High Country Angler | Fall 2013

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Fly Fishing

|

Hunting

|

Ranching

|

An

Conservation

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HCA Staff P U B LISHER S

J ac k Tallo n & Frank M ar tin

C O NTENT C ONSU LTANT L ando n M ayer

EDITO R IAL

Frank M ar t i n, M anagi ng Editor f rank@ hc am agaz ine.co m Landon Mayer, Editorial Consultant Ruthie Mar tin, Editor

ADV ER TISING

B r i an L a R ue, S ales & M a r keting, b r ian@ hc am agaz i ne.co m, D i rec t : ( 714) 944- 5676 K andily n M ar t i n, S ales R ep. k andi ly n@ hc am agaz ine.com Cell: ( 719) 432- 8317

DESIG N

David M ar tin, Creative Direc tor & Graphic D esigner w w w.reimaginedesigns.com

P HOTO G RAP HY

REIMAGINE

Frank Martin, Landon Mayer, Hayden Mellsop, Brian LaRue, Bill Edrington, Joel Evans, David Nickum, Dick Jefferies, Dan Pass, Cody Hale, Alex Zipp, Jake Forsline, A.J. Swentosky

C O NTR IB U TING WRITE RS

Frank Martin, Landon Mayer, Bill Edrington, Hayden Mellsop, Joel Evans, John Nickum, Brian La Rue, Tom Krol, David Nickum, Rick Masumoto, Ty Churchwell, Randy Scholfield

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High Country Angler • Fall 2013

High Country Angler is a FREE publication published four (4) times per year by High Country Publications, LLC., 730 Popes Valley Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919.

Copyright 2012, High Country Angler, a division of High Country Publications, LLC. All rights reserved. Reprinting of any content or photos without expressed written consent of publisher is prohibited.

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FALL 2013 VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 4

FEATURES 10 SEEING IN LOW LIGHT

BY LANDON MAYER 18

PUEBLO’S TAILWATER TROPHIES

BY BRIAN LA RUE

DEPARTMENTS 8

A GUIDE’S LIFE

BY HAYDEN MELLSOP

LET’S GO FISHING

BY BILL EDRINGTON

FIT TO BE TIED

BY JOEL EVANS

14 21

COLORADO TU SECTION 22

PRESIDENT’S LINE

24

COMING TOGETHER FOR HERMOSA CREEK

26

BY RICK MATSUMOTO

BY TY CHURCHWELL

PROTECTING THE POUDRE BASIN

27

RIVERSTOCK

28

TEEN SUMMIT

30

BY RANDY SCHOLFIELD

THE LAST CAST

BY JOHN NICKUM

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Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

7

A GUIDE’S LIFE

•

BY HAYDEN MELLSOP

Ospreys, Pork Chops and Pacifico

E

ven the pair of ospreys circling overhead in the unrelenting blue of a northern Sierra afternoon, seemed to do so with a certain resignation to the futility of their search. Riding the thermals, they lazily circled upstream, two opposing spokes on a giant, invisible wheel, an occasional raising or lowering of their wing feathers, the only hint that they were alert to their task. The river they looked down upon still filled its banks even this late in August, the water flowing gin-clear and shallow over a cobbled bed interspersed with larger boulders and lined with brush that grew right to the water’s edge, in many places overhanging it.

The solitary angler they looked down upon paused from tying the knot on a fresh fly to gaze skyward and follow their progress upstream, hoping to see one swoop or dive, betray to him a sign they saw a fish even when the angler did not, that there was life beneath the surface of the river on this hot, still afternoon. Finally one chirped its high-pitched call to the other and they wheeled and disappeared to the south, toward the lake into which the river fed. The angler thought briefly of doing the same, then put aside such defeatist thoughts and dressed the fly, looking ahead to the next bend in the river. The ospreys’ need is a little more urgent than mine, he thought, yet another reason to savor the luxury of rejection. He thought of the pork chops marinating back at the lakeside cabin, the fresh corn and beer in the fridge, and wished the ospreys well.

Anglers, he thought. Moths to possibility’s flame. Certainty of success holds little allure when it comes to fly fishing. Wings singed by rejection, we retreat momentarily to lick our wounds, search through our stash for another fly and another place to cast it, if not this time, then perhaps the next. He looked upstream and took in a gentle bend in the river, where it flowed in from the right through a scattering of boulders and across a river-wide shelf to empty into a trench, perhaps thigh deep, against 8

High Country Angler • Fall 2013

the opposite bank. At the top of the bend the bushes broke and grass reached down and gently dabbed the water’s surface for perhaps ten yards before the brush re-

claimed the shoreline and the water flowed beneath the shadows of a root-lined, undercut bank.

The one other time he’d fished this river,

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ten years or more in the past, he’d taken a nice fat rainbow, that afternoon’s only fish, against such a bank, rising easily to a Dave’s Hopper that fell haplessly from the grass. There’d be a certain symmetry to history repeating, he thought, removing the adams and replacing it with a Royal PMX. Show me a fish that can resist red, he thought, wading up the center of the river to gain an advantageous casting position.

