Plan your weekend! Film Festivals, Fly Fishing Rendezvous, Iron Fly

Do you have your weekend plans figured out? If not, there are lots of great events coming up that you definitely do not want to miss! Below is a quick digest of all the fun things happening along the Front Range of Colorado: Check out the full list of upcoming events here.

Thursday, April 26

Colorado Trout Unlimited's Conservation Film Fest doors at 6:30 pm, films at 7:00 pm

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Friday, April 27

TU & CTU Western Regional Rendezvous

7:30 am - 6:00pm | Keystone Lodge, CO

See the full agenda here 

Join TU volunteer leaders from across the West on April 27-28, 2018 in Keystone, Colorado for enlightening presentations, inspiring dialogue and engaging camaraderie with those who share your dedication to TU and our mission. The TU Western Rendezvous is an occasion to be inspired – by lessons from volunteer leaders, the work of TU staff, and conversations with newfound friends. The event will also be an excellent opportunity to discuss the unique issues facing the region as well as a chance to network and build relationships with fellow TU volunteer leaders.

If you are interested in attending any of the meetings, please register here. 

Colorado Iron Fly - brought to you by Pig Farm Ink and Rep Your Water

starting at 7:00 pm | Dos Locos 22869 U.S. 6, Keystone, CO, United States

Pig Farm Ink, Costa, Simms, Postfly, and Rep Your Water present Iron Fly: TU & CTU

Western Regional, in Keystone, CO

Join us for an evening of hoots and hollers as EVERYONE is welcome to participate in

the IRON FLY. What is the IRON FLY? Well, it's fly tying meets Iron Chef as tiers compete in a battle of partying skills and bobbin prowess to make the ultimate fish snack from the same set of mystery ingredients. Race against your liver and your competitors to show the panel of judges that your vice has the spice...

Videos Explaining Iron Fly: https://youtu.be/CS3AXSDBVMUhttps://youtu.be/WjICqBF26fk

FB Event Listing

Saturday, April 28

Trout Unlimited & Colorado Trout Unlimited Western Regional Rendezvous

7:30 am - 8:30 pm | Keystone Lodge, CO

See full agenda here

Register for the Western Regional Rendezvous here

2018 Spring Fly Fishing Rendezvous

8:30 am - 5:00pm | Jefferson County Fairgrounds Golden, CO 15200 W 6th Ave, Golden, CO 80401-5018

This two-day event happening 4/28 - 4/29 highlights the best of the Rocky Mountain’s emerging fly brands while also giving anglers access to some of the most trusted names in the industry. Our shared passion is to make the sport of fly fishing accessible to all.

Check out the full vendor and speaker line up at www.flyfishingrendezvous.com.

Tickets are $8 in advance/$10 cash at the door. Scouts in uniform and kids under 12 years old get in free.

GET $1 off your advance online ticket price by using "CTU" coupon code upon checkout.

Purchase Tickets Here.

Sunday, April 29

2018 Spring Fly Fishing Rendezvous

8:30 am - 5:00 pm | Jefferson County Fairgrounds Golden, CO 15200 W 6th Ave, Golden, CO 80401-5018

Purchase Tickets Here.

Trout Unlimited & Colorado Trout Unlimited Western Regional Rendezvous

7:00 am - 12:00 pm | Keystone Lodge, CO

Fishing Sunday after the Western Regional Rendezvous

12:00 pm - whenever the fishing slows down

Local rivers within a two- three hour drive:

Keystone Lake

Colorado River (Pumphouse)  – 1 hour travel – wade or float

Colorado River (State Bridge) 1.25 hours travel time – wade or float

Colorado River (Parshall)  45 minutes travel time – wade

Eagle River (Gypsum) 1 hour travel time – wade

South Platte (Deckers) 2hours and 30 minutes  – wade

Dream Stream  1 hour 45 minutes – wade

Frying Pan (Ruedi Dam) 2 hours and 30 minutes – wade

Roaring Fork (Carbondale) 2 hours and 30 minutes – float

Blue River (near Breckenridge, below Dillon Reservoir, north of Silverthorne)

Arkansas River (near Leadville)

Google Map of Area

The Caddis are Coming!

Ah, nothing like spring in Colorado! Wildflowers blooming, snow melting off the mountains, creeks flowing, oh and caddis season is in full swing! We start seeing caddis bouncing up and down on the surface or skating across the water, tempting the hungry trout! To celebrate this great time of year, The Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited is holding its 33rd annual Caddis Festival Banquet & Auction on Saturday, May 5th, 2018, at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds in Poncha Springs, Colorado. There will be lots of fun for everyone – both anglers and non-anglers, including a silent and live auction, special raffles, a heads-or-tails game and bucket raffles!

The social time and cash bar open at 5 PM with a buffet dinner catered by Variations starting at 6:45 PM.The prizes that YOU could take home are truly outstanding, including fine fishing gear, unique artwork, hosted fishing trips and more! There will be items for men, women, kids, anglers and non-anglers.

