John Egan - Colorado River, August 20, 2021 |
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Conserve, Protect And Restore |
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SEPTEMBER 21 CHAPTER MEETING CANCELLED |
We had planned our return to in-person meetings for the September Chapter meeting. However, we are not comfortable enough with the safety of a large meeting at this time, especially given our meetings are conducted at a school. Our presenters have graciously switched their plans to the October meeting, and will plan on an in-person meeting then, but reserve the right to move it to Zoom if the situation changes. We know many in the chapter are eager to meet back in person and we appreciate the patience. |
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COME FISH WITH US - SEPTEMBER EVENT
SEPTEMBER 19, 9AM-12PM, LAKE LEHOW
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CCTU Come Fish With Us is back again on Sunday, September 19, 9am-12pm at Lake Lehow. Always great if you can RSVP to David Coward at dpcoward@hotmail.com, but given the lack of capacity constraints currently on the lake, you can also just show up that evening.
The Come Fish With Us program is designed for chapter members and non-members to explore local fisheries with experienced chapter members also there to answer questions, offer tips, and provide help on casting, fly selection, hooking, playing and landing fish. Lake Lehow is a private lake (Denver Water) that is heavily stocked with bass, panfish, and trout.
Lake Lehow can be entered from the east side of the Waterton Canyon Parking Lot. Wadsworth south to Waterton Road, left into the parking lot. Veer to the right as you enter (toward van/trailer parking) and drive east down the dirt road to the green gate in back. A CCTU representative will be at the gate at 5pm and for an additional 5-10 minutes. The gate chain will then be “soft locked” for any late arrivals. If you arrive after 5pm, please redo the chain “soft lock” before proceeding to the lake.
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CCTU OCTOBER MEETING
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 7PM
IN-PERSON CRESTHILL MIDDLE SCHOOL & ZOOM SIMULCAST
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PROGRAM 1 - AUDREY HARRIS, STEVE BAILEY FELLOWSHIP RECEIPIENT, M.S. STUDENT, CSU DEPT OF FISH, WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Audrey is this year’s recipient of the CCTU Steve Bailey Memorial Fellowship and a master’s candidate in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at Colorado State. She will speak on her master’s research on “Assisting greenback cutthroat trout recovery using an unlikely tool...brook trout genetics”.
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PROGRAM 2 - RON BELAK, 800 HIGH LAKES IN COLORADO – RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHERE TO FISH. Noted Evergreen author and photographer Ron Belak will present a slideshow entitled “800 High Lakes in Colorado - Recommendations on Where to Fish.” His presentation uses materials from his recently released book entitled “The Fishing Guide to 800 High Lakes in Colorado” (BookBaby, 2021) and will cover lakes in the Front Range, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Mesa, Central Mountains and Weminuche Wilderness. Some of these lakes are accessible by passenger vehicles while others require easy to moderate day hikes. Of course, Ron will include a few kick-ass locations for the more adventurous. Ron’s books will be available at the presentation for check or cash payment, or order the books at www.ronbelak.com.
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If you aren’t going in person and want to join in via Zoom, go to
or go to www.zoom.com and use Meeting ID: 881 2109 1045, Passcode: trout
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ANOTHER EXCELLENT ANNUAL PICNIC |
We had a great turnout for the CCTU Annual Picnic last week at Reynolds Landing. Despite some rain and wind, everyone had an excellent time. Food was enjoyed from The Denver Taco Truck and we had a great Streamside Entomology and Matching the Hatch presentation on the water from Peter Stitcher. Anyone interested in picking up Peter’s Streamside Match the Hatch Kit, Invertebrate Vials, Magnifier or other tools, please check out www.ascentflyfishing.com. Link in to Peter’s excellent blog there as well.
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MINERAL PARK PROJECT POST-PROJECT REVIEW |
It was a cool morning on August 14 when 24 volunteers from Cutthroat Chapter Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Forest Service, National Trout Unlimited, other TU chapters, and even some members of the public (and their children) gathered to revegetate a reclaimed mine site above the town of Alma in Colorado. The gathering place was at an elevation of over 10,000 feet, but the project itself was at over 11,400 feet, just below tree line. The project area had been the site of settling ponds used by the Mineral Park Mill, a cyanide leach mill last operated in 1943. The 1.7 acre site was was on Forest Service land and the entire project was a coordinated effort of Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Forest Service, and local partners Anglers All and Cutthroat Chapter. Most of the funding for the reclamation project was provided by the Forest Service. Check out the area via this drone footage courtesy of Trout Unlimited Drone Video (doesn't always work).
After a quick safety briefing, tools were distributed, and the volunteers were shuttled up to the project site. The work for the day was to plant 550 tufted hairgrass plants, 140 water sedge plants and 240 bristlecone pine seedlings. The site had previously been treated for lead contamination and recontoured to correct the drainage around the old settling ponds. This work involved moving about 1850 cubic yards of material to cap the site with clean fill and constructing a rip rap lined drainage channel to divert the natural drainage away from tailings. The planting was accomplished in about four and a half hours and the volunteers returned to the Alma Town Hall for lunch. Many of the volunteers afterward enjoyed hiking or fishing in the area, which is a popular recreation destination.