The faster current through the trench made long drifts problematic, but he hoped for the likelihood of a rapid, unthinking take.

A dozen or more casts later, he’d worked it pretty well, landing the fly where the water tugged at the grass, or over-casting into the grass and twitching it with a plop into the flow. Nothing. Time to try the undercut.

The only way to get the fly far enough in was to wade a little further upstream and sidearm across and down a little, the fly like a stone skipping under the overhanging brush and landing in the shadow of the undercut.

He found the range after a couple of casts, and watched satisfied as the fly penetrated the depths of the hideout, drifting two or three feet before the current grabbed the line and pulled it out into the sunlight of the main flow.

He located the innermost sanctum, the Holy of the Holies, a depression about two feet in length and an extra six inches deeper than the rest of the undercut where only the biggest, most taciturn fish would wait with the patience of Job for the easiest of calories.

He skipped the fly in first cast, his eye and arm squarely in the zone. The white of the fly’s parachute was just visible, riding hard against a gnarled root that protruded from the dank earth. The fly drifted through the sanctum.

He fed line downstream to the current, milking every last inch of the drift, until it grabbed the line, dragging the fly under the surface and out into the channel. Nothing.

Hindsight told him he probably should have listened to the ospreys. He thought of pork chops and Pacifico. He looked upstream.

Another scattering of boulders, another mysterious, shaded bank. If that is where leviathan lurks, he thought, let him on this hot afternoon lurk in peace. He cut off the fly and reeled in, wading cautiously back downstream on rocks slick with the algae of summer.

About

The

Author.

Hayden Mellsop is a fishing guide and real estate agent who enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, raising his two daughters to be good stewards of the land, and writing his blog at www.flyfishsalida.com. www.HCAmagazine.com

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by Landon Mayer

I

like to think of fly-fishing as a continual game of hide and seek. You know there are large fish hiding throughout the river; the fun is locating them. As a kid, some of my best hiding spots were dark areas where I had a better chance of not being found. The same is true for trout, as nightfall creeps in, quality fish begin to come out of hiding to seek their previous, or sometimes new, hiding spots. Low light is your friend once you figure out how to see in the dark.

The beginning or end of the day offer the best light with just enough clarity to see, but not enough where fish become wary from movement above. This four hour daily time frame will last well into late fall as large aggressive nocturnal targets hunt their meals in the cover of dark.

Knowing what to look for when the light is low and fish move will lead you to more battles with fish big enough to make an angler’s year feel complete.

Locating the right lens The most important piece of equipment all anglers should have for hunting trout is a quality pair of polarized sunglasses to defeat glare, challenging light, and eye protection. Like trout behavior, the development and design of lenses have adapted so much over the years that you can now have the versatility of defeating low light while targeting some of the best late hours the fall days have to offer. Smith Optics has been my visual tool for sight fishing for many years. Their new Ignitor lenses give the angler the upper hand in low light. Peter Crow, General Manager of Smith Optics explains:

Timing light I prefer to hunt in the late hours of the day. Yes the morning can offer great light, but it will take a while for the fish to heat up from cooler water temps or the busy nightlife they may lead. As the afternoon fades into the night, the water is chilling from the heat of the day, eventually reaching the prime temperatures for fish to move into waters at 45-55 degrees. You have a better chance of targeting fish that are beginning their low light activities.

Weather can also produce productive days. In the fall it is common to see days where the sky is grey and the light is dim. This provides quality trout not just a few hours of dark water conditions, but the whole day where they can move and hunt without seeing movement from anglers.

I believe this triggers a response, or in some cases fools the fish, into believing night is drawing near, or that the night has lasted longer. Even if a storm only last an hour it can be enough to trick a large brown into attack mode.

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High Country Angler • Fall 2013

“Smith’s new Low Light Ignitor lens tint is a must have for every core fisherman. A Techlite Glass lens with a Visible Light Transmission of 40%, it lets in and enhances enough light to enable a fisherman to continue wearing polarized sunglasses during those productive low light conditions we all love. Whether it’s morning or evening steelhead or tarpon fishing, fishing under canopy or cloudy/rainy skies, low winter sun, or any reduced light condition, the Low Light Ignitor is the lens of choice.”

This is a step way up from the previous light transfer of roughly 31% in previous years. I carry two lenses during each hunt. The new www.HCAmagazine.com

Smith Chroma Pop for bright light when detecting colored silhouettes or body markings during high sun. Lead by or followed with the switch to the Tenet frame with the new Ignitor lens for dark water deliveries. Yes, that means you will need more toys to play with to complete each adventure, but that is what makes this sport fun.

Seeing in low light The biggest challenge when sight fishing in dark conditions is glare on the water’s surface. Glare will drastically reduce viewing lanes that supply clear vision past the waters to the river bottom below. Look for prime holding grounds—like the tail of a deep run—and slowly creep into position close enough where you can see into a viewing window that might only stretch five to ten feet in front of you.

Yes, there is a risk of spooking the target, but the low light will prevent the fish from seeing your movement under bright light conditions.

Moving tails and body color will stand out the most against the dark water.

