To conserve, protect, and restore North America's cold-water fisheries and their watersheds |
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From the Ducks Unlimited magazine 2019.
"Dr. Christine Thomas founded the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program at the University of Wisconsin in 1991. Today, BOW Wisconsin welcomes dozens of women each year for annual workshops and events geared toward outdoor education and recreation". The fuel for the first BOW workshop came from a small conference held by Thomas in 1990 called "Breaking Down Barriers". The event examined why more women weren’t participating in hunting/fishing.
Old Pueblo TU has been focused on Diversity for years. This message is a call to our members to include women in our events next year. Our meetings and Outings have been of great interest to our membership. It has become a focus of the Board to include families and new members as much as possible. Please consider attending our events next year and bring a friend.
The AZGFD has published events for Women in the Outdoors in the past. OPTU will follow any events scheduled to get more Arizona residents to enjoy the Outdoors. This information will be included in the Monthly Newsletter. The OPTU had a successful year with meetings, outings and Fly-Tying classes = first Monday of each month. We could always use an increase in attendance at events. Please attend our scheduled events, you will be glad you did.
Here is hoping you have a Happy and Healthy Holiday season. OPTU is looking forward to a fun and successful new year. Two reminders as we close out the year. Please check your membership with TU National. We have a large number of OPTU members that need to renew their membership. Also, please consider applying for the State of Arizona Conservation License Plate. You can even personalize the license plate if you wish. Members of Trout Unlimited get several thousand dollars from this program each year. The Arizona Council of Trout Unlimited uses this money for our youth programs each year. Your help and support would be greatly appreciated.
If you have any requests for Speakers next year, please notify any Board Member. For now, enjoy the Holidays. See you on the Water.
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January 3rd: Member meeting at Randolph at 6:30pm
January 8th: Fly Tying with Jeff at Randolph at 6pm
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Tentative Schedule for 2024 |
January 3rd - Meeting
February - Outing
March 6th - Meeting
April - Outing
May 1st - Meeting
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January 3rd 6:30 - 7:30
Andy Price
The Arizona Game & Fish Department's
Southwest States Trout Challenge Awards Program
Are You Ready to Catch a Little Fame and Glory?
Whether you’re new to angling or a seasoned pro, the fishing challenges provide opportunities to pursue and catch your "big fish."
To find your challenge, see how to enter, and explore the official rules, click below.
Andy's Bio
Andy Price has been an Arizonan for five years but originally hails from Georgia.
He's been a member of Arizona Flycasters Club since 2018
Andy came to fly fishing later than some, picking up the fly rod after moving to Texas in 2010 and, like many, had his imagination originally piqued when he saw 'the movie' in high school.
Andy and his wife are both proud Georgia Bulldogs and when he's not chasing trout in Arizona and throughout the southwest, he spends time leading the Grand Canyon Council as its Scout Executive and CEO.
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The January 3rd meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Randolph Community Center on Alvernon south of Broadway.
Randolph Recreation Center
Bldg 1 Room 4
200 S. Alvernon Way
Tucson, Az 85711
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Hey all, the new boxes of material is in! You will receive your materials at the January tying meeting Monday January 8. You are encouraged to purchase our tying book, Essential Trout Flies, 50 Patterns by Dave Hughes. I have copies for $20. You should also bring you box of dubbing. We should have enough materials for the entire year and probably 6 months past; well into 2025. |
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Remember, there’s a One Fly Contest coming in February for the OPTU Outing meeting. So get your flies going to get prepared.
I’d like to keep the amount of Tyers under 20; I think our rooms fire code won’t allow for more, plus I have materials for 19. We should be ok as we average 8-12 Tyers per meeting. I also ask that you be a member of TU. I wouldn’t want a member to be shorted because a non member took the materials. You can join by going to TU.ORG.
I have 20 boxes but I will be working with one to track materials left and add more patterns. So no more than 19 Tyers.
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Here is a list of the dries we’ll be tying:
1. Elk hair Caddis
2. Stimulator
3. Hopper
4. Chernobyl
5. Parachute Adams
6. Midge cluster
Here is a list of the Nymphs:
1. Pheasant Tail
2. Hairs Ear
3. Stone
4. Prince
5. Brassie
6. Caddis Pupa
And a list of the Steamers:
1. Wooly Buggers
2. Landon Meyer mini leech
3. Zonker w/pine sq.
4. Aztec
We'll also be tying some variations and a few wet flies. It looks to be a fun and productive year!
Come join us!