The United States has thousands of mining-impacted sites that need actions to reduce the impact of contamination associated with them. Most of these sites are in prime recreation areas and remediation projects can restore the locations to public access recreation uses. This project is a model for cooperative work between National Trout Unlimited, the USFS, and local partners. It is a very small first step, but to accomplish anything, you need to take that first step.
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FORGING A FUTURE FOR FISH: TU'S NEW VISION
Chris Wood, TU President & CEO
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On August 16, Chris Woods, President & CEO for National TU, led a lively discussion of where the national TU organization is headed in the next five years. Nearly 1,000 TU members took part in the discussion across the country. If you participated in the discussion and didn’t get your questions answered, please visit tu.org/newdirections for replies to many of those questions as well as to see TU’s full Strategic Plan framework.
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MORE ALMA RIVER WALK UPDATES |
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After a very successful Mineral Park Ponds revegetation project on Saturday August 14, 2021, some of CCTU volunteers checked out Alma's River Walk. We are pleased to report even more progress. What was just a pile of lumber a short time ago is now an ADA accessible boardwalk and fishing/observation platform. The boardwalk is constructed such that high water can pass underneath and it has edge curbs to keep wheelchairs in check. The platform was constructed on a location suggested by CCTU board members in previous meetings with the Alma Foundation. That location is not only scenic but also is a great fishing spot for able and disabled alike. The lack of railings along the boardwalk and platform creates an open view and allows easier casting from a seated position. It is great to see the project continuing to come along.
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FLY OF THE MONTH - DUANE'S BUTTCRACK BAETIS
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Friend of the chapter and frequent CCTU presenter Duane Redford’s Buttcrack Baetis is one to have in the box as we close in on fall Baetis season. Fish it in the film, fish it down deep, it is definitely one to rely upon when other Baetis patterns aren’t working. Add a tungsten bead and try different colors…purple was a highly effective variant last year. Video courtesy of AvidMax.
Hook – TMC 2487 18-24
Thread – Veevus 16/0 Olive Dun
Tail – CDL Light Speckled Brown
Rib – UTC Small Copper Wire
Wingcase – Razor Foam White 0.5mm
Wing Bud – Flat Diamond Braid Pearl
Thorax – Superfine Dubbing Olive
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NEW READS & RE-READS
RON BELAK, THE FISHING GUIDE TO 800 HIGH LAKES IN COLORADO
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Author and photographer Ron Belak is one of our presenters at the October meeting, and he will speak on his new book “The Fishing Guide to 800 High Lakes in Colorado”. A great resource but don’t take just our word for it…listen to the thoughts of two noted Colorado author’s…
Marty Bartholomew – “This book is an extensive work on the best high-country fishing that Colorado has to offer. Perfectly detailed directions, conditions to overcome, and what to expect are covered brilliantly. I wish I had this book 20 years ago when my legs were fresh and backpack was full. Bravo, Ron!"
Steve Schweitzer - "The staggering amount of high-altitude fishing savvy in this book took decades to collect, and to no surprise, Ron's book is the penultimate high-lake fishing compendium. Through his entertaining anecdotal stories, stunning photography and sage advice, you can plan your next trip to over 800 high lakes in Colorado--all described in necessary detail."
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Another largemouth falls to a Richard Pilatzke foam creation
John Egan with a nice Colorado River rainbow
Jim Klug with a beautiful Colorado River rainbow
Buzz Soard and rainbow at the CCTU Board retreat
Barry Wiebe with a solid Colorado River rainbow on a #20 Para Adams
CCTU President Scott Tampa landing a nice rainbow on one of the custom bamboo rods he builds
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CCTU EVERYDAY FUNDRAISING VEHICLES
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King Soopers Card Program – Link up your King Soopers Rewards Card to CCTU for their Community Rewards program and get King Soopers donations flowing to the Chapter. Requires no ongoing effort on your part. Set up is very simple….check the CCTU website at CCTU Website for the directions how to link your King Soopers card to Community Rewards donations to CCTU.
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Amazon Smile - Amazon Smile provides .5% of the price of your Amazon purchase to the charitable organization of your choice. When buying something from Amazon, simply go to the Amazon Smile website (https://smile.amazon.com) to sign into your Amazon account, rather than going to Amazon.com. Once you sign into your Amazon account via the Amazon Smile website, you will be transported to the Amazon website and all purchases will register for the .5% donation to CCTU.
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9/19 CCTU Come Fish With Us, Lake Lehow, 9am-12pm
9/21 CCTU Monthly Chapter Meeting CANCELLED
10/5 CCTU BOD Meeting, In-Person Meeting at The Shack, 7-8:30pm
10/15-17 CCTU Rendezvous and Board Mtg, Glenwood Springs
10/19 CCTU Monthly Chapter Meeting, Cresthill Middle School & Zoom Simulcast
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Cutthroat Chapter Trout Unlimited
1285 Nightfire Circle
Castle Rock, CO 80104
(720) 584-9396
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