Spring 2010

Trout!

CCF member Laura Opler with her "big fish" on a recent trip to Patagonia: a 28-inch brown caught on a dry fly in Llago Verde. Luckily her husband, Ed, was standing by with the camera. Send your favorite fish picture to mbraughler@tu.org and we'll run it in a future issue.

"A Day of Hope"

On February 18, salmon advocates celebrated the signing of the Klamath Dam agreement, which launches what could be the largest river restoration in American history. TU helped negotiate the landmark deal and will play a key role going forward. The Oregonian captured the mood of the signing: "There were old enemies—irrigators, conservation groups, tribal leaders, the federal government—lining up one after another to put their names on the agreement. It was inspiring, exhilarating, and those are words seldom associated with the Klamath... Thursday was a day of hope for all the people who live near and love this once-great river." Read the Oregonian editorial and watch video clips of the signing on the Trout magazine blog.

Project Healing Waters

TU chapters and fly fishing clubs nationwide are teaming up with VA hospitals and a non-profit called Project Healing Waters to take wounded servicemen and women out on the water. The program offers physical and emotional healing; as Sgt. 1st Class Brian Mancini notes in a recent story for Fox News "it's hard to stay angry at the world when you have all this beauty around you." Watch the video and get involved.

Trout Camp: Wish You Were Here

The application process is now underway for 17 TU summer camps run by chapters and councils across the country. These week-long programs teach kids ages 12-17 (the age range varies with the camp) about biology, entomology, conservation and fly-fishing. Find a program near you.

Field a Team, Save the Green

TU is hosting a single fly tournament on Utah's fabled Green River Sept. 23-25, 2010. The proceeds will protect Utah's rivers and fight the spread of aquatic invasive species. Participation is limited to 15 teams of four anglers each. Find out more.

Have You Read...?

If you could recommend three books about fish, rivers or fishing to your fellow CCF members, what would they be? Globe-trotting angler Gay Barclay answers that question for us in this issue. See her picks and tell us what you're reading. We'll compile a list and share it in a future issue.

Staff Picks

We have two favorite press clips this quarter. Montana's High Lonesome Ranch, one of our most popular CCF trip destinations, featured prominently in a recent issue of High Country News. Read the story. Also, the Montana Prairie Star featured TU's work to close a legal loophole that's dewatering rivers and streams. Read the story and check out an editorial by TU's own Laura Ziemer in the Billings Gazette.

Drag Is a Drag

TU's Dave Kumlien isn't just an expert in aquatic invasive species and whirling disease—he's also a veteran fly fishing guide and outfitter in Montana. He's had the good fortune to spend 30 years taking people out on the water, and he's agreed to share his wisdom in an occasional series of articles about fly fishing. Read Dave's article and find out more about aquatic invasive species.

You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers.

Is there something you've wanted to know about TU's work? Now's your chance to find out. Send your question to Matt Braughler and we'll answer it in a future issue of the Angler.