In Memory of Jim Cowell

Jim Cowell was a member of CCTU for more than 20 years as well as a member of Project Healing Waters passed away on November 5th, 2024.

The following notification from Project Healing Waters sums it up very well.

Taps was played for Jim at 2am Tuesday, Nov 5th 2024

Jim Cowell, PHW Ambassador and long-time CCTU Member

Jim was an air crewman on the USS Hornet's C1Trader and part of the recovery team for Apollo 11 and 12. Jim was on TV shaking hands with Richard Nixon as he boarded Marine1. Jim flew the Presidential Press, astronaut biological samples, and some of the moon rocks on several trips to Johnson Island.

On Apollo 12 Jim flew Admiral John McCain out to the Hornet from American Samoa. Jim also accompanied the moon rocks into Pago Pago. Jim retired as a product manager from Western Union. 

Jim was the author and co-author of 7 US patents that pertain to payments made on the internet. 

Jim was one of our most active ambassadors, being a Participant and Volunteer, his giving personality made him one of our best members.

Jim has been a supporting and giving member of our PHW-Denver Program for years. 

Jim, your spirit is with us now and will be with us on the water.

Feedback Requested for the CCTU 2024 Fall Survey

Cutthroat Chapter Trout Unlimited Fall 2024 Survey

We’d love to hear from you! This is your chance to help guide the direction of the chapter in the future. The survey can be accessed via the button/link below. It’s just 13 questions and shouldn’t take too long.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

Recap: June Chapter Meeting with Rick Takahashi

Rick Takahashi was both our tier and presenter this month. He is an Umpqua Signature Tier and has authored a few books. He started off by tying several midge patterns, then gave a presentation focused on midges. Midges are a very important food source for trout year round. Rick covered the complete lifecycle of midges and what they are like at each stage. In the larvae stage, midges are tiny and wormlike with segmentation. Rick mentioned having success with red midge larvae patterns as that is a common color for the larvae. Eventually the midges will enter the pupae stage where they break out of their larval tube work their way up the water column. From there, an adult midge will escape its pupal shuck and fly off. There are two transitional phases not formally included in the midge lifecycle. The emerger phase is where a midge pupal has trapped gases in its pupal shuck to help it reach the surface of the water. The cluster phase is a collection of adult midges that are either mating or are trapped. Rick gave multiple example fly patterns for each stage. 

After laying out the life of a midge, Rick discussed effective ways to use midge patterns. He went over a few different knots and rigging techniques that he’s found useful (such as nonslip loops and Duncan loop knots). Then he covered various ways to fish these rigs and gave plenty of tips like using slip strike indicators in stillwater. 

Midges really are everywhere and are major food sources for trout. Please watch the recording on YouTube for all of the details from the presentation!

After the presentation, we had the meeting raffle. The prizes included a Orvis Hydros reel, some Cutthroat Chapter Yeti tumblers, and some flies. 

Anchored Podcast Ep. 244: Chris Wood on Trout Unlimited Today

Check out TU’s Chris Wood on April Vokey’s Anchored Podcast!

Anchored Podcast Ep. 244: Chris Wood on Trout Unlimited Today

Recap: April Chapter Meeting with Ron Belak

Ron Belak first gave his first High Altitude Lakes talk to Cutthroat Chapter in April 1998. Nearly 26 years of experience later, Ron joined us on April 16 at Lone Tree Brewing Company to speak on Front Range Stillwaters.

Mike Myers, CCTU BOD Member, kicked off the meeting with fly tying demos of Tak's Crystal Midge and Landon's Mini Leech Jig. Crowds assembled early to watch the fly tying demos and to meet up with Ron before the presentation. 

