Western Regional Rendezvous April 26 to 29 in Keystone, Colorado

Why should I attend the Western Regional Rendezvous?

REGISTER HERE

Whether you are a chapter leader, volunteer, intern, member, donor, supporter or just a person interested in learning about Trout Unlimited, then the Western Regional Rendezvous is for you. In addition to being set in beautiful Keystone, CO, this weekend-long event is a chance for everyone to meet in one setting to learn and engage in inspiring dialogue and organization successes. It's an excellent opportunity to discuss the unique issues facing the region as well as a chance to network and build relationships with TU volunteer leaders.

Colorado Trout Unlimited is excited to host this year's Western Regional Rendezvous and in addition to all of the workshops and discussions, CTU will be hosting some fun evening events (see schedule below).

If you are coming from Colorado and need financial assistance to attend, please click here for limited scholarship options.

SCHEDULE

Thursday, April 26 – Welcome Reception The Colorado Council will host a welcome reception for all Rendezvous attendees.

• Thursday Night, April 26: Conservation Film Screening 6-9 pm

Friday, April 27 – Workshops and Seminars Friday's full-day session will include group discussions, concentrated workshops and opportunities for council and chapter leaders to share successes and discuss common challenges. Friday night will include a no-host dinner at a local restaurant.

• Friday Night, April 27: Iron Fly Tying Competition 6-9 pm

Saturday, April 28 – Workshops and Seminars Saturday's session will continue the work of the previous day's meetings and include group discussions, concentrated workshops and opportunities for council and chapter leaders to share successes and discuss common challenges.

Saturday Night, April 28 – Group Dinner, Networking, and Colorado Council Fundraiser Following the day's meetings, join your fellow TU volunteer leaders and TU staff from across the country for a great dinner and chance to network with one another. Spend time talking shop and trading stories with people who share your passion for conservation and enjoy a fun evening of camaraderie.

Sunday Morning, April 29 – Colorado Council Quarterly Board Meeting & Awards Breakfast Colorado participants will be conducting their quarterly Council meeting and hosting an awards breakfast on Sunday morning from 9:00 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Sunday, April 29 – Fishing After a full weekend of leadership development and networking with fellow TU volunteers, stick around for fishing on Sunday. 8am-till the fishing slows down

REGISTER HERE

Anglers All 2018 Trout Clave in support of CTU - A Spring Celebration!

Spring has never looked so good! Anglers All's favorite annual event is Saturday, April 21 - the 2018 Trout Clave. Join Anglers All and CTU in a celebration of conservation with live music, food, beer, and of course gobs of fly fishing fun. The event kicks off at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 21 and the party will continue until 5:00 p.m. The event was made possible because of great sponsors, including Patagonia, Sage, and Fishpond, this year’s event is going to be one to remember.

Be sure to get there early for Anglers All's annual half-off fly sale. From 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. only, trout flies are 50% off! But the fun doesn’t end there.

This year, 10% of all store sales the day of the Clave will be donated to Colorado Trout Unlimited in support of Colorado’s fisheries. Furthermore, Patagonia has generously offered to match this donation to CTU!

In addition to Colorado Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Bonefish And Tarpon Trust will also be participating in the Trout Clave this year. In fact, anyone who signs up for a membership to one of these great conservation organizations at the Clave will receive a 10% discount on their purchase.

Breckenridge Brewery will be supplying cold ones, plus there will be food and live music throughout the day. The folks at Breckenridge Brewery will be sponsoring some awesome South Platte River service projects that day, including a river cleanup, pollinator plantings, and installing monofilament-recycling stations along the river. We will be asking for volunteers to signup in advance, so stay tuned for these opportunities.

The Trout Clave is a great chance to catch up with friends and customers and to celebrate a new year of fly fishing adventures. There will be raffles, gear giveaways, and opportunities to chat with product reps from some of your favorite fly fishing brands.