Since 1985, CPC-TU has provided educational programs and activities for youth and adults and provided funds and volunteers for river and riparian restoration projects in the Upper Arkansas River Valley. Come hang out and support a great cause! The Caddis Festival Banquet & Auction is CPC-TU's major fundraising event of the year and they look forward to seeing you!

Some of the projects and activities supported by the Caddis Festival funds in 2017 included:

* Sponsored the popular kid’s fishing derbies July 4th in Salida and Labor Day weekend in Buena Vista

* Provided funds to continue the development of the Ecosystems Learning Center (ELC) on the South Arkansas River in Salida

* In collaboration with GARNA, held the 6th grade conservation camp in Buena Vista, high school ecology classes in Salida and Stream Explorers educational activities in Buena Vista and Salida.

* Provided volunteers to assist Colorado Parks and Wildlife in fin clipping at the Mt. Ouray Hatchery and fish stocking in high lakes

* Contributed locally tied flies to Casting for Recovery and Reel Recovery

* Provided and pledged funds to Central Colorado Conservancy to promote and enhance Arkansas river access

* Awarded $12,000 in college scholarships to four local students studying aquatic biology or natural resources

For more information, contact Pam Simpson, Caddis Festival Planning Committee Chair at (719) 395-7788 or pkssimpp@gmail.com

Registration is easy and online! Follow the link below.

Purchase Tickets Here

Facebook Event Page

TU praises passage of bill to support wildlife and recreation

Trout Unlimited praises passage of bill to support wildlife and outdoor recreation

(Denver)—Trout Unlimited praised the passage of the Hunting, Fishing, and Parks for Future Generations Act (SB18-143) today in the Colorado General Assembly – creating a sustainable funding stream for Colorado Parks and Wildlife that will help fund efforts to preserve the state’s prized fish and wildlife populations and support outdoor recreation opportunities.

In recent years, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has seen its resources increasingly squeezed. The last resident license fee increase took place in 2005—and since that time, expenses have climbed by more than 25 percent and Colorado’s population has grown rapidly, putting more and more pressure on fish, wildlife, and their habitat as well as on the state’s recreation infrastructure.

Moreover, the budget squeeze has forced the agency to cut or defund 50 positions and slice $40 million from its wildlife budget—and without new funding, further cuts would be required. The bill passed today by the Colorado legislature will give CPW authority to raise hunting and fishing license fees to offset the rising costs of inflation. The modest fee increase ($8 for resident fishing licenses) will begin in 2019, with any future increases tied to the consumer price index. CPW is also looking at other revenue sources to support conservation priorities.

“Sportsmen and women have always taken pride in supporting our state’s outstanding outdoor resources and hunting and fishing opportunities,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “Hunters and anglers understand that Colorado’s wildlife and natural spaces are among our most valuable resources—and that we need to invest in our outdoor quality of life. This fee authority will help ensure that future generations have access to the same quality hunting, fishing and recreational opportunities available today.”

The enhanced revenue stream will help CPW invest in a range of sportsmen’s programs and initiatives, including:

• Providing more funds for critical programs like hunter education and Fishing is Fun;
• Expanding access for hunters and anglers by renewing high-priority leases and access programs on private land;
• Repairing CPW’s aging dams and reservoir infrastructure to keep them open for fishing;
• Modernizing hatcheries to increase the number of fish stocked in those Colorado waters that can’t support robust wild populations.

“TU is grateful to have been afforded a seat on the CPW ‘Sportsmen’s Roundtable’—a collaborative, statewide forum to engage sportsmen and women on the agency’s strategic plans and financial issues,” said Ty Churchwell, TU’s San Juan Mountains coordinator. “We applaud the CPW for involving sportsmen’s conservation organizations in development of this bill, and holding dozens of public meetings across the state. Their commitment to broad, extensive, debated input on development of this bill has helped secure support for its passage.”

Trout Unlimited thanks Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Bob Broscheid for his leadership as well as the bill sponsors, state Senators Stephen Fenberg and Don Coram, and Representatives Jeni Arndt and James Wilson.

Download the Press Release here.

Fun Fact Friday: Oh, the mighty Colorado River

Fun Fact Friday: Oh, the mighty Colorado River! Its history is quite impressive as it broke through the Grand Canyon about 5 million years ago. Evidence also suggests that the Colorado River was flowing through the Rocky Mountains as they were still forming. This river has influenced much of the beautiful geology we see across the west today. All along the Colorado River system, anglers can find largemouth bass, rainbow trout, channel catfish, black crappie, walleye and striped bass. If you have not checked out the interview we did with Kirk Klancke, president of the Colorado River Headwaters TU Chapter, about restoring flows to one of the first main tributaries of the Colorado River, then be sure to check it out here.

Save Bristol Bay!

  Pebble Limited Partnerships recently applied for one of the major permits they’ll need to mine in Bristol Bay. Filing that application is huge news because it brings their catastrophic proposal one step closer to becoming a reality. Now, we have the first chance for you to weigh in on this process.

Pebble Limited Partnerships wants to develop an open-pit mine in southwest Alaska, approximately 17 miles west/northwest of the villages of Iliamna, Newhalen, and Nondalton. They also are proposing a 188-mile natural gas pipeline from the Kenai Peninsula across the Cook Inlet to the mine site as their proposed energy source. These developments would dramatically affect Bristol Bay’s fisheries which are critical to Alaska's economy and culture.  Speak up and let The Army Corps of Engineers know that we should protect Bristol Bay, and the businesses and communities these waters support.

