Trout Unlimited, Cutthroat Chapter

"Conservation Corner" - Click to see items/issues related to Colorado from both the local and state perspective. Check out the CTU website for an updates affecting Colorado's cold water environment. CTU has added the CTU NewsBlog featuring News and Happenings from Colorado Trout Unlimited.

New: 2008 "RIVER & WATERSHED" PROJECT Dates Set - Volunteers needed! (Click here for more detail on each project). To volunteer email Jim Rasmussen or telephone him at (303) 773-2772.

• Buffalo Peaks - Contractor work has stated but volunteer work dates are to-be-announced. Stay tuned.
• South Plate River Trash Pickup Day (and BBQ) - Sunday, June 22th (NEW DATE)
• Trail Creek Fire Restoration - July 16th or 17th and Saturday, Aug 23rd
• Clear Creek Trash Pickup Day & BBQ with West Denver Chapter - Saturday, Sept 13th.

Buffalo Peaks Ranch Project. Progress Report (May15th) - In spite of a two week delay in getting started due to snow conditions, Ecological Resource Consultants (ERC) completed the heavy construction work a few weeks ahead of schedule!. Over 650 tons of boulders and riprap were delivered to the stream and strategically placed to create prime habitat for trout and prevent erosion of the banks. Click here for more information.

On April 29th CCTU members planted 300 Ponderosa pine plants and 800 willows on Trail Creek in the Hayman Fire burn area a few miles upstream from West Creek. . The event was facilitated by the Coalition for the Upper South, CUSP - they even trailered a Porta Potty into the remote site for our use. A hopeful sign for the burn area is that the beavers are back! Along the stream, new beaver dams complete with rising trout in the pools were observed. Planting trees and willows was hard work and many thanks go out to our volunteers: Bill Honeyfield, Jim Ives, Jerry Shin, Gary Weirauch, Jim Crawford, Alan Whitehead, Will Stark, Kristine Snook, Ted Christie, Dave Jennings, Dave Potter, and Jim Rasmussen. This was a very satisfying outing. Our labors made an immediate and hopefully lasting contribution to the recovery of our forests. Please join us on one (or both) of our next outings to this area to plant trees and willows in July and August. Watch for announcement of the specific dates. To volunteer email Jim Rasmussen or telephone him at (303) 773-2772.

CLICK HERE to read the analysis of the Chapter's October 2007 macro-invertebrate collection from Waterton Canyon. Two locations were sampled: 1) below Stontia Springs Dam and 2) above the Kasler area. Easy to understand charts and graphs are provided. Now you know. Let's go fishing!

The Day Trip Fishing Expeditions for 2008 have commenced. These trips are intended for the novice or the advanced angler for both fun and education. Emphasis will be on the dry fly technique. Exact location will be announced at the Chapter meeting immediately prior to the scheduled dates. Reservations on a first come, first served bases. The exact locations will be chosen just prior to each date to ensure stream/river conditions are optimum for a successful experience (i.e. no blown-out water conditions, low flows, etc). Carpooling will be encouraged to share the cost of the gasoline. Appropriate flies will be recommended and available for purchase prior to each event. Click here to see the dates, reserve a slot and receive more information as specific locations are chosen for each date.

New - “Want to learn fly-fishing basics?”
Two ways for novices to develop fly fishing skills:

• Cutthroat Chapter Mini-Workshops - beginning April 15th - Click here to download details
• Fly-shop Clinics and Seminars for anglers wanting to get started with fly-fishing- Click here to download a list of local flyshops providing classes and seminars

Your usual "hole" over at the river too crowded? There are over 75 lakes in Colorado's Front Range, and most offer uncrowded fishing in a pristine alpine setting at or above timberline. Accessible by day-hiking, these lakes are regularly stocked with fingerling cutthroat trout that commonly grow to 12 to 16 inches. Under ideal conditions, cutts in these lakes can reach 4 pounds, and one lake even produced a 19-poound lake trout that was thinning the local brook trout population!