On the flip side, glare on the water’s surface can also be a benefit if you detect movements on the waters surface. When trout migrate, move, or feed in dark conditions, they are commonly moving out of deep holding waters and into shallower feeding grounds, causing movement that can be seen on the water’s surface. Good examples of this are wake on the water’s surface caused by the water bulging over the trout’s body below the surface. If you spot the waking movement you can follow it until the wake stops, letting you know the general area where a trout is holding.

Another common top water movement is porpoising, where, like a dolphin, migrating trout will breach the water’s surface like a whale, exposing the topside of the body, letting you know there are quality fish holding within the dark water. It is like they are revving their engines up, getting ready to race out of the run in the cover of dark.

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Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

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Surface glare is also a great way to see the dark silhouette of a drifting or waking dry fly, an unweighted streamer with a foam or deer hair head, or a floating nymph that you can track as you cover a good amount of water trying to entice a large trout to rise. Similar to searching with a streamer, you are presenting to large bodies of water trying to produce a take. The advantage of this method is that you eliminate the risk of snagging river bottoms and loosing your rig, or spooking a fish that might be holding below.

I love the mystery of wondering what giant lurks below the water’s surface in the cover of dark. Knowing that there is the chance of a trout of lifetime, but not knowing where it may appear. Then returning to the same water the next day in an exposing sun and feeling like there is not a trout to be found. I have a high regard for large brown trout. They have the ability and sense to disappear when needed. Find confidence in low light, and you’ll be rewarded with trophy creatures that only play in the dark!

About the Author.

Landon Mayer is a veteran Colorado guide and author of several books, including Colorado’s Best Fly Fishing, from Stackpole Books. He has co-produced 2 fly fishing DVDs with John Barr, both available from Mad Trout Media. Visit Landon’s website at www.landonmayer.com.

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High Country Angler • Fall 2013

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Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

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LET’S GO FISHING •

BY BILL EDRINGTON

Expect the Unexpected

T

he longer I engage in this wonderful sport, it seems that sometimes the less I know. Obviously, this has a lot to do with a little critter with a tail and fins and lots of smaller critters known as aquatic

invertebrates. A long time ago, I gave up on trying to think like a fish and attempted to think like a bug. I thought that hatches were much more predictable, depending of course on water temperature and flows and an assortment of less frequent variables such as flash floods and unusually cold or warm air temperatures. Other than that, I came to believe that hatches were to be expected around the same time each year, give or take a few days.

That generally works and is much more predictable than why a fish eats one pattern like it was steak today and tomorrow simply sniffs at it and prefers tofu. You know, that white rubber stuff made of soy milk (or as Lewis Black says “soy juice, soy doesn’t make milk”). But then, the unexpected always happens.

The purpose of this article is to get you to think. Guides and fly shops know hatches better than anyone else because they are in the business of knowing and spend every day on the water. BUT, every now and then, even they have to think on their feet. Often, the bugs I recommend in the shop don’t work

for some reason. A lot of it has to do with the skill and abilities of the angler, but sometimes the darned fish just did not get the memo. I’ve spent 55 years carrying a fly rod around the Rockies, and my buddy Larry has almost the

WILD TURKEY BAETIS HOOK: TIEMCO 2487 #20-24.

THREAD: BLACK 8/0.

TAIL: DUN SPARKLE EMERGER YARN. ABDOMEN: DYED OLIVE WILD TURKEY BIOT. HACKLE: SANDY OR MED.

DUN ROOSTER HACKLE. POST: SANDY DUN OR MED. DUN CDC.

FISHIN’ TRIP MAC N’ CHEESE The original of this recipe was given to me by a good friend, but as always, I had to kick it up a bit.

I think he would approve.

1 ½ lbs of macaroni (your favorite style, or you can use penne pasta or shells) 1 ½ cups of grated asiago 1 ½ cups grated parmesean 1 ½ cups grated white cheddar 1 ½ cups grated Provolone 1 ½ cups grated Monterrey Jack ½ lb of Pancetta 1 ½ cups heavy cream 8 oz of grilled salmon 1 lb of grilled shrimp basted with garlic butter 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper Render the pancetta (use regular bacon if you don’t find it in your store). Drain off the grease and allow it to cool. Melt the cheeses in a sauce pan on low heat, but be sure to set some aside for the topping. Pour in the cream and add the pancetta. Whisk until creamy and then add the pasta. Lastly add the grilled salmon and shrimp and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Be sure to undercook the shrimp and salmon so it won’t be tough and dry. Serve with a salad and white wine. Then go take a nap.

