To conserve, protect, and restore North America's cold-water fisheries and their watersheds |
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A message from the OLD PUEBLO TROUT UNLIMITED BOARD
Welcome to Spring. At this writing, I am reminded that the morning radio station stated that we had 7’’ of snow one week ago. This coming weekend, the same radio program stated it may be 80 degrees this weekend. “What a Country”.
The OPTU has several events schedule over the Spring and Summer. I for one have buried my COVID mask. The OPTU Board members have been meeting in-person and are looking forward to getting back on the water. Watch for the information published in our Newsletter each month.
Spring is a wonderful time of year. I am looking forward to a happy Easter season. I am employed in the Behavioral Health Profession. I frequently recommend to the people I work with to focus on their Spiritual life as they make behavioral changes. A couple years ago, I read an article in TROUT. The author spoke of fly fishing and its relationship with a spiritual experience.
“After fly fishing for around two decades, I realized that most, if not all, people who fly fish come to the conclusion that they’re part of something greater. They tend to feel a sort of harmony with the natural environment…As fly fishers, we are surrounded by beauty and water, and we begin to feel a harmony with the natural world. Many people, myself included, begin to believe strongly that these places are almost sacred, a modern day reflection of the Garden of Eden. This is where my strong belief and commitment to conservation has its roots.” Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer author: Fly-Fishing The Sacred Art: Casting a fly as a Spiritual Practice
This is our message to our members during the Easter Season. Stay in touch with the Spiritual side of our sport. OPTU is looking forward to a season of fishing, fun, meeting new people and continuing our efforts in conservation. It is not always the fish we are after, but a life of family fellowship and the beauty of nature. Get involved, attend a meeting and bring a friend. You will find the time you invest in Trout Unlimited will be rewarding. Remember:
“If I fished only to capture fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago.”
Zane Grey
See you on the Stream,
Mickey Fletcher, OPTU President
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April 3rd: Fly Tying with Jeff at Randolph at 6pm
April 5th: OPTU outing at Sahuarita Lake at 9am, hosted by Jeff
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Tentative Schedule for 2023 |
April 5th - Outing
May 3rd - Meeting
June - Summer Vacation
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No Monthly Meeting this month, we'll be having an outing on April 5th in place of the meeting. |
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By Jeff Collins
Not much news to report until I attend the Native Trout Meeting in Phoenix April 6.
The water releases coming out of Glen Canyon is getting warm overall effecting the Lees Ferry fishery. Last year temperatures out of the dam and down river rose to 70 degrees! Normally water temps average in the 40’s and 50’s. As a side note, the smallmouth bass from Lake Powell are getting through the dam and surviving in Lees Ferry. Let’s hope for a huge snow melt from Colorado to raise the Lake Powell water level and lower temperatures at the dam.
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With all the rain and snow in our state, we should have a wonderful fishing year! So far all of the lakes around Phoenix are receiving record water flows; I read Roosevelt was at 101% capacity! In the White Mountains we will experience some longer runoff periods but should be fishable soon enough. Please consider attending a few OPTU tying classes at the Randolph Recreation Center the first Monday of the month; except 3 months in summer. We are learning not only how to tie flies but how to fish them and what works seasonally.
Still time to catch some local trout! All the Urban lakes around Tucson are still producing trout even though the stockings are complete. Also some huge trout can still be caught at Pena Blanca, Parker Canyon and Patagonia! Get out and fish. Try Buggers and Squirmy Worms under an indicator. Th picture is a friend of mine at Patagonia, March 25. Bass locally are getting active, not topwater yet but hitting Clousers and crayfish patterns. Mountains are still in winter conditions. For a fun day stream fishing try Salt River below Stewart Dam; trout, bass and our unique Sonoran Sucker. Be careful, flows are higher than normal for this time of year.
Until next month, Tightlines.
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Jeff is hosting lake cleanups at Kennedy and Lakeside Lakes, hope to see you out there!