Ron Belak, a long-time member of TU, has fished the high lakes of Colorado's Front Range for over 25 years. He has published about 30 articles on fishing and over 150 photographs in Colorado Outdoors, American Angler, and Fly Fishermen magazines. Ron's infectious passion for fishing the high country will fire you up and make you want to bust through snowdrifts so that you can be the first to dangle a fly above timberline.

The meeting begins at 7 PM and directions to the Chapter meeting location are described in the left column (near top). The program is free and open to the public.

ADDED: The Chapter's informal mini-clinic for novices will begin at 6:30 - the topic will be Leaders, Tippets and Knots.

June 17th Membership Meeting @ 7 PM "Streamer Fishing: A Serious Approach to Fun "
by Dan Wright

Dan Wright is the owner of the Colorado Academy of Fly Casting and guides through Dan Wright Fly Fishing, the guide service for Charlie’s Fly Box, Inc. Dan has taught and guided fly fishers for 15 years, give or take a bit of time for discussing fishing philosophies. He is a Federation of Fly Fishers Master Certified Fly Casting Instructor, Certified Spey Casting Instructor, and serves on the Board of Governors for the Casting Instructor Certification Program.

He has lived in Michigan, where he guided steelhead fly fishers on the Manistee River; and Florida, where he was a saltwater captain and guided for bonefish, permit, and tarpon. He was on staff for several years at the Blue Quill Angler, serving as a guide, instructor, and shop manager. He has written for a number of fly fishing publications, and plays guitar and banjo.

"Stepping into Streamer Fishing: A Serious Approach to Fun"- Program begins at 7 PM
Dan will discuss the particular aspects of streamer fishing that make it appealing. Reasons to fish streamers include:

The meeting begins at 7 PM and directions to the Chapter meeting location are described in the left column (near top). The program is free and open to the public.

ADDED: The Chapter's informal mini-clinic for novices will begin at 6:30 - the topic will be Entomology & Selecting the Right Fly

An August 28th study published by researchers from the University of Colorado in Molecular Ecology has raised some questions about the genetic purity of the Greenback Trout being reintroduced into Colorado waters. Read a synopsis dated August 30th from ScienceNow. Additional information is contained in the September 5th news release from the University of Colorado which is linked here. And the entire 10 page study can be downloaded (pdf format)here.

Fly Fishing Rocky Mountain National Park
Excellent article on stream fishing RMNP linked from the electronic version of Fly Fisherman magazine

Just looking at a map of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) rivets your attention. (Click here to see a map.) What you see at a glance is a peppering of 150 alpine lakes and a lacework of flowing water that adds up to 450 miles of streams. About 50 lakes (360 total acres) and 150 miles of streams hold trout. Click here to read the entire article by Ross Purnell, the editorial director of Fly Fisherman. The article discusses fishing both the major river systems flowing out of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)--the Cache la Poudre, Colorado River, the North Fork of the St. Vrain, the Big Thompson, and the Fall River --as well as the smaller creeks flowing from alpine trout lakes like Glacier Creek, Ouzel Creek, Fern Creek, Roaring River, the North Fork of the Big Thompson, Columbine Creek, Timber Creek, and Paradise Creek.

This was the question posed by researches from Colorado State University, who challenged three sizes of brook trout - 4-6 inches, 6-8 inches, and over 8 inches - to jump a laboratory-built waterfall. Both the height of the waterfall and the depth of the plunge pool below were adjustable. To no one's surprise, larger brookies out-jumped smaller ones; the large group cleared a 29 inch waterfall, while the small group hurdled a none-too-shabby 25 inch barrier. All of the leaping fish were confounded by a 17 inch barrier when the plunge pool depth was cut to just 4 inches. Researchers hope the study will help create effective fishways and segregate brook trout in systems where they are invasive. - Andrew Belden, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society

ColoradoOnTheFly.com is designed as a Colorado Fly Fishing directory, categorized with hundreds of websites. No where will you find a more complete directory with rich content and easy navigation. Participation is encouraged and will always be acknowledged.