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High Country Angler • Fall 2013

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same amount of time under his belt. Back on the last week of July, we went to the Big Horn expecting to fish PMDs. Larry tied up several dozen of his best, and believe me they are the best, but when we got there, the projections that PMDs would have started by then was just dead wrong. Guides wanted them to start by then, but because of unusually cold water, they did not. So there we were with lots of PMDs

LARRY’S ADULT MIDGE HOOK:

TMC 100 #16-24

THREAD:

BLACK 8/0

ABDOMEN: OLIVE DUN THREAD RIB: HACKLE:

X SMALL BLACK WIRE GRIZZLY ( CLIPPED TOP AND BOTTOM )

THORAX: OLIVE FINE DUB

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and Baetis were still hatching, but not very consistently. So, my trip to fish dry flies and drink good Scotch quickly turned into fishing Sow Bugs and BWO emergers and drinking better Scotch. Now, if you know me, an entire week of nymphing is tantamount to having to drink Milwaukee’s Best back when I was in my 20s. But after only an hour or two of pouting, I succumbed to reality, which I don’t like to do at my age, and rigged up my 10 ft. 4wt. instead of my new Sage Circa 8 ft. 4wt. I will have to admit that I had a great time all week and caught a bunch of beautiful fish. You still won’t get me to fish a strike indicator, but I did fish nymphs all but about one hour over 5 days. The point being that just because you want something to happen, does not mean that it will.

Conditions change during the fishing day as well as for entire fishing trips. That’s where the rubber meets the road. When the bug that is supposed to hatch does not, and you are not prepared to figure it out, then you are in for a long day. Usually, if you have good, accurate information from your local fly shop, then you probably have the right flies. Then it boils down to a series of simple questions: Are you fishing the correct water? At what depth are the fishing feeding and why?

And… are you getting a good drift? Our guides tell me that approximately 80% of their clients cannot drift the fly properly out of the box. Hopefully, they are better at the end of

the day than they were at the beginning, but I believe that most anglers do not place near enough importance on the drift, and they spend way too much time false casting. I have never caught a fish in the air on a false cast.

A bad drift with the fly in the water is better than casting all day. Fly fishing is simple. Take a fly in each hand….one attached to nothing and the other attached to your line and ultimately to you. Throw them both in the water and make yours float exactly like the one attached to nothing. If you will keep your casts short and learn good line mending techniques then you’ll catch more fish. Eighty feet of line is next to impossible to control on the water.

An eighty foot cast is absolutely worthless in fresh water and completely necessary in salt water. Don’t get the two confused. Figuring out the answer to the first two questions is simple. Fish cruise mid to top water when it’s cloudy, and go deep and feed on the bottom when it’s sunny and bright. God did not issue them a pair of polarized glasses at birth, and they seldom look up into glare. If you are a dry fly aficionado, fish on rainy days and pray for clouds on sunny days. If you like to fish nymphs, then fish them all the time. Fish feed subsurface 80% of the time anyway.

Regardless of the weather or the river, always expect the unexpected and you’ll have a great day. Remember, the number of fish caught is not the correct answer to “What

Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

15

BILL’S ENCHILADA STACK Of all the great enchilada recipes, this one is perhaps my favorite. It hits the spot on a cold day served with a side of pinto beans (not refries, but the real deal, slow cooked all day).

This is super easy to make and is a casserole style instead of individual entrees. You can do them in the round just as easy, it’s just that you have to prepare each plate individually.

Brown ever how much ground beef you need.

For a 9 by 12 dish, I use three pounds. Season it with salt, pepper, cumin, onion powder and garlic powder to taste. Use corn tortillas… blue corn makes them real special if your store carries them. Do not preheat the tortillas if you bake this dish….If you stack them separately, heat them gently in oil before stacking to soften them up a bit. Make a red chili gravy (my recipe is three tbls. of oil, two tbls of flour and three tbls of red chili powder, seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, onion and garlic powder, add three cups of chicken broth or water and whisk until creamy.) This is a simple rue and easy to make, but if you don’t want to, then just buy a good imported Enchilada sauce in a can.

Oil the bottom of the dish and place in a single layer of tortillas. Cover with sauce, chopped onion, burger and grated cheddar. Continue this process until you have exhausted your ingredients with at least three layers. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes then add some more cheese and finish each plate with a sunny side up egg. The broken yolk provides creaminess to the top that is incredible.

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makes a successful fishing day?” It’s the going that counts, and staying alive to go a lot more that really counts. The more I fish, the better man I am. St. Peter was a fisherman…and I sincerely hope he was a fly fisherman and just didn’t know it at the time.

About

The

Author.

Bill Edrington is a retired sociology/criminology professor who has owned Royal Gorge Anglers for over 20 years. He has authored several books and magazine articles. You may follow his fly fishing and cooking adventures on his new blog “Tight Lines and Tasty Spoons” at www.tightlinesand t ast yspoons. blogspot.com.

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High Country Angler • Fall 2013

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Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

17

by Brian La Rue

W

hen the first chill comes over the Rockies, and the leaves begin to change, you know it’s time to follow the geese and head south for a little quality tailwater time in Pueblo. When the Arkansas River comes to mind, most think of the upper reaches, but the tailwater just west of town can be sensational, so pick a day to fly fish soon.

“The tailwater’s main attraction is the quality rainbow, cut-bow and brown trout that grow big and put up a great hard fight,” said Alex Zipp at the Drift Fly Shop. “The 9-mile tailwater is our specialty as we often help our clients catch and release trophy fish. We focus on the top 7 miles where river restoration has made an unbelievable fishery.”