Ron gave a comprehensive and engaging talk on the many accessible front range stillwaters, their elevations and typical trout populations of each. He touched on the differences of how to fly fish lakes vs streams, and also covered the seasons of high-altitude lakes. Many attendees purchased his books (Fly Fishing Colorado's Back Country, and The Fly Fishing Guide to 800 High Lakes in Colorado) after the meeting, which Ron was able to autograph and personalize. The monthly raffle was also a success and Bert took home the Umpqua Ledges ZS2 650 Waist Pack. Thanks to everyone who attended the meeting and supported the raffle! The recorded video of the meeting can be found on the CCTU YouTube channel here.

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Cutthroat Chapter's 3 new Board Members at our April 16th Meeting. Left to right: Kristy Yearsley (CCTU Chapter Secretary), Ali Sutphin (Chapter Youth Education Director), and Austin Stark (Chapter Meeting Director).

Recap: CCTU Green River Trip, 2024

An Unforgettable Adventure: The Annual Green River Fishing Trip

The sun peeked over the rugged cliffs, casting a golden glow on the emerald waters of the Green River at Flaming Gorge. It was that time of year again—the annual fishing trip that our chapter eagerly awaited. Our group consisted of the usual suspects plus five newcomers this year! We shared stories, laughter, and the occasional tall fish tale. The camaraderie was as essential as the fishing itself. This year, however, held something extra special: Tom’s 78th birthday celebration with the most delicious chocolate birthday cake made by Jerry’s wife.

The fishing gods smiled upon us. The weather forecast promised cloudy skies and mild temperatures, and we were excited about a blue-wing olive hatch (BWO). And oh, the trout! The Green River was generous this year. Each day we were graced with an awesome BWO hatch with fish aggressively feeding in the column and surface on emergers.

Mostly Brown trout, their spots like constellations, danced in the current. Several Rainbow trout leaped out of the water to grin and fin you while spitting your fly. Tom landed 30 – 40 fish each day with his guide from Old Moe’s.

Many enjoyed some good dry fly action each day to get their fix. One day, while seeking shelter along the bank of the river from a thunderstorm, a fish was rising consistently directly in front of us. It was teasing us, daring us to pick up a lightning rod! One cast with an awesome presentation is all it took for Alex to fool that fish. Alex grinned ear-to-ear when we erupted in applause and cheered like we were at the Super Bowl. The battle was fierce but short-lived as we ducked for cover when the ever-so-wise Brown trout spit the fly back at us like a lightning bolt.

One of the newcomers, John, who mainly fishes still water had a wonderful time and signed up for the San Juan trip, too. Another newcomer, Bruce, earned his Master Sargent stripes after being left at the Little Hole takeout on the last day. He hitched a ride to Dutch John for cell service to remind us that what we have here is, “a failure to communicate”. Maybe, we should take a couple of sheepdogs with us next year… I wonder if they rent sheepdogs.

As the trip wound down on the last day, we packed our gear, exchanged promises to return next year, and bid farewell to Flaming Gorge. The Green River would flow on, and so would our stories—the ones we’d tell over beers at the chapter meetings, the ones that would grow grander with each retelling. The Green River is alive and healthy!

Until next year, dear river. Until next year.

Registration for the 2025-chapter fishing trips will begin with the release of the January newsletter.

Notice!

Only one spot is left for this year’s San Juan River Trip, Friday, October 25 - Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Contact Jerry Shin at gsshin51@gmail.com or (303) 507-3495.

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Disclaimer: The characters and events in this article are fictional. Any resemblance to real individuals or fishing trips is purely coincidental in this Copilot-assisted article.

Recap: Earth Day 2024 at Bear Creek Lake Park

Once again, the Chapter supported the City of Lakewood’s Earth Day event at Bear Creek Lake Park on April 20th. And, once again it snowed! Despite the weather, our crew spent the morning planting 15 trees and almost 1,000 grasses, sedges and small bushes.

We arrived at the site of the old Stone House at 8:00 AM for a light breakfast while the City Park leadership made introductions and provided guidance on where the different groups would be assigned. Tools were handed out and the groups headed to their assigned areas to till the soil, and some rocks here and there, to prepare for the new vegetation. After a morning’s work, the volunteers had the plants in the ground making one more step toward protecting Bear Creek in Lakewood.