Big thanks goes to Patagonia for their sponsorship, as well as Fishpond and Sage. We look forward to seeing you at the 2018 Trout Clave!

Facebook Event Listing: 2018 Trout Clave

Trout Unlimited in Colorado 2017 Annual Report

We are happy to announce that our 2017 Annual Report is live and available for your viewing. Last year was filled with great work across the whole state and the finishing up of many restoration projects and continuing others! Thank you to everyone who supported Trout Unlimited in Colorado last year.

Click here to read the CTU 2017 Annual Report

Farewell to a legend: Lefty Kreh

The great Lefty Kreh passed away Wednesday at 93 years young. Considered by many to be the greatest of fly casting instructors, Lefty was one of the leaders in popularizing saltwater fly fishing and his Lefty's Deceiver fly gained such renown that it was featured on a US Postage Stamp in 1991.  Conservation was also a part of Lefty's legacy, as he was a leader in promoting the catch-and-release ethic among the fishing community. The New York Times features an obituary describing Lefty's notable and colorful life in fly fishing: Lefty Kreh, a Fly Fisherman With Few Peers, Is Dead at 93.

An inductee in the International Game Fish Association's Hall of Fame, Kreh was introduced to fly fishing by Joe Brooks.  The Hall of Fame profile on Kreh offers a great summation of what Lefty meant to fly fishing.  It concludes simply and fittingly:

His greatest accomplishment may be that he has never failed to help just about every person who has sought his assistance and advice. It is said that when Lefty asked Joe Brooks - the man who had so enriched his life - how he could repay him, Brooks replied, “Just share with others what I have shared with you.” And for more than 50 years, Lefty Kreh has been doing just that.

High Country Angler spring issue released!

The High Country Angler (HCA) is the official digital magazine of Colorado Trout Unlimited! HCA is published 4 times a year by High Country Publications, LLC., in cooperation with Colorado Trout Unlimited, the 3rd largest TU Chapter in the nation.  

Read the Spring 2018 Issues for free here.

5 Things to Remember During Winter Fly Fishing

Take it Easy

Due to the cooler temperatures, fish are moving slowly and you should, too. So slow down and think small. This will help give time for the fish to actually strike. You can enjoy a much slower and relaxed state of fishing.

Take Advantage of the Summer Busy Areas

Since it's not the middle of summer, you can enjoy some nice fishing in areas that are usually packed. All the way up to mid-April, you might run into about half the amount of fly fishers than usual. Winter fishing is a great chance to enjoy those areas before the warm crowd comes in.

Mind the Redds

Be mindful of where you step. As winter approaches spring, rainbows and cutthroats will be spawning. Avoid walking where there are distinct gravel nests in a scoured circular or oval depression. These "rubbed out" areas are much clearer than the rest of the riverbed, so be aware of where you step to avoid harming the unborn eggs or first born alevins.

Check out the Mind the Redd's organization here with more tips on safe river wading.

Midges

"Even on a tailwater, cold days and winter weather will more or less shut down the standard trout menu. Mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies can’t tolerate cold air temperatures very well, even if the water remains at a constant mild chill. Thus, from about mid-November to early March, most fishing anywhere north of Florida is going to involve midges."

You can read Orvis' post about How to Fish Midge Patterns in the Winter here.

You can also read the 8 Must-Have Flies for winter fishing here.

Ice is Probably not Present

Rivers rarely freeze in the winter unless you are way up in the mountains. Most tailwaters, any rivers or streams coming from a dam, will not be frozen and provide an opportunity to fly fish even in the coldest of months. If ice is present, always be careful and make sure it is thick enough before walking out.

I'm dreaming of snowpack, lots of it

This winter we have been bombarded with countless news reports and articles warning Coloradoans about the harrowing levels of snowpack we are seeing this year. We too are guilty of broadcasting the doom and gloom, but it's because we are also feeling nervous about the amount of water that will be available during the warmer months. We know that our mountains act as storage for our water by collecting feet upon feet of snow that will slowly feed our streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. So, when scientists and reporters are both saying that certain parts of Colorado are averaging at about half or less their usual snowpack levels - that's an issue.