Every third Saturday at Lakeside, time TBD by sunrise
Every Fourth Saturday at Kennedy, time TBD by Sunrise
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Lie and Tie fly tying meetings to be held the first Monday of every month. This will be held at the Randolph Recreation Center, same place as our regular meetings. 6pm-7:30pm. We will take a period off during June, July and August for summer travel and put your flies to use.
Each meeting you’ll receive a packet of materials for that evening's flies, enough for about 3 flies each including proper hooks. You will also receive, at the beginning of this program, a notebook binder containing instruction on tying the fly and fishing the fly. Material packets and updates will come monthly at the meetings. At least that’s the plan now, lol. This article and updates will appear in this newsletter monthly.
Please bring your vise AND basic tools. OPTU will have vises and tools to borrow for beginners just getting started. If you are new to tying or a green beginner, please plan on getting there at least 15 minutes early for orientation.
Here is the tentative schedule, I’ll try and match flies seasonally:
April: Life cycle of Stonefly and discussion
Kaufman Stone, yellow Sally, Stimulator
May: Life cycle of Mayfy and discussion
Mayfly nymph, Comparadun, parachute dry( maybe Klinkhammer)
Summer off
September: Terrestrials and discussion
Foam flies- hopper, dragonfly, ant
October: Life cycle of Caddisfly and discussion
Larvae, emerger, deer hair Caddis
November: Scuds, Damsels nymph and Dragons nymph and discussion
December: Attractors and discussion.
Hares ear nymph, Adams, Prince
-Jeff Collins
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Our tying class has been going well and well attended. Still room for more Tyers, come and enjoy. Everyone now has a copy of the book we are working from, “ Essential Flies For Trout” by Dave Hughes. I still have several copies at the discounted price of $22. You will also get a 3 ring binder which contains current months Flies, and packets of material for tying those flies. I will also pass out needed extra tools and supplies. At the end of each session we have a free to enter raffle.
So far we have covered, January- local Urban flies, February- Buggers and Leeches, March- Life Cycle of a Midge, April- Life Cycle of a Stonefly, coming in May- Life Cycle of a Mayfly! We will then have a three month period for vacations and travel. The second session will feature, Life Cycle of a Caddis fly, Terrestrials, Damsels and Dragons, Intro to Attractors. That will take us to December 2023. For 2024 there will be some refreshers plus Intro to Wetflys, Intro to Streamers, Articulated flies, the Popular Game Changer, Crayfish Patterns that Work. We will also go into the patterns of famous Tyers like Dave Whitlock Patterns, Lefty Kreh Patterns, Bob Popovics Patterns, and more. There will be more beginner classes for those just starting out. Please let me know if you are starting out and I will set up a beginners class and refresher so no one gets intimidated. I want everyone to be relaxed and have fun.
Thanks Jeff Collins
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Fly tying instructor Jeff, also Teaches Project Healing Waters |
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The OPTU outing for April will be at Sahuarita Lake (AZGFD - Sahuarita Lake), and is scheduled for Wednesday April 5th, starting at 9am. Our conservation officer and fly-tying guru Jeff Collins will be hosting the event. Jeff is going to start with a short presentation on his knowledge of how to fish the lake, and can make suggestions based on what species you'd like to target.
Jeff will be meeting everyone at the south end parking lot. The north end has a boat ramp but parking is limited. Roll casting is almost a must, but there are a few open areas. The Bass are just getting on beds as the males are building their nests and can be quite aggressive. Trout are still present, you’ll need to go deep. Jeff suggests indicator fishing with a 2 fly system. Catfish are being stocked this week and can be caught on a fly, try #4-#8 purple or black Woolley buggers. The bass will eat nest robbing crayfish patterns like Whitlocks Near-Nuff Crayfish. The Bluegills should be showing themselves soon.
Hope to see you there!