Here is a website that is a great educational tool into the sometimes technical world of fishing knot tying, The site, Animated Knots by Grog, offers a step by step, or fully animated sequence of how to tie over seventy five fishing knots. Take a look at it.

What is the connection between Cancer and Flyfishing?
The answer is "Reel Recovery"!

So You Want to Hire a Fishing Guide — Click here for perspective (including pictures) in what a fishing guide should offer & do for you!

New Zealand Mud Snail Infestation in Colorado
Click here to learn about the NZ Mud Snail in Colorado and how to Sanitize Your Fishing Equipment - contains updated information about the Formula 409 Disinfectant /Antibacterial product courtesy the West Denver Chapter of TU. Please note that the previously recommended use of bleach or Grape Seed Extract as cleaning methods has been proven ineffective.

Special thanks to FirstLink for their exceptional website hosting.



	Littleton Cutthroat Chapter of Trout Unlimited


Denver's Cutthroat Chapter • Join the Cutthroat Trout Unlimited Chapter • Meeting Dates / Times / Directions • Our Mission/Vision • President's Message • Local Events • River Watch Activities • Contact Us Monthly Meeting Programs Chapter 2008 Fishing Trip Schedule • Wednesday/Saturday Local Area Hosted Trips Multi-day Trips (for 10-12 people) ~Green River, UT Apr 19-23 ~Big Horn, MT May 21-26 ~San Juan, NM Oct 22-26 Liability Release Info w/Form Colorado TU • Colorado TU Links • Fellow Chapters Water Conservation • Links to Colorado Water Information Special Content • Local Fly Shops (NEW) • Fishing Library (NEW) • Fishing Rpt's • Local Fishing Links • Fishing License • Member Classifieds • Wade-Float Etiquette • Flyfisherman.com • Reel Recovery Donor Links • Our Valued Sponors Archive • Newsletter Archive • Minutes-BOD/Annual • ByLaws		Site Updated - May 15, 2008 May Electronic Newsletter Available - Click Here to view the contents. Get our e-newsletter every month! Click Here to Subscribe "Conservation Corner" - Click to see items/issues related to Colorado from both the local and state perspective. Check out the CTU website for an updates affecting Colorado's cold water environment. CTU has added the CTU NewsBlog featuring News and Happenings from Colorado Trout Unlimited. New: 2008 "RIVER & WATERSHED" PROJECT Dates Set - Volunteers needed! (Click here for more detail on each project). To volunteer email Jim Rasmussen or telephone him at (303) 773-2772. • Buffalo Peaks - Contractor work has stated but volunteer work dates are to-be-announced. Stay tuned. • South Plate River Trash Pickup Day (and BBQ) - Sunday, June 22th (NEW DATE) • Trail Creek Fire Restoration - July 16th or 17th and Saturday, Aug 23rd • Clear Creek Trash Pickup Day & BBQ with West Denver Chapter - Saturday, Sept 13th. Buffalo Peaks Ranch Project. Progress Report (May15th) - In spite of a two week delay in getting started due to snow conditions, Ecological Resource Consultants (ERC) completed the heavy construction work a few weeks ahead of schedule!. Over 650 tons of boulders and riprap were delivered to the stream and strategically placed to create prime habitat for trout and prevent erosion of the banks. Click here for more information. NEW: Hayman Fire Tree Planting Apr 29 Report. On April 29th CCTU members planted 300 Ponderosa pine plants and 800 willows on Trail Creek in the Hayman Fire burn area a few miles upstream from West Creek. . The event was facilitated by the Coalition for the Upper South, CUSP - they even trailered a Porta Potty into the remote site for our use. A hopeful sign for the burn area is that the beavers are back! Along the stream, new beaver dams complete with rising trout in the pools were observed. Planting trees and willows was hard work and many thanks go out to our volunteers: Bill Honeyfield, Jim Ives, Jerry Shin, Gary Weirauch, Jim Crawford, Alan Whitehead, Will Stark, Kristine Snook, Ted Christie, Dave Jennings, Dave Potter, and Jim Rasmussen. This was a very satisfying outing. Our labors made an immediate and hopefully lasting contribution to the recovery of our forests. Please join us on one (or both) of our next outings to this area to plant trees and willows in July and August. Watch for announcement of the specific dates. To volunteer email Jim Rasmussen or telephone him at (303) 773-2772. New Report: The "Bugs" of Waterton Canyon CLICK HERE to read the analysis of the Chapter's