The word snowpack is part of every Coloradoans common vocabulary because we pretty much use it as a way to measure the well-being of our state. It determines whether Colorado will have successful seasons in skiing, rafting, fishing, and hunting. Not to mention our ranchers and farmers depend heavily on that snowpack for their livelihoods. Snowpack levels affect almost every outdoor business in Colorado.

A new clip from the short film, The End of Snow, addresses those issues that we are having in the west as they relate to snowpack. In Colorado, you meet the "Snow Guardian" a man who has lived in the mountains for years - collecting snow data to pass the time. That data has become a living testament to the changes in climate that scientists have been piecing together. Jane Zelikova, "ecologist with a Ph.D. from CU Boulder has an active project at the University of Wyoming [that] looks at the impacts of dust deposition on snowpack and in her film, The End of Snow, she focuses on the effects of dust deposition in mountainous regions." [1]

The message that the "Snow Guardian" clip emphasizes is one of adaptation. It's much harder and practically impossible to just reverse the path we are on and we probably will end up falling down. But, if we do fall, we must land on our butts because falling face first is much harder to get back up from. Collaboration and adaptation are how we will be able to address the changes in our climate and ultimately Colorado's outdoor economy.

The Snow Guardian from Day's Edge Productions on Vimeo.

Resources

[1] 303 Magazine Article about the Film

Behind the Fin with Emma Brown

Join us “behind the fin” with Emma Brown, student, angler and intern of the Greenbacks, the non-profit organization dedicated to promoting native fish, and engaging the next generation of anglers.

How long have you been a TU member?

I have been a TU member for 2 years and have loved every second of it!

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

I have always loved fly fishing, and grew up playing in the river next to my father as he fly fished. When I was 16, I started thinking about a project that is required to graduate- which consisted of 120 hours of work with professionals in the community. I based my project off of fly fishing and river/trout conservation. In an effort to reach out to local groups, I saw an ad for the Greenbacks in a Trout Unlimited magazine that my grandpa had given me, and emailed them that day to start getting involved and volunteering. The next week I was driving down to Colorado Springs as a volunteer to teach other high school kids how to fly fish. It was and still is one of the best experiences I’ve had.

What made you want to be involved with TU?

It is very important to engage young anglers in conservation projects so they know not to take our beautiful rivers and lands for granted. Not only this but I was very privileged to learn fly fishing at a young age, and have gear passed down from my father and grandfather. Trout Unlimited and the Greenbacks had a wonderful opportunity to be able to share this with other kids my age. Not only this, but the conservation opportunities that I saw members participating in were something that I needed to participate in.

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

Every year our group puts on an event to engage inner-city school kids from Denver, through Big Brother Big Sister, in fishing. We spend the whole day with these kids, and eventually, they walk away with a handful of fishing supplies. There is nothing like helping someone catch their first fish, and seeing their huge smiles and excitement. I want to give back more than anything, and Trout Unlimited has helped me do just that.

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

When I go fishing I love to go as far as I can from people and end up in the backcountry. There is nothing more satisfying than hiking for two hours to get to a high mountain trout stream and catch beautiful native fish on a fly rod. These places tend to be in the backcountry of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, fishing streams that trickle down from melting glaciers. I absolutely love Rocky Mountain National Park and the Big Thompson, as well as the South St. Vrain and Boulder Creek.

What does being a part of TU mean to you?

As a member of Trout Unlimited, it is very important for me to give back to the community and the beautiful lands that we recreate on. I want these wild places healthy and available for centuries to come for future anglers to enjoy. I also think involving inner-city school kids and people who have never fly fished before is essential. Not only this but working with veterans and first responders who use fly fishing as a healing method of therapy is also very important to me. Fly fishing is important in a very large variety of ways that I want to share it with everyone.