Sahuarita Lake
15466 S Rancho Sahuarita Blvd
Sahuarita, AZ 85629
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C.A.S.T For Kids
C.A.S.T. for Kids (Catch a Special Thrill) is a national fishing event for special needs kids, and OPTU helped to sponsor the first event in Tucson. The event occurred on March 11th at Lakeside Lake, and OPTU donated time and money to the event. About 40 special needs kids attended with their parents and OPTU board member Marcia Lescault attended the event as a volunteer. Here is Marcia's recap of the day.
"Each child was given an event t-shirt, hat, and loaded tackle box with everything they needed. They were each given a starter spinner rod and reel, and containers of worms and corn kernels were ready to go for bait. Every child was paired up with a volunteer, and the volunteer helped the kids and parents learn how to fish. After fishing, pizza, cookies and drinks were served. Each child was given a plaque congratulating them on their first day of fishing. I was very impressed and will volunteer again next year."
Thank you Marcia for representing OPTU!
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A must see 3 1/2 minute video, just released, provides an overview of the Arizona program with testimonials from the students and teachers on the positive benefits they received from the program. The video can be seen on www.aztic.org.
Steve Reiter is the OPTU TIC chairman. If interested in the TIC program to spread the word or to volunteer, contact Steve at [email protected]
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Checkout Jim Strogen's latest article in the Payson Roundup.
AZ TU has a new website with lots of great information about public policy, conservation and more. Check it out at the link below.
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Arizona Game and Fish Department Headquarters
5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ
April 6, 2023
9:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. (AZ)
Sponsored by AZGFD and Arizona Council of Trout Unlimited
The Native and Wild Trout conference is attended by those interested in learning the current and future status of native and wild trout in Arizona. Our mission is to spark the interest of developing future plans to promote, restore and manage these native and wild coldwater fish species.
The conference is attended by those interested in meeting, networking, and developing future plans to promote restoration and management of native and wild coldwater fish species in Arizona and New Mexico. Over 155 individuals attended the last in person conference and represented more than 50 agencies and organizations involved in water conservation and management, trout recovery and habitat enhancement.
* Keynote Speakers
* Southwest Native Trout Strategy and Projects
* Apache Trout Recovery Challenges, Delisting & Plans
* Gila Trout Recovery Challenges & Plans
* Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Recovery Challenges & Plans
* Glen Canyon Dam / Lees Ferry: Updates & Management Plans
* Legislation Affecting Conservation & Recovery Plans
* Conservation Awards for Distinguished Service
* Hosted Lunch
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TU Science Team Uses Genetics to Help Guide Management Needs for a Threatened Trout
Kara Armano
March 15, 2023
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Extinction is evident across our landscapes thanks to things like habitat loss and disconnection, non-native species, and, of course, climate change.
One species threatened with extinction is the famed Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT). Many anglers are familiar with this fish thanks to photos of the beasts that have recently been coming out of Pyramid Lake. Less well known are the other 70 or so stream populations across the range. These trout generally exist today in small, high mountain streams and range greatly in size, health and abundance in their habitats.
The fish has been listed on the Endangered Species list since the 1970s, and Trout Unlimited’s science team has been lending its hand to understand what factors are at play and realize the possibilities of restoring them and their habitat.
... Continue reading on tu.org
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Nor-Vice and bobbin with extra spools, a Renzetti vice, lots of dubbing and hackle materials, a box full of hooks of various sizes. It is enough to get anyone started with tying or add significantly to anyone who already ties.
$300.00 for everything
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Guide Chase Harrison recently got his outfitters license after guiding 10 seasons and started Missoula Guided Fly Fishing. He's looking to attract new clients and offering a $100 discount on guided fishing trips in western Montana. Specifically the Bitterroot, Clark Fork, Blackfoot, and Missouri rivers.
This is for TU members only. $550 per day. Let him know if you have any questions, he can be reached at 406-529-1200.
Chase Harrison Outfitter: 53584
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