October 2007 macro-invertebrate collection from Waterton Canyon. Two locations were sampled: 1) below Stontia Springs Dam and 2) above the Kasler area. Easy to understand charts and graphs are provided. Now you know. Let's go fishing! NEW!! Wednesday/Saturday Day Trip Fishing Schedule The Day Trip Fishing Expeditions for 2008 have commenced. These trips are intended for the novice or the advanced angler for both fun and education. Emphasis will be on the dry fly technique. Exact location will be announced at the Chapter meeting immediately prior to the scheduled dates. Reservations on a first come, first served bases. The exact locations will be chosen just prior to each date to ensure stream/river conditions are optimum for a successful experience (i.e. no blown-out water conditions, low flows, etc). Carpooling will be encouraged to share the cost of the gasoline. Appropriate flies will be recommended and available for purchase prior to each event. Click here to see the dates, reserve a slot and receive more information as specific locations are chosen for each date. New - “Want to learn fly-fishing basics?” Two ways for novices to develop fly fishing skills: • Cutthroat Chapter Mini-Workshops - beginning April 15th - Click here to download details • Fly-shop Clinics and Seminars for anglers wanting to get started with fly-fishing- Click here to download a list of local flyshops providing classes and seminars May 20th - "High Country Lakes" by Ron Belak Your usual "hole" over at the river too crowded? There are over 75 lakes in Colorado's Front Range, and most offer uncrowded fishing in a pristine alpine setting at or above timberline. Accessible by day-hiking, these lakes are regularly stocked with fingerling cutthroat trout that commonly grow to 12 to 16 inches. Under ideal conditions, cutts in these lakes can reach 4 pounds, and one lake even produced a 19-poound lake trout that was thinning the local brook trout population! Ron Belak, a long-time member of TU, has fished the high lakes of Colorado's Front Range for over 25 years. He has published about 30 articles on fishing and over 150 photographs in Colorado Outdoors, American Angler, and Fly Fishermen magazines. Ron's infectious passion for fishing the high country will fire you up and make you want to bust through snowdrifts so that you can be the first to dangle a fly above timberline. The meeting begins at 7 PM and directions to the Chapter meeting location are described in the left column (near top). The program is free and open to the public. ADDED: The Chapter's informal mini-clinic for novices will begin at 6:30 - the topic will be Leaders, Tippets and Knots. June 17th Membership Meeting @ 7 PM "Streamer Fishing: A Serious Approach to Fun " by Dan Wright Dan Wright is the owner of the Colorado Academy of Fly Casting and guides through Dan Wright Fly Fishing, the guide service for Charlie’s Fly Box, Inc. Dan has taught and guided fly fishers for 15 years, give or take a bit of time for discussing fishing philosophies. He is a Federation of Fly Fishers Master Certified Fly Casting Instructor, Certified Spey Casting Instructor, and serves on the Board of Governors for the Casting Instructor Certification Program. He has lived in Michigan, where he guided steelhead fly fishers on the Manistee River; and Florida, where he was a saltwater captain and guided for bonefish, permit, and tarpon. He was on staff for several years at the Blue Quill Angler, serving as a guide, instructor, and shop manager. He has written for a number of fly fishing publications, and plays guitar and banjo. "Stepping into Streamer Fishing: A Serious Approach to Fun"- Program begins at 7 PM Dan will discuss the particular aspects of streamer fishing that make it appealing. Reasons to fish streamers include: Active fishing method, no boredom Moves bigger fish when nothing else will Covers a lot of the river Attention and excitement level is high The gear has these characteristics, in comparison to “general” fly fishing techniques: Heavier flies and larger hooks Possibly heavier rods and lines Shorter leaders, stronger tippets Uses a range of fly lines, with floating lines the least desired Presentation and fishing techniques include: Cast with more open loops, slower casts, more pressure on quality casting ability Mending becomes more critical; “stacking” mends a vital technique Varied presentation methods, some more valuable than others: down/across; up/across; others Reading and responding to the water’s personality Understanding the aggressive fish All these thoughts will be in the context of best times of day, best times of year, why fish hit streamers differently than other flies, and a number of other strategically important considerations for streamer fishing efficiently. The meeting begins at 7 PM and directions to the Chapter meeting location are described in the left column (near top). The program is free and open to the public. ADDED: The Chapter's informal mini-clinic for novices will begin at 6:30 - the topic will be Entomology & Selecting the Right Fly Questions about Greenback Trout Genetics Raised An August 28th study published by researchers from the University of Colorado in Molecular Ecology has raised some questions about the genetic purity of the Greenback Trout being reintroduced into Colorado waters. Read a synopsis dated August 30th from ScienceNow. Additional information is contained in the September 5th news release from the University of Colorado which is linked here. And the entire 10 page study can be downloaded (pdf format)here. Fly Fishing Rocky Mountain National Park Excellent article on stream fishing RMNP linked from the electronic version of Fly Fisherman magazine Just looking at a map of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) rivets your attention. (Click here to see a map.) What you see at a glance is a peppering of 150 alpine lakes and a lacework of flowing water that adds up to 450 miles of streams. About 50 lakes (360 total acres) and 150 miles of streams hold trout. Click here to read the entire article by Ross Purnell, the editorial director of Fly Fisherman. The article discusses fishing both the major river systems flowing out of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)--the Cache la Poudre, Colorado River, the North Fork of the St. Vrain, the Big Thompson, and the Fall River --as well as the smaller creeks flowing from alpine trout lakes like Glacier Creek, Ouzel Creek, Fern Creek, Roaring River, the North Fork of the Big Thompson, Columbine Creek, Timber Creek, and Paradise Creek. Ready, Set, Jump - How High Can Brook Trout Jump? This was the question posed by researches from Colorado State University, who challenged three sizes of brook trout - 4-6 inches, 6-8 inches, and over 8 inches - to jump a laboratory-built waterfall. Both the height of the waterfall and the depth of the plunge pool below were adjustable. To no one's surprise, larger brookies out-jumped smaller ones; the large group cleared a 29 inch waterfall, while the small group hurdled a none-too-shabby 25 inch barrier. All of the leaping fish were confounded by a 17 inch barrier when the plunge pool depth was cut to just 4 inches. Researchers hope the study will help create effective fishways and segregate brook trout in systems where they are invasive. - Andrew Belden, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society Fishing Information - ColoradoOnThe Fly.com ColoradoOnTheFly.com is designed as a Colorado Fly Fishing directory, categorized with hundreds of websites. No where will you find a more complete directory with rich content and easy navigation. Participation is encouraged and will always be acknowledged. Animated Fishing Knots Here is a website that is a great educational tool into the sometimes technical world of fishing knot tying, The site, Animated Knots by Grog, offers a step by step, or fully animated sequence of how to tie over seventy five fishing knots. Take a look at it. What is the connection between Cancer and Flyfishing? The answer is "Reel Recovery"! So You Want to Hire a Fishing Guide — Click here for perspective (including pictures) in what a fishing guide should offer & do for you! Cutthroat Chapter Fishing Buddies Looking for someone to go fishing with? Click here for the list. New Zealand Mud Snail Infestation in Colorado Click here to learn about the NZ Mud Snail in Colorado and how to Sanitize Your Fishing Equipment - contains updated information about the Formula 409 Disinfectant /Antibacterial product courtesy the West Denver Chapter of TU. Please note that the previously recommended use of bleach or Grape Seed Extract as cleaning methods has been proven ineffective. Copyright © 2008 [Trout Unlimited, Denver Cutthroat Chapter]. All rights reserved. Revised: May 15, 2008 Special thanks to FirstLink for their exceptional website hosting.