meeting

Colorado Trout Unlimited Southwest Regional VP, Tom Jones, was honored at the National TU annual meeting as the recipient of the Griffith Award for distinguished service in leadership. Jones is out of Durango and volunteers with the 5 Rivers chapter of Colorado TU where he works to raise awareness and protect amazing wild and native trout habitat in places like the Alpine Triangle.

"Serving as Chair of the New Initiatives work group for five years gave me the opportunity to see the extraordinary level of talent and passion that exists in TU, both staff and volunteers," said Jones. "To be selected for the Griffith Award by this exceptional organization is an honor that I will always cherish."

Jones also helped lead the effort in protecting the Hermosa Creek Wilderness. In December, Congress passed the The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act, along with a handful of other public land bills, was attached as riders to the National Defense Authorization Act that protected Hermosa Creek wilderness area.

Behind the Fin: Shelley Walchak

• Name: Shelley Walchak
• Author of book: 52 Rivers: A Woman's Fly-fishing Journey
• Life time member of TU since 2013
• Works as a Library Director for Pine River Library in Bayfield
• Best Quote from Shelley: “As we all know, it's about so much more than just the fishing.”

Unfortunately work and play don’t always mix like we’d want. But in a few instances, the barrier between the two is broken. For some it’s just a little leak. But for others, like Shelley Walchak, the barrier gets shattered.

In 2013, the life-long librarian took her camera, her fly rod and her computer and set off to fish 52 different rivers spread throughout seven Rocky Mountain States. Her dream was to document the trip and publish a book on her journey.

The following year, her dream became a reality when 52 Rivers: A Woman’s Fly-fishing Journey was published. 52 Rivers went on to win the Gold Medal in the Regional Non Fiction category at the 2015 IPPYs (Independent Publisher Book Awards).

Shelley always had a passion for books, “reading them, reviewing them, referring them, discussing them and organizing them. What I hadn't done was publish one, and now my world of books has come full circle."

At the age of 10, during a visit to a dude ranch in Creede, Co, Shelley discovered that she wanted to spend her life in Colorado. But she had no idea where it would take her. “I still have the journal I kept when I was ten years old and made my first trip to Colorado. I knew at that age that Colorado was where I wanted to spend my life. I didn't know at that time I would write a book.”

“I loved the writing- the challenge of finding the right way to express the full experience- the people, places, fish, foibles, successes. I loved reliving the previous year's experiences to better implant them in my brain.”

While on the road researching her book, Shelley made another decision- to become a life-time member of TU. “I became a TU member because I wanted to be involved with the premier organization for oversight of our rivers and fisheries.”

Since becoming a member, Shelley has been involved with the 5 Rivers Club Chapter in Durango and enjoys the fundraising events the most, “I love going to fundraisers because it's a win-win for all. This year I won the bid for a Tenkara rod and a float trip with Thom Chacon from Duranglers. Lucky me!”

After fishing over 52 rivers, Shelley has seen most of what the great American West has to offer and for her, the favorite place to fish is the Rio Grande, “You can't do any better than the oxbows on the Rio Grande. The fish are plentiful, the scenery is stupendous, and there's nary a soul around.”

“As we all know, it's about so much more than just the fishing.”

But the fishing part is still fun. Especially for Shelley when a fish hits her dry fly. “Because I like simplicity and love a thrill, fishing with a dry is what I love the best. If I am lucky enough to hit a salmon fly hatch, or the yellow sallies are hailing, or the PMDs are hanging out - give me a dry any day.”

When she’s not fishing, Shelley lives in Durango, Co and is currently working as a library director for Pine River Library in Bayfield which won the 2014 award for the "Best Small Library in America".

For more information on Shelley’s book and how to get your own personal copy, visit 52Rivers.com.

CTU Seeks Youth Coordinator

Do you enjoy taking a kid fishing?  How about helping them learn about stream ecology and what makes for healthy watersheds?  Or engaging college students with service learning projects to help Colorado streams?  If this sounds like you, you just might be a candidate for Colorado Trout Unlimited's Youth Education Coordinator.  Colorado TU is seeking qualified applicants to manage our various programs for connecting kids with the great outdoors.  Click here to see the job description. Applicants should submit their resume and letter of interest to Colorado TU via email to dnickum@tu.org, by October 5.  

Bash 4 Boulder Creek supports stream restoration project

Mid-June, while many local streams were in full run-off, over 200 fishing and conservation enthusiasts gathered at the Rep Your Water headquarters to celebrate RepYourWater’s four-year anniversary and kick off the Boulder Flycaster’s latest project: The Flatirons Park Stream Restoration Project. The Bash 4 Boulder Creek was a blast - if you weren't there, you missed a great party for a great cause! The party was held at Rep Your Water’s hangar on the edge of the Erie Municipal Airport tarmac. The hangar had outstanding views of the June thunder storms forming over the Front Range. There was plenty of beer provided by Avery Brewing, great food from The Post and Old Wisconsin, an outstanding raffle, and party guests of all ages to make it a really fun event! Even more fun, especially for the kids, was the unexpected landing of a helicopter while local country band “Dusty Catfish” kept on playing.

RepYourWater is a Boulder County based outdoor apparel company. Started four-years ago by husband and wife team Corinne and Garrison Doctor the company has incorporated conservation in their business since day one. Corinne states that “Businesses, no matter how small, need to take a stand a provide support for the protection of the natural world around us.” The company donates at least 1% of sales to Colorado Trout Unlimited, TU Chapters, and other conservation groups throughout North America. Additionally, RepYourWater regularly releases designs supporting specific conservation projects and/or issues. For the Bash 4 Boulder Creek, RepYourWater designed a limited edition hat, donated by Boulder’s Anthem Branding. The sharp looking hat features the Flatirons and a Boulder Creek brown trout. 100% of proceeds from the hat sales and the event went to support the Flatirons Park Project.