Last January, Denver real estate agent and good friend Dan Pass joined me for a tailwater tour with Drift Fly Shop’s Cody Hale. Flows

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High Country Angler • Fall 2013

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were low, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time, with midges and emergers turning a good amount of rainbow heads.

For starters, we began the day about 9 a.m., meeting Cody at the parking lot. First sight of the tailwater got us interested in a few runs, but Cody wanted to take us to a few key spots and we were able to see much of the river on our hike.

“The tailwater is one of the most underrated waters in the region, but for those anglers who have experienced it, they know about the big fish and the awesome late fall to early spring fishing,” said Hale as we walked to the first choice spot. “We feel it is one of the best winter fisheries in Colorado.”

Skipping over numerous “fishy spots,” Cody pointed out many productive areas along the way where Pass and I were able to admire numerous holding fish. Hale had a spot in mind where we could start, but also wanted us to see what kind of population we were dealing with, so we trekked on.

We came to a bridge with two anglers fishing in the vicinity. From the bridge, we observed dozens and dozens of fish holding in a deep run. There must’ve been 60 to 70 fish in this run, and two gents were throwing indicator rigs at them.

It was obvious, despite the low water of January (before snow hit in Feb), that the river was full of fish, so it was time to get busy. Hale set Dan and I up in a riffle above the area we had just walked past. Fishing was good for

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Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

19

Fishin Real E rainbows in the 15- to 17-inch range, as red midges seemed to get the best of the bite. Alex Zipp later ventured out of the shop to join us, and he began catching below the three of us.

Of course, he quickly hooked and released a couple of brightly-colored bows. All the rainbows displayed bright-red bands and fought hard.

In the next couple hours we explored, with all four of us catching fish on a variety of bugs. We fished up river all the way to a large bend and pool where Cody showed us how it is done. I had tried the head of a pool where a current seam entered and did not have any luck, but Cody decided to give the spot another few drifts with his bug combo.

“There we go! I think this is the fish of the day here,” said Cody as his rod bent, not even budging the larger fish from the current. “He’s not really running, but I think it is a larger fish.”

After a careful approach, Cody was able to guide his catch to Dan, since he had grabbed a net. Soon Cody was smiling with the fish of the day, a brightly-colored, hookjaw rainbow pushing 20-plus inches. It was a beautiful, thick bodied fish. A photo was snapped and the rainbow was released.

So what if you head out there soon?

About the only concern from now to the end of the year is when Pueblo Reservoir turns over, staining the tailwater for about 7 to 10 days. You can always call the shop and ask Cody or Alex what the river looks like and what bugs are working.

Speaking of bugs, get a pen a paper.

Cody and Alex suggest tricos, caddis, baetis, streamers, midges and terrestrials from now until Nov. 15. One of my personal favorites is a pearl-butt trico spinner, or for a streamer, try a flash-a-bugger. Or think big and fish late or even in the dark. If you save time for the holidays or New Year’s for a tailwater run, carry a variety of midges and baetis led by red zebras, Barr’s pure midge or try a RS2 emerger.

“Carry dry blue winged olive patterns in the 16 to 18 size range in the winter,” said Zipp. “The tailwater’s warmer climate and the area’s lower elevation allows for some great hatches in the dead of winter. Don’t get caught off guard.”

Do yourself a favor. Check out the Drift Fly Shop’s gallery online. If the fish pictures don’t provide you with the final reason to head south in the next five months, then check your pulse. As always, share your photos with us on our Facebook page.

About

The

Author.

High Country Angler contributor Brian La Rue enjoys giving fly fishers ideas of where to go for an adventure. His work can also be seen at his Examiner.com Denver Fly Fishing page.

You can contact Brian by writing to brian@HCAmagazine.com.

20

High Country Angler • Fall 2013

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FIT TO BE TIED

Joker

Joker Hook: #16 scud hook Thread: Black, 6/0 Bead: Nickel 3/32 Tail: Opal ribbon floss Body: Black wire brassie Rib: White wire small Wing: Opal ribbon floss

•

BY JOEL EVANS

S

ometimes a fly tyer discovers something by accident. Something small at the time, but over time, very useful or effective. This pattern is about the pattern, but it is also about the material, one material in particular.

When tying emergers, there are many material choices for wings and shucks. That stage of the insect hatching, sometimes down in the water column, sometimes at the surface, where the wings are just starting to break out. If a feeding fish sees the right size, color, and shape, then a hook-up is likely. But we also talk about triggers –that one difference that might cause a fish to pick your fly from among the many real bugs.

The Joker incorporates all of the above.

Tied originally as a midge in smaller sizes 20 or less, then as an emerger in larger sizes 18 to 14, this pattern has been adapted to cover various kinds of insects and fishing situations. Part of the adaption is the trigger, Ribbon Foss or marketed as Bodi-Braid, a flashy, braided synthetic that makes for a perfect loop wing. Opal is my favorite color.