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

I like to keep myself very busy! I am currently a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder with my eyes on medical school. I am an EMT/Firefighter, and absolutely love helping others. I grew up on a ranch working horses and teaching lessons, so I love working with and riding my horses. I also love film and photography and love taking photos of all the adventures I go on. I hope to use this and social media to make an impact on the fly fishing world and to inspire others to be leaders in their communities.

Gov. Hickenlooper receives 2018 River Stewardship Award from Colorado Trout Unlimited

(Denver)—Gov. John Hickenlooper has received the 2018 River Stewardship Award from Colorado Trout Unlimited, for actions during his terms as Denver mayor and as Colorado governor that led to significant conservation victories for the state’s rivers and streams. The award was presented Thursday evening, March 8th at Colorado TU’s annual River Stewardship gala at Mile High Station in Denver.

In his remarks, Colorado TU executive director David Nickum lauded Hickenlooper’s long record of bringing people together to find solutions on river health issues:

“In 2007, the Denver Chapter of TU held its first ‘Carp Slam’ tournament, to raise funds for and build awareness of the South Platte River through Denver, promoting a vision of the river as a living centerpiece to a great city. They were fortunate to have an ally in the Mayor’s office, who encouraged and empowered city staff to partner in the effort. In the decade since, millions of dollars have gone into improving the river, its greenway, and promoting economic revitalization along the corridor. Today the Denver South Platte is a river on the rise.”

The Upper Colorado River was another watershed that benefited from Gov. Hickenlooper’s leadership, said Nickum. In decades past, Denver Water had not always seen eye-to-eye with conservationists or with West Slope communities and interest on water diversions and river impacts.

“As Mayor, John Hickenlooper appointed a new breed of commissioners to the Water Board—leaders like Tom Gougeon, Penfield Tate, and the late George Beardsley, who encouraged Denver Water to engage with other interests to find cooperative, collaborative solutions – not simply continue the old water fights of the past.” The resulting landmark 2013 Colorado River Cooperative Agreement was groundbreaking and spawned the present Learning by Doing partnership that is meeting water needs while improving the health of the Colorado River watershed.

“That same spirit of collaboration is woven through the Colorado Water Plan adopted by the state under Governor Hickenlooper,” said Nickum. “The Plan encourages projects and programs that benefit multiple uses, from growing cities to agriculture; it supports local collaboration through stream management planning; and it features healthy rivers as a fundamental part of our state’s water values. And that that vision has been supported by real commitment and resources through new state funding.”

Nickum noted that Gov. Hickenlooper had pulled together “the right people, at the right place and time, and with the right support and encouragement, to make these remarkable accomplishments possible. He has done nothing less than create the climate in which river stewardship can thrive in Colorado. And that is the essence of great leadership.”

Colorado Trout Unlimited’s River Stewardship Gala is the state’s largest celebration of Colorado’s rivers and world-class fishing opportunities. In 2017, nearly 400 guests helped to raise over $80,000 for Colorado TU’s conservation efforts throughout the state. Funds from the River Stewardship Gala go towards CTU’s work in youth education, protecting statewide instream flows and temperature, reintroducing and protecting native trout, and preserving and restoring the state’s fisheries and their watersheds.

A huge thank you to the guests, staff, volunteers, board members, and of course the donors who made the night a great success. 

The 2018 River Stewardship Gala Online Auction is Live!

Colorado Trout Unlimited's River Stewardship Gala is this Thursday, March 8! Thanks to our generous donors, we've compiled a massive online silent auction that you can start bidding on right now! When you see an item you like, just click the link to register and you're ready to go.

Even if you are not able to make it to the event, you are welcome to participate in our online auction. This is a great opportunity to get some exclusive items, trips, and experiences with proceeds going right into trout and river conservation in Colorado.

Pro tip: You can also place reserve bids for items that will be featured in our live auction the night of the event. 

Click here to see the online auction!