CTU at the Denver Fly Fishing Show - Volunteer With Us

CTU staff and volunteers will be at this year’s Denver Fly Fishing Show February 17th - 19th at the Gaylord Rockies Event and Convention Center. Drop by and see us, or you can sign up to volunteer at our booth for a block of time and receive a parking reimbursement and admission to the show while you’re not at the booth. Sign up through the button below to see available times.

A note from Ben Furimsky , Director of The Fly Fishing Show:

You are cordially invited to the 21st Anniversary of the Denver Fly Fishing Show at the Gaylord Resort & Convention Center. For the 20th anniversary, the Denver Fly Fishing Show was the largest gathering of the fly fishing community in the world and it looks like we may top that this year! Plan to attend this exciting and all-inclusive event. Some highlights will be:
• The largest exhibit floor in the history of the Denver Fly Fishing Show
• New 2023 products from manufacturers.
• Programs and learning opportunities for youngsters and families.
• Women’s Fly Fishing Showcase with an exhibitor venue focused on the
woman angler.
• Fly Fishing Fashion Show
• Casting demos and instruction with Gary Borger, Simon Gawesworth,
Michael Mauri , Jeff Currier, Mac Brown and more!
• Fly tying with Landon Mayer, Ed Engle, Charlie Craven, Pat Dorsey,
Tim Cammisa and more!
• Classes with the Experts where you can get one-on-one time with the pros.
• The must-see International Fly Fishing Film Festival on Friday at 6:30
featuring award-winning fly-fishing films.
• The most extensive list of professional speakers you can find.
• Lodges, resorts, exotic vacation destinations offering the best fly fishing
trips on the planet.
• Live, on site podcasting
• Casting competitions for all
• Live and art demonstrations
• Live bamboo rod building demonstrations
• New rods, reels, lines, accessories, clothing, waders, boots, books, DVDs and
anything else you may want to purchase, plus our exclusive author’s booth.
• Conservation organizations and opportunities to volunteer for the sport you
cherish.
Every day of the Denver Fly Fishing Show offers something different. This is likely
the biggest fly fishing event in the world. Join this community gathering and let’s make it the biggest event in history! You can’t see it all in one day so plan on the weekend and bring your friends and family.

See you there,

Ben Furimsky and The Fly Fishing Show Family

New TIC Community Tank at the CSU Spur Hydro Building

Attending the National Western Stock Show in Denver this month? Then you can come see our new Trout In The Classroom (TIC) Community Tank at the CSU Spur Hydro building. Located at 4817 National Western Dr, Denver, CO 80216, the Hydro building is the newest addition to the CSU Spur campus.

Our Community Tank, with the help of the Denver Trout Unlimited Chapter, currently holds three-month old trout who are actively feeding, swimming, and growing. Come learn more about Trout In The Classroom and the other amazing programs and opportunities the CSU Spur has to offer!

CTU will have a table next to the tank on Saturday, January 14th for CSU Spur Day at the Stock Show and Monday, January 16th for Martin Luther King Day.

Keep Colorado Wild Pass Begins This Year

Charlie Myers State Wildlife Area - Colorado Parks & Wildlife

With the new year, the Keep Colorado Wild Pass goes into effect. Colorado residents will see a $29 charge to their vehicle registration fees, which enables them to visit all state parks. To find more information on the KEEP COLORADO WILD PASS, please click the button below.

additionally, don’t forget you can still get your Protect Our Rivers CTU license plate!

The New Winter 2023 Issue of High Country Angler is Live!

Check out the Winter 2023 issue of High Country Angler e-zine, including these stories:

• Landon Mayer on how winter angling can be great with Snowy Season Success; 

• Brian LaRue on fishing hard-to-access tailwater with Fish Yampa's 'Wonderland' with Unique Snowmobile Access;

• Dick Shinton with Colorado Trout Unlimited Youth River Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp;

• Kyle Perkins celebrates TU volunteers with Reintroced Greenback Cutthroats are Reproducing;

• Remembering Dave Whitlock by Kirk Deeter;

• Peter Stitcher with Old Timer Fly Fishing Wisdom That Will Help You Catch More Fish;

• Columns by  Hayden Mellsop, Joel Evans, and the Old Professor!

Distant Waters Special - And a Donation to CTU

Is a fly fishing adventure in New Zealand on your bucket list – or have you already been and are eager to return?  Then as a TU member and supporter, you may have the chance to give yourself a little holiday gift thanks to our partners at Distant Waters

Below is a unique opportunity to fish New Zealand if you have the means and availability. With a recently deferred trip with Distant Waters Angling Adventures in New Zealand, they have offered bookings for February 14th through the 22nd 2023 at a special discounted rate of $5,999 - $2,000 off the original price – including airfare from the west coast to New Zealand. This is a prime fishing time in the heart of New Zealand’s summer.  Additionally, Distant Waters will donate a portion of each booking directly to CTU. There are only four spots available, so act quickly! If  you have questions or would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Kevin  Wigfield with Distant Waters at 303-550-2990. You can learn more about their trip offerings – including helicopter access to remote backcountry fishing! – at their website www.distantwaters-nz.com.

Thank you for your support, and happy holidays to you and yours.

December 2022 Currents

This month’s issue of Currents features information on 2022 End of Year Premium Gifts, CTU December Social, Youth Programs Update, and More! Read the entire issue here!

CTU Youth Programs Update

First off, thank you to everyone who donated and supported CTU Youth during our Colorado Gives Day campaign! We accomplished our goal and then some, for a grand total of $7,675! Thank also to Barbara Luneau and Mark Rayman for offering a matching incentive and helping to double our donor’s donations by $2,500.