Ribbon floss catches light in such a way that not only is it that trigger for fish, but also for the fisherman. This material can be the visual key for sightfishing a midge or emerger underwater in low, clear water. But it is also useful as a flash material in nymph patterns, especially in murky water conditions, or as a strike indicator in the ULL sunlight of a dry fly wing. Left braided Fand

COLOR

doubled over, it makes a great loop for wings, large or small. Cut on the end, it spreads and adds flash to tails and wings. In other words, you can see it!

The Joker incorporates weight for quick sink in a small hook size by using a two color wire body. Use various matching sizes of wire and bead head for various hook sizes, smaller for midges, larger for emergers. Fish it alone in smaller water, fish it as the trailing nymph in a double nymph weighted leader technique, or fish it as a dropper with a dry. Black and white wire do best for me, but other color combos, particularly red and white wire with other floss colors can be experimented with.

About

The

Author.

Joel Evans is a fly fishing writer, photographer, and long-time member of Trout Unlimited from Montrose, CO. You can contact him via the HCA editor at frank@hcamagazine.com.

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Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

21

PRESIDENT’S LINE • RICK MATSUMOTO

Passions & Priorities

E

arlier today, my second son was born. Mother and baby are sleeping, toddler is home with his aunt. Somehow, in the midst of the chaos of hospital personnel, friends and family, the room is dark and quiet.

This is one of those classic opportunities to reflect on life, and I am. But maybe because it’s my second son (there’s a little “been there done that”), I find my mind wandering to the fact that this column is due today.

I think there’s something to be said for the fact that Colorado TU, the organization and its mission, rank highly enough for me that my duties as President remain a priority through the birth of a child.

22

High Country Angler • Fall 2013

Don’t get me wrong - husband and father will always be my top priorities, but Colorado TU is in my top 10.

I’ve decided for myself, with my wife’s support, that Colorado TU is one of my passions. It means that I will always find ways to balance priorities so that I can be engaged as an officer and conservationist.

As volunteers in a non-profit organization, we are confronted with this prioritization process often. Do you have the time to participate in a stream clean-up, attend a chapter event, or write a magazine column? In every case the answer is based on the level of passion that you have for the organization.

It would have been easy for me to say that I don’t have time, but I’m making time for one of my passions. If you’re reading this column, you have some passion for Colorado TU as well. Is it enough to volunteer for a willow planting project or a youth camp? Is it enough to buy a raffle ticket or become a Century Club donor?

Passion is very unique to the individual, so you need to make this decision for yourself. But I’d like to ask that you try to make this decision. Because once you do, it’s much easier to make time for the things that are important to you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get back to my newly-expanded family!

About The Author.

Rick Matsumoto is the president of Colorado Trout Unlimited. You can contact him via the CTU website at www.cotrout.org.

www.HCAmagazine.com

www.HCAmagazine.com

Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

23

Coming Together for

HERMOSA CREEK

By Ty Churchwell

I

n southwest Colorado, just a few miles from downtown Durango, there is a little watershed with big, big value. For almost a decade, Hermosa Creek – named for the Spanish word meaning “beautiful” or “gorgeous” – has been a major focus of work for TU’s Five Rivers chapter, and staff from the Sportsmen’s Conservation Project and Colorado Water Project. Today, TU celebrates a bipartisan bill in Congress which would permanently protect the well-named stream, its native cutthroat population and some of the best backcountry big game habitat in Colorado.

The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act, sponsored by Colorado’s Senator Michael Bennet and Representative Scott Tipton, was jointly introduced in both houses of Congress in April of this year. If and when enacted, the bill would be the first of its kind to protect an entire watershed as an intact ecological unit. Though the bill has not yet crossed the finish line, sportsmen stand unified for Hermosa and TU continues to coordinate growing support from hunters and anglers.

For Hermosa Creek, the road to D.C. has been a long and storied one.

In 1989, Colorado Parks and Wildlife selected the Hermosa Creek area for its largest and most important Colorado River Cutthroat Trout reintroduction program. This program is part of a three-state agreement with Wyoming and Utah to reintroduce conservation populations of native cutthroats to their historic range, where feasible. Hermosa Creek contained all the necessary components for a successful reintroduction and was a perfect choice. The first phase was completed in 1991 on the East Fork and has been a dramatic success. The final phase will be completed in summer of 2014, creating a native fishery that covers the entire upper third of the basin. The program was featured in a TU ‘On the Rise’ episode in 2010.

National TU’s public land division, the Sportsmen’s Conservation Project (SCP), was born (in part) out of Hermosa. President Bush’s 24

High Country Angler • Fall 2013

modified version of the Clinton ‘Roadless Rule’ was a major impetus for the creation of the SCP. Hermosa Creek is Colorado’s largest unprotected roadless area and became the poster child for what could be lost if the original Roadless Rule were overturned or compromised. Backcountry habitat is far too important to big game and native cutthroats to be lost.

For the Five Rivers Chapter in Durango, Hermosa Creek has always been important and its value incalculable. Certainly, the native cutthroat fishery is a core value to TU. But, the vast abundance of rainbows, cutt-bows and brookies, in such close proximity to a large contingent of fly anglers, make the creek a favorite among locals and visitors. A substantial amount of volunteer time and locally-raised money have been committed to Hermosa Creek. Five Rivers volunteers have assisted with the cutthroat reintroduction program, have participated in several riverbank restoration projects and have joined Project Healing Waters veterans on their yearly visits to Hermosa.