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Fly tying instructor Jeff, also Teaches Project Healing Waters |
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Hey all, things are still in the works for our Conservation outings for 2024. First off I am working with Apache Sitgreaves Forest Service to establish dates and locations for a new Apache Trout Temperature Monitoring Project. There will be less monitors put in place this time but in Critical habitat. Hopefully, We will be using Bluetooth type sensors with apps on our phones for uploads and downloads. I did find out who’s on the team and planning a meeting in January. Hopefully get a date out of it.
There will be upcoming Stocking(s) in KP Creek. KP has always had trout, pretty much hybrids. These stockings are Gila Trout. KP is located near Hannigans Meadow area in the Blue River watershed.
So we are looking at 2 maybe 3 conservation outings. please stay tuned to our Facebook site for OPTU.
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Sahuarita Lake One Fly Trout Tournament
Get ready everyone in OPTU! My tying class especially! Our outing for February will be held at Sahaurita Lake at 8 am on February 3rd (Saturday). There will have been multiple stockings by then, the trout will be plentiful.
We will start our First Annual One Fly Contest at 8:30 am. Rules will be reviewed at 8 am. Free to enter, but you must be an OPTU Member or TU member. First prize will be the much desired Trout Trophy with your winning fly attached. There will be other prizes with raffles, all free to our membership.
-Jeff Collins
Rules:
1. All ages eligible, must be a TU member and have a valid AZ fishing license
2. You start with one fly of your choice, you supply the fly.
3. If you lose the fly, you’re done.
4. You have one hour to catch the trout
5. If you catch a trout, measure it. If you decide that’s your entry, stop fishing
6. If you catch a fish you decide if you want to enter it, if not keep fishing but the first fish now doesn’t count.
7. Biggest, longest, trout wins.
8. You can keep you trout whether it’s the entry fish or not, 4 fish limit
9. But you can only count one fish and decide if that’s your entree or not, keep fishing if it’s not.
10. Basically, 1 fly, 1 hour, 1 trout, no culling fish.
Sahuarita Lake
February 3rd (Saturday)
8:00 am meet, 8:30 START
TU Members Only - you can join the day of the tournament or prior
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It’s starting to get a little cold now in Tucson and Arizona. But that doesn’t mean pack your fly rods up? No! We are in a year round fishery. Arizona Game And Fish have begun stocking Rainbow trout in our Urban lakes and several normally warm water lakes in Arizona. We have four Urban lakes in the Tucson area; Lakeside, Kennedy, Silverbell and Sahaurita. They get stockings of trout every two weeks through February. Beadhead nymphs in sizes 12-16 will work now that fish are established. But don’t leave home without Squirmy Worms, and Mop flies, all different colors. It’s constantly changing the color they want. Try fishing them under an indicator at various depths.
Bass fishing also continue at the Urban lakes. Try early morning or evening; light seems to be a factor. They’re not at the surface so fish weighted flies under an indicator at various depths or a semi bouyant fly on sinking line. I like the density compensated lines from SA like SONAR. Another not known line is Moonlit. It’s a sink tip type line but the running line can be floating, intermediate or type 3 with a 30 foot head of type 5. Clousers are always a great choice as are Dumb Bunnies, wooly Buggers, balanced Leeches and Lunch Money. I always tie up seasonal boxes year round and I’m a little late this year but I have a good start. Don’t forget Catfish in the Urbans, they’re still there. Try slow rolling a red mop fly on a sinking line.
Surprises come in the form of Crappie in the Urban lakes as well in the winter, big Crappie! I had a phenomenal day on Silverbell out of my float tube last year catching 10 of the monster Crappie; balanced leech.
Something to reflect on for the coming year is the AZ State Trout Challenge. I plan to achieve this in 2024. There are also other states offering this challenge. Check the AZGFD website for rules. A friend of mine has been doing the challenges in various states.
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NZ Mudsnails Confirmed in Canyon Creek
Anglers and others recreating in Canyon Creek are now required to clean, drain, dry and decontaminate their equipment after each visit.
Checkout the AZGFD news release for more details.
Jim Strogen's latest article (see below) has some information about some new signage that has gone up at Canyon Creek.
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On Monday, November 13th volunteers picked up eggs in Camp Verde for Payson and Flagstaff region schools and another for the Phoenix metro area and Tucson schools. The Bass Pro Shop parking lot served as the distribution center for the various volunteer couriers throughout the Phoenix metro area and relayed to Tucson. By the end of the school day, 32 schools welcomed the eggs to their new homes.
The next day 4 remote schools successfully received their eggs via FedEx.
This year over 4,200 students and teachers will see their aquariums and growing fish daily in their classrooms and another 11,000 others will see the fish tanks throughout the year. The student and teacher smiles are energizing. Some of the excitement experienced can be seen in the Arizona Trout in the Classroom video at www.aztic.org.