2023 is looking bright for CTU’s Headwaters Programs. We are beginning to plan out our 2023 STREAM
Girls and STREAM Keepers schedule. If you are interested in offering a STREAM Girls or STREAM Keepers program in 2023 fill out the forms below.

• 2023 STREAM Girls Inquiry Form

• 2023 STREAM Keepers Inquiry Form

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Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is looking forward to 2023, as well. We will be installing a new TIC Community Tank at the CSU Spur Hydro Building in late December or early January. We hope to have the tank working and fish swimming by the time The National Western Stock Show is running. If you are going to the Stock Show be sure to visit the new CSU Spur Hydro Building and TIC Community Tank on the second floor.

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We are excited to announce our 2023 River Conservation & Fly Fishing Camp will be June 11 - 17, 2023. Registration is now open for Camper applications and Camp Counselor applications. Visit our Camp website for more information.

Want to help CTU’s 2023 River Conservation & Fly Fishing Camp? Below are some great ways to show your support.

• Help us spread the word!

  • Download and share our 2023 River Conservation & Fly Fishing Camp Flyer.

• Sponsor a Camper!

  • Camp Registration is $600 per camper. If you would like to sponsor a camper please email Barbara Luneau or Natalie Flowers.

• Volunteer!

  • Camp Counselor applications are now open. Click here to apply to be a CTU Camp Counselor.

Thank you for all the support in 2022. We can’t wait to continue fostering the next generation of conservations and anglers in 2023!

If you would like to increase your impact, please contact Natalie Flowers and/or visit our Supporting CTU Youth page to see our greatest needs, sponsorship opportunities, and more.

Colorado Gives Day - Thank you!

All of us at Colorado Trout Unlimited would thank everyone who donated on Colorado Gives Day.

We are humbled by and so appreciative of the amazing support we received on December 6th. We also want to give a big thank you to Anglers All (abandoned mine restoration) and Barb Luneau and Mark Rayman (youth education), for their matching donations that helped us to raise even more funds for our work around the state! We look forward to 2023 and to continuing our coldwater conservation work in Colorado.

CTU raised an impressive $65,475 online, exceeding our goal of $65,000.

Join CTU at a December Social!

You are Invited!

Read more about the Native rod that benefits CTU: SEE THE ROD

RSVP for the Social event December 14th: RSVP

Colorado Gives Day is Coming!

Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday, December 6th, but you can donate today!

Your support helps conserve, protect and restore Colorado's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Make a difference for Colorado's rivers by donating today! In addition to support for our overall programs, thanks to our supporters with Anglers All and Barbara Luneau & Mark Rayman we have $12,500 in matching campaign opportunities for specific projects benefiting mine cleanup and youth education. Look for details under "campaigns supporting this organization" through the link below.

Orphan Boy Mine Cleanup with Anglers All

Help match Anglers All's $10,000 challenge to clean up a mine draining to the upper South Platte

Located high in the South Platte watershed near Alma, Orphan Boy is a once-successful legacy gold mine that has become a relic of its former self. The mine site now leaches heavy metals into the downstream waters of Mosquito Creek, a tributary to the Middle Fork South Platte, damaging valuable water resources, wetlands and trout habitat. 

Trout Unlimited plans to control this contamination by reclaiming the site through containment of flowing mine waters, controlling seepage and erosion, and revegetating exposed mine wastes - all while preserving the historic legacy of the site. The end result will be improved water quality and stream health, protection of downstream communities, and preservation of historical structures at the mine site.

Anglers All has generously pledged $10,000 as a matching gift to help with reclamation of this mine site in their home watershed - so your contribution will be doubled, helping us fully tap their challenge grant!

Youth at Colorado TU

Invest in the next generation! Please help us build up new stewards of our watersheds and fisheries.

CTU is hard at work engaging the next generation in all-things-conservation through numerous educational, hands-on opportunities throughout the year. Our Trout in the Classroom program has doubled in size over the past year and will reach some 6,000 Colorado youth this school year! Along with TIC, our stream of engagement youth programs include Stream Girls, River Conservation & Flyfishing Camp, Stream Keepers, National Fishing in Schools, Stream Explorers, 5 Rivers College Clubs, and RiverWatch. 

This is what a 2023 camp participant has to say about the experience: "Everything about yourself grows. Everyone is interested and knowledgeable in the things you like and want to talk about. Just amazing."

We have bold goals for 2023 and beyond. Help us reach thousands of youth next year alone, through a donation to the CTU Youth Fund.

Thank you to Barbara Luneau and Mark Rayman, who are generously donating dollars up to $2,500 for Youth at CTU. Double your impact!

Testimonials

The list of non-profits who would like your time, talent and money is endless, so why Colorado Trout Unlimited? First is the organization's reason for being. Serving as a champion for clear mountain streams is something that just grabs my heart. Second is the quality of the organization. It is important that the leadership be focused, reasonable in its positions, and fiscally responsible. CTU meets all of those parameters for me.
---Tom Jones, donor and TU Grassroots Trustee

Trout Unlimited (TU) in Colorado is an effective, science-based, working-with-all-stakeholders organization that gets things done. As a homeowner in the Denver area and Grand County, I cherish the water we use on the front range, and the recreational opportunities that take me to Grand Lake and the Upper Colorado River system. The tenacity of TU staff and engagement of chapters is the reason I'm a donor, and now a member of the Colorado Trout Unlimited (CTU) council board. It's well worth the time and treasure I've committed to the group's outcomes.
---Larry Howe, donor and Board Secretary