Take time to visit the park for a walk or to fish the stream. For people that want to be a part of future efforts to protect Bear Creek and the cold-water fish that live there, stay connected to the chapter and join us next year! Don’t forget your snow boots.

See CCTU at Cabela's Spring Fishing Classic - 3/16 & 3/17

Representatives from CCTU will be at Cabela’s/Bass Pro Shops annual Spring Fishing Classic.

We’ll be talking up the great benefits of being a member, handing out stickers, and tying flies. Our booth will be occupied on Saturday and Sunday, March 16th & 17th between the hours of 11AM and 3PM. If you’re in the neighborhood, please drop by to say ‘hi’ and check out the other organizations like Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the South Suburban Parks!

Protecting a Critical Stretch of Tarryall Creek in South Park

update March 12, 2024:

Collard Ranch and 5 miles of pristine trout stream will become a state wildlife area for $8.25 million - reports the Colorado Sun.

Check out the full article.

Courtesy of Western Rivers Conservancy

South Platte River, Colorado

Just southwest of Denver, the headwaters of the South Platte River come together in the rolling grasslands of South Park, a broad basin surrounded by the high mountain peaks of the Front Range. The South Platte River is the biological and scenic centerpiece of South Park, which was designated a National Heritage Area in 2009 for its rich history and diverse natural landscapes. Here, Western Rivers Conservancy has launched an effort to preserve the 1,860-acre Collard Ranch, which includes five miles of Tarryall Creek, one of the South Platte River’s principal tributaries.

Collard Ranch is part of a major migration corridor for thousands of Rocky Mountain elk, which use the property as their primary route from the high peaks of the Rockies down to the grasslands below during their annual north-south migration into and across South Park. Mule deer and pronghorn frequently move through the basin as well.

Tarryall Creek flows off the 13,823-foot Mount Silverheels before meandering through Collard Ranch. Its banks are a mix of open grass and willow cover, providing excellent habitat for healthy, wild populations of brown and rainbow trout. Beaver ponds line the creek on the ranch, which is a rarity on Colorado’s valley floors. These wetlands attract a rich variety of bird life and are prime spawning habitat for fish.

The South Park basin is home to the world’s last remaining “extreme rich fens,” a type of wetland that has been damaged by human development almost everywhere else on Earth. These wetlands attract diverse bird life to the property, including the imperiled Lewis’s woodpecker and mountain plover.

Located just 60 miles from Denver, South Park is one of the primary recreation destinations for hikers, anglers and hunters from Colorado’s capital. Protection of Collard Ranch will add over five miles of fishing access along both banks of this outstanding trout stream while helping to establish more uniform recreation management along Tarryall Creek. This outcome would be a significant conservation accomplishment within an hour and a half drive from most of the population of Colorado.

WRC has signed an agreement to purchase the ranch. We will buy and hold the property while working to secure funding to protect it forever. Our hope is to convey the property to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which would manage it for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people forever.

It's Back! West Denver TU Fly Tying Clinic

West Denver Trout Unlimited’s Annual Fly Tying Clinic

If you’re not aware of it, the WDTU Annual Fly Tying Clinic was a well attended, local gathering of some of the biggest names in fly tying in the Mountain West prior to the lovely Pandemic. And finally, it’s back on the calendar!

When: Saturday, March 2, 2024 from 9AM to 2PM

Where: Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 15200 W 6th Ave, Golden, CO 80401 (Map)

Details:

• Over 50 local and nationally-known fly tyers

• Build a fly box with flies tied by your favorite expert tyers

• Tie your first fly area

• Huge bucket raffle

• Kids activities

Proceeds support West Denver TU’s mission to share and sustain Colorado fly fishing.

Admission at the door is $20. Get a $5 discount coupon from your local fly shop! Active duty military personnel and kids 12 and under are admitted for free.

For more information, visit WDTU’s website website.