In 2006, the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission awarded Hermosa Creek with a designation of ‘Outstanding Waters’ for exceptional natural water quality and the conservation population of native cutthroat trout. The designation protects the stream from future degradation of its water quality, and Hermosa Creek was the first in the state to receive this award outside of a wilderness area or National Park. Five Rivers TU President Chuck Wanner led this effort. The clean water of Hermosa Creek also is critical to diluting the heavy metals originating from draining mines in the upper Animas, on its way to the Gold Medal trout water within the city limits of Durango.

Then came the question of a ‘Wild and Scenic River’ designation.

This would prove to Hermosa’s most pressing issue, and its greatest opportunity. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is required, in its public lands planning process, to evaluate rivers for ‘eligibility’ and ‘suitability’ for the federal Wild and Scenic River designation. The USFS San Juan Public Lands Center released their draft plan in 2006. Hermosa Creek was found to be ‘preliminarily suitable’ for a Wild and Scenic river. There is only one Wild and Scenic river in Colorado, the Cache La Poudre www.HCAmagazine.com

upstream of Ft. Collins (by contrast, New Jersey has four). For TU, Hermosa Creek became the best shot at another protected “Wild and Scenic” river in Colorado. This has long been a major objective for TU’s Colorado Water Project staff.

“For the Five Rivers Chapter in Durango, Hermosa Creek has always been important and its value incalculable.”

To river advocates and water developers, the issue of a Wild and Scenic River was sure to be controversial. It became apparent that a collaborative, community-driven process was needed to engage the broader public in identifying values – economic, ecological, and social – for different river segments and to determine if agreement could be found on the appropriate level of protection. From this, a steering committee was formed, and the River Protection Workgroup was convened.

The Workgroup met for almost two years, beginning in 2008. It consisted of representatives from every major Hermosa user group; hunters and anglers, water developers, mountain bikers, environmental advocates, campers, ATV enthusiasts, outfitters, USFS staff, county government and federal delegate’s staff. The workgroup was open to participation from all, operated on consensus not votes, and was moderated by a professional facilitator. Five Rivers TU helped fund the process with locally-raised money and “Gomo Grant” support from Colorado TU.

In the end, a set of protection recommendations were agreed to which included both public land and river components. From the public land recommendations, the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act was created. This bill divides the basin into three zones of varying levels of protection, including 38,000 acres of wilderness. Historic uses, such as two mining claims, mechanized access on the main trail and a small grazing allotment, were honored. The bill represents a balanced approach to public land multiple use while protecting the resources important to all of the area’s users. The Hermosa legislation has received unanimous endorsements from everyone in the Animas River Valley including mountain bikers, miners, local governments and of course, sportsmen. A coalition of sportsmen’s conservation groups, guides, outfitters and fly shops, the ‘Sportsmen for Hermosa’, were critical in advocating this proposal to elected officials (www.facebook.com/ SportsmenForHermosa). The balance in the bill and the broad regional support were just the things Senator Bennet and Representative Tipton wanted to see in order to sponsor the bill in DC. We are thankful for their leadership and support. The bill should get subcommittee hearings sometime after the August Congressional recess.

The Workgroup also preliminarily recommended a designation of a Wild and Scenic River for Hermosa Creek. Negotiations and further considerations within the Workgroup steering committee are ongoing.

We hope to conclude those discussions soon, to include formal recommendations for what should become Colorado’s next Wild and Scenic River, beautiful Hermosa Creek.

A little stream and watershed, to be sure – but there is nothing small about the shared vision for its future that local sportsmen and stakeholders have created. You can learn more about the effort at www.hermosacreek.org.

About The Author.

Ty Churchwell is a past president of the Five Rivers Chapter and a TU Sportsmen’s Conservation Project staff member.

www.HCAmagazine.com

Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

25

TU Teams Up to Protect the Poudre Basin

O

n a sunny June day last year, a group of Rocky Mountain Flycasters volunteers were helping at a weekend youth event when they noticed a wisp of smoke in the foothills near Fort Collins. By lunchtime the wisp had developed into a budding cloud, and by quitting time a wall of smoke obscured the Front Range.

Chapter president Dick Jefferies and other volunteers saw the fire developing. “We knew right then that we were in for something we had not experienced around here,” Dick said. Eventually, the High Park Fire covered more than 87,000 acres. Following on the heels of the Hewlett Gulch Fire a month earlier, the region was facing, as Dick termed it, “an ecological catastrophe.”

The chapter’s first concern was the impact that tons of sediment washing off the burned areas would have on water quality and the watershed. Spawning areas and micro-invertebrate populations would be wiped out. But that was just one part of the equation. Nearly a half million people, including residents of Greeley and Fort Collins, rely on water that comes directly from the Poudre every day, and the July monsoon season was imminent. The ensuing rains poured so much sediment into the river that water providers had to shut down their intake valves to prevent filtration systems from being overwhelmed. Fortunately, water was temporarily available from other sources, but it was a wake-up call.