Add your name and comment below to tell the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reject Pebble's proposal as incomplete. Feel free to edit the suggested content. Click the button to take action!

Iron Fly comes to the Western Regional Rendezvous April 27

Pig Farm Ink, Costa, Simms, Postfly, and Rep Your Water present Iron Fly: TU & CTU Western Regional, in Keystone, CO

What is the IRON FLY? Well, instead of just explaining it to you, here's a great video explaining exactly what it is.

[embed]https://youtu.be/WjICqBF26fk[/embed]

Seems fun and hilariously entertaining right? Well, we are bringing to Colorado in coinciding with the TU Western Regional Rendezvous up in Keystone. It's going to be an evening of hoots and hollers as EVERYONE is welcome to participate in the IRON FLY. When fly tying meets Iron Chef then you have an IRON FLY. Compete in a battle of partying skills and bobbin prowess to make the ultimate fish snack from the same set of mystery ingredients. Race against your liver and your competitors to show the panel of judges that your vice has the spice...

Facebook Event Listing: https://www.facebook.com/events/1807653752872104/ 

PigFarmInk: www.pigfarmink.com 

RepYourWater: https://www.repyourwater.com/

TU Western Regional Rendezvous:  https://gifts.tu.org/western-regional?

We look forward to seeing you there!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS3AXSDBVMU&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

Hitchhikers NOT welcome

We have been dealing with invasive species since humans starting transporting goods across land and sea. Many species that we think of as natives might just be an original hitchhiker from a long time ago. Sometimes these things happen by accident when something snags a ride with an unsuspecting host or species are brought in on purpose. Why are invasives such a problem? Well, when a species is introduced to a new area, it usually has all the advantages in the world. They are likely to not have any predators and that provides them the opportunity to eat, populate quickly, and encroach on other's habitats. By the time all the original habitants catch up on who the new species is, the new guys have already established themselves and have depleted much of the area's resources.

In Colorado, we have been lucky to not be plagued with the aquatic invasives that the Great Lakes area has seen, but with increased tourism and boating the state is becoming more worried about an unstoppable outbreak of the invasive species. Testing is done regularly on Colorado's bodies of water and there have been positive results for mussels. New legislation has been making its way through the State Senate and House entitled the Mussel Free Colorado Act HB18-1008, with hopes to combat the fast-spreading is invasive mussels.

[1] Zebra and quagga mussels pose a great ecological and financial threat to the state.  The invasion of these mussels can affect every Coloradoan and visitors in some way and the impacts could be devastating. Potential impacts include:

• Prolific reproduction
• Clog water infrastructure
• Ecological impacts
• Recreational impacts
• Economic impacts
• Social impacts
• Difficult or impossible to eradicate
• Quick spread to new waters

[2] Both adult zebra mussels and the larval form, known as veligers, can be transported into other bodies of water. Adult zebra mussels can attach to boats or other equipment and be transported to new waters.

Adult zebra mussels are able to close their shell and may survive out of water for several days.

Veligers (larval zebra mussels) are able to hitchhike in water held in the bilge, live wells, motors, or bait buckets, or they may cling to plant fragments, boats or trailers, or other equipment or recreational items that came into contact with water.

You can’t always see zebra mussels because the larvae are invisible to the naked eye. They can survive for days in water trapped in a boat. The only way to be sure you’re not carrying zebra mussels to another body of water is to always Clean -  Drain - Dry your boat, trailer, and gear. To minimize the potential spread of zebra mussels, follow these simple steps:

• CLEAN: your boat, trailer and gear by removing all plants, animals and foreign objects.
• DRAIN: all water from the boat, including the motor, bilge, live wells and bait buckets, before leaving the lake.
• DRY: boat, trailer and gear at least 5 days before entering another water body. If unable to let it dry for at least 5 days, rinse equipment and watercraft (with high pressure, hot water when possible) and wipe with a towel before reuse.
• DISPOSE of unwanted live bait and worms in the trash.
• NEVER introduce fish, plants, crayfish, snails or clams from one body of water to another.

Keep yourself updated about potential invasives threats in Colorado:

• [1] Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Invasives Zebra and Quagga
• [2] Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers
• Colorado Boat Inspections
• State Aquatic Nuisance Species Program 
• 2018 Aquatic Nuisance Species Bill 

Win a dream trip on the Madison River!

ARE YOU READY  FOR THE COLORADO TROUT UNLIMITED STATE WIDE RAFFLE?

This is your chance to win a dream trip on the Madison River – and help your Colorado home waters at the same time!

ONLINE TICKET SALES END WEDNESDAY APRIL 25, 2018.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

ONLINE TICKET SALES END WEDNESDAY APRIL 25, 2018. ONLINE TICKET SALES END WEDNESDAY APRIL 25, 2018.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

This raffle is conducted under Colorado Raffle License No 2018-12627, and is open only to residents of Colorado.

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