The Flatirons Park Stream Restoration Project seeks to rehabilitate and improve trout habitat on Middle Boulder Creek from Foothills Parkway to the BNSF railroad bridge. While the Boulder Flycasters were applying for funding to improve this reach, RepYourWater by coincidence had just adopted the same area of Boulder Creek. From day one, RepYourWater has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Flatirons Park Stream Restoration Project. "Corinne and I are both Boulder natives, so Boulder Creek has been and remains an integral part of our fly fishing landscape. It is an undervalued fishery and I am so excited to help the water that I grew up fishing" says Garrison.  This reach of stream is currently overwidth, filled with sediment from the 2013 flood, and lacks good winter habitat. The Boulder Flycaster’s recently received a Fishing is Fun Grant to begin work on this often overlooked section of stream and has been seeking matching funds to get equipment in the creek and begin work. The Flycaster’s look forward to greatly improving the fishery’s quantity, quality, and over wintering capability.

For more info on Rep Your Water, and to see their great looking apparel check out repyourwater.com. For more information on the Flatirons Park Stream Restoration Project and to learn how you can support Boulder Flycaster’s efforts to improve this stretch of stream visit boulderflycasters.org. Hopefully we’ll see you at Bash 4 Boulder Creek version 2.0 next summer!

Hidden Mile of the Conejos

The San Luis Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (SLVTU) has been working on a Fishing is Fun project on the Hidden Mile along the Conejos River in cooperation with the US Forest Service (USFS), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Conejos River Anglers Fly Shop and FlyWaters Inc.

It has taken several years for project leader, David Kenvin and other volunteers to get grants, permits and environmental statements. But this summer the actual work commenced.  The project consists of stream and riparian improvement of 3/4 of a mile of the Conejos River on Rio Grande National Forest property. The fish habitat has been degraded from years of trespass grazing. The project includes placement of 300 rocks and twenty wood structures, the improvement of pool and riffle ratios by channel dredge and fill, construction of a parking lot, fencing the entire property to exclude livestock and planting willows to stabilize stream banks.

The total project cost is $96,000 with SLVTU providing $20,000 in cash and volunteer labor worth over $7,800. Conejos River Anglers will provide $500 for signing.  The USFS is providing fencing material and more than 200 hours of labor.  A $67,000 grant from CPW’s Fishing is Fun Program completes the project’s funding. CPW and FlyWaters Inc. will be coordinating the stream improvement portion of the project which is timed for the last two weeks of September 2015.

SLVTU is a small chapter of just over a hundred members.  Money needed for the cash contribution was raised through our annual auctions and donations from the Conejos River Anglers Super Fly contest.  This spring and summer, several volunteers have given more than 425 hours of work building 4-strand barbed wire fence surrounding the riparian zone and floating PVC river-crossing fence at the lower and upper ends of the Hidden Mile.  In the spring of 2016 we anticipate another 90 hours of volunteer work in planting willows along the stream to complete the project.

George is a Sleeper

Moose stands in the wallows and wet of George Creek

Not too long ago I was able to scout some new greenback territory with two colleagues. Upon arrival at George Creek we promptly stretched and yawned then headed to see the stream. It appeared to be a disappointing trickle surrounded by cattle, moose and dense vegetation. We stood, looking at the stream, wondering, who chose this creek and why.

The following Tuesday, in a meeting with Boyd Wright, a Native Aquatic Species Biologist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife we got our answer. Boyd was able to shine new light on George by explaining the details of the stream. George Creek sits at 9000 feet and has an easy gradient over about six land miles to it's confluence with Cornelius creek- most streams being looked at for greenback restoration are at 10000 ft or higher. Because of the easy gradient and elevation George Creek holds a consistent temperature above its high mountain counter parts. The temperature and elevation duo make George a well above average home for greenbacks.

With temperature and elevation taken care of, the next and most important question to ask is, did greenbacks originally inhabit this area of our state? Yes. The primary aspect of George is its location, after its confluence with Cornelius Creek it flows into the Cache La Poudre, from there its waters eventually wind their way to the South Platte, placing it squarely in the greenbacks native range. So although George may look like a challenging reintroduction site it offers up a robust ecosystem with many benefits. With our doubts eased we left the meeting satisfied with George Creek.

The road to George is a rocky one, literally. Windy, narrow, heavily forested, four wheel drive roads ensure your average sedan driving suburbanite is unable to access the miles of the moose ridden trout stream that is George Creek. With trucks and volunteers, Colorado Parks and Wildlife plan to build many fish barriers in George Creek to prevent nonnative fish from reentering the stream and to prevent the spread of whirling disease to the upper reaches of the creek. Without these barriers, nonnative brook trout would compete with the native cutthroat. Likewise, if whirling disease were to spread up stream it would wipe out the entire population of stocked greenbacks.

The barriers will do an adequate job of keeping the disease from moving up stream via fish, but it can also be spread by humans on dirty gear. It is important to take the proper precautions before recreating in the stream; be sure all of your gear is clean and dry and you walk from the headwaters of the stream down. To find information on cleaning gear see the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Angler Cleaning Card.

George Creek may not be seen as a divine ecosystem for greenbacks but given the current portfolio of streams for greenback restoration, it does provide the necessary diversity in habitat. Recruitment in the stream may be minimal per mile but with many miles of stream and a higher temperature range, along with lush riparian habitat to provide vibrant insect life, the stream makes it a livable home for the greenbacks.

Not to mention a nest egg for research biologists to study for years to come.