In the aftermath of the fire, it was clear to chapter leaders that they couldn’t be very effective on their own. The problem was just too big.

Fortunately, about a dozen other conservation groups were addressing the same issue, and within weeks, a group of 8 core organizations – the High Park Restoration Coalition (HPRC) – was meeting to plan a course of action.

By September, coalition volunteers were hard at work on a series of restoration efforts designed to minimize and mitigate erosion and sedimentation. Over the next four months, the group could boast nearly five thousand volunteer work hours that that applied full erosion treatments on 155 acres of severely burned lands.

“The community took notice. The coalition began working with water providers and other entities, with the coalition’s volunteer labor leveraging agency capital. One project involved stopping erosion that was displacing thousands of acre-feet of water storage capacity in a municipal reservoir. In another case, an aerial mulching effort in the rug26

High Country Angler • Fall 2013

ged mountainous source of the erosion was only partially successful.

After straw bales, hand tools and survival supplies were air-dropped into the remote area, Coalition volunteers bushwhacked over 3 miles of difficult terrain to reach the site. It took more than three work days to more effectively disperse the straw as mulch.”

The initial efforts met with enough success that the two primary water utilities in the area, Fort Collins and Greeley, contacted HPRC to discuss ways that the Coalition could both become more effective in coordinating restoration efforts and begin to look at possible pre-fire mitigation efforts in other parts of the Poudre basin. From these discussions, the ultimate decision emerged to establish the HPRC as a formal nonprofit organization with which the utilities and Larimer County could work directly to financially support restoration and mitigation efforts. Organizational documents were filed with the State in May for the new “Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed”, and the group is awaiting approval of its nonprofit designation with the Internal Revenue Service. Jefferies was elected as the initial Coalition board chair; other partners on the board include Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, Trees Water People, Larimer County Conservation Corps, Colorado Conservation Exchange, Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Larimer County, and the Society of American Foresters. Many other stakeholders – from the US Forest Service to Colorado State University – are also involved as “unofficial” participants. The group is also encouraging corporate participation by those, from brewers to rafting companies, with an interest in the well-being of the Poudre. The Coalition soon hopes to hire its first Executive Director to oversee its work moving forward.

And the work continues. With leadership from Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, restoration projects for the High Park burn area have continued in 2013 with hundreds of volunteers – including participants from the Rocky Mountain Flycasters chapter. The impacts of fire will continue for many years to come – and the Coalition is also looking to start dialogue about how to address the risks and effects of future fires as well.

For Dick Jefferies the process has been “an exceptional learning experience” that has raised his chapter’s profile. “People are increasingly recognizing TU as a valued asset in the region, and that’s great news.” www.HCAmagazine.com

“Riverstock” Raises Awareness About Fraser River Threats

By Randy Scholfield

B

eer? Check. Barbecue? Check. Bands? habitat healthy and free of choking Check. What more do you need for a good sediment; standards that would stop time? further diversion of water when the The steady stream of people who turned out river temperature nears levels lethal for Trout Unlimited’s “Riverstock” event Au- to fish; and ongoing monitoring and gust 17 at the Crooked Creek Saloon in Fraser “adaptive management” that requires enjoyed a full day of good vibrations and cold Denver Water to adjust its operations libations in celebration of peace, love and local if the river shows significant signs of rivers. decline in the future.

Between sets, they also learned about the So far, Denver Water has rejected looming threats to the Fraser River’s health those commonsense protections. posed by Denver Water’s proposed expansion of But through efforts like Riverits Moffat diversion project. stock, the local community fights on Kirk Klancke, president of TU’s Colorado – and celebrates the river that inspires River Headwaters chapter, organized the event and unites them. Proceeds from Rivwith help from local volunteers, as well as the erstock will help benefit TU’s continudozen bands (including BlueCat, Hippie Side- ing campaign to protect and restore show Hootenanny and Gary Key) who donated the Fraser River. Go to www.Detheir time and talent to the cause. fendtheColorado.org to see how you The Fraser, a key tributary of the Upper Col- can join in the effort. orado, is the lifeblood of the Fraser Valley, supporting angling, wildlife, outdoor recreAbout The Author. ation and local communities. But decades of water diversions have left the river depleted Randy Scholfield is director of and degraded. Already, some 60 percent of communications for TU’s Western the river is diverted to the Front Range for Water Project. municipal uses. Denver Water’s Moffat expansion would remove another 15 percent, putting the river system on the brink of disaster.

Cody/Yellowstone Country’s Premier Fly Shop “Unless these projects include adequate protections for our rivers, we could lose our outdoor quality of life and the reason many of us live here in the first place,” said Klancke. “Riverstock sends a message to the big utilities that local people care about our rivers and streams.”

Inside the saloon, a blues guitarist was shredding some serious Stevie Ray Vaughn Professionally licks. Outside, in the back courtyard, an acousGuiding Anglers tic duo held forth with their spin on Simon and for more than 25 Years!

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Outside at the curb, facing traffic, a giant green trout (Fraser the Trout, whose video appears at www.