A big THANK YOU goes to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, supporters, and volunteers for their commitment to the program.
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Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) showcased in its monthly e-news the Arizona TIC program that offers students hands-on experience in raising trout in a classroom setting.
See the 4-minute video here.
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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Check out Jim Strogen's latest article in the Payson Roundup.
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Groundwater News in AZ
Groundwater continues to be a hot topic in Arizona! The Ad-hoc Committee in Arizona continues to promote the message that local control of groundwater in rural communities is critical to their livelihoods. Twenty percent of Arizona's groundwater became managed in 1980 with the "Groundwater Management of 1980". But the other 80% of groundwater in Arizona still has no protection. Landowners can pump as much water as they want, without measurement, reporting or limit. The group working with the Arizona Department of Water Resources is looking to find an executable protocol for managing water outside of the Active Management Areas of Phoenix, Prescott, Pinal County, Tucson, and Santa Cruz which were established by the legislation in 1980. The draft legislation would empower local and rural communities to create Rural Groundwater Stewardship Areas if the groundwater in their rural community became threatened.
The Committee is currently hosting county-based dialogue sessions to engage local residents in the issues. One was held in Flagstaff for Coconino County on October 25th and had an attendance of local community members of approximately 70 people. Coconino County Supervisor Patrice Horstman, the water manager for Flagstaff, the mayor of Tucson, a hydrology professor from NAU, and our AZTU-PPC Past Chairman, Tom Osterday, were panelists. Additional meetings/events are being planned.
We encourage you to be alert for calls to support the Rural Groundwater Stewardship Areas legislation in the upcoming legislative session!
Two articles published in the Arizona Republic recently:
Arizona won't explain why it has paused leases on some state-owned farmland
Is the Arizona State Land Department taking steps to reverse a handful of unpopular leases? Or, more widely rethinking water use on state trust land?
Water shortfall could halt growth
Check out the story: here
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A Trout Unlimited Event
COMMUNITY × COLDWATER × CONSERVATION
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The True Cast - Make Time for a Moment of Trout Fishing Zen
Kirk Deeter
December 19, 2023
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I want you to close your eyes, breathe deeply, relax and envision something. (After you’re through reading this, of course, but here’s the basic screenplay for the movie you’re about to play in your mind…)
It’s a gorgeous day, and you’re soaking it all in. The birds are chirping; there’s a thin layer of clouds above, yet the air is warm (not hot) and a gentle, steady breeze is lightly puffing over your left shoulder (if you’re left-handed, it’s puffing from the right).
... Continue reading on tu.org
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THE STUDIO
A Film by Trout Unlimited with support from Simms
Scot Simmons has dealt with various forms of anxiety, PTSD and depression for most of his adult life. He is committed to creating a better life for himself and others, and he strives to be a better role model for his own family.
Premiering on YouTube, a new film from Trout Unlimited highlighting Twin Cities TU board member Scot Simmons’ path to creating a better life for himself and others as he strives to be a better role model for his own family. Fly fishing has helped him find his equilibrium.
You can watch the film for free here.
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I am thinning out my flyfishing possessions, my loss is your gain: Call on items you are interested in 520-403-4062
-Jeff Collins
- Winston VSL 9’7wt and Ross Rapid 7/8 reel with backing. $350
- Simms Freestone wading boots with cleats, no felt size 12 $99
- Frogg Togg wading boots size 12 $25
- Redington wading pants 2xl $70
- Hodgeman Chest Waders XL $60
- Echo Ion 10’ 6wt fly rod with case…$100
- Redington Path 10’ 7wt with case…$80
- Maxcatch Extreme 9’ 5 wt with Maxcatch “Brown Trout” reel…$50
- Maxcatch V-Access 9’7wt fly rod with case…$40,;)
- Redington Voyant 9’ 6wt fly rod with case…$85
- Redington Predator 7’11” 8 wt fly rod with case…$85
- Headwaters Bamboo 7’6” 5wt bamboo fly rod…$150
- South Bend “Custom” 8 1/2’ 6 wt bamboo fly rod…$150
- Oasis Benches “Fly Factory tying bench…$50
- Oasis Benches “Dubbing Brush Machine” new!…$100
- Hareline small dubbing brush machine…$25
- Maxcatch Extreme 8’3” 3 wt fly rod with case, Maxcatch 3/4 ‘Brown Trout’ reel…$50
More to come...
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Member Mike Carpenter has a Battenkill 7/8 pristine reel he'd like to trade for Pflueger 1494 and extra spool. He also has a Pflueger 1495-1/2 with two extra spools he'd like to trade for 1495 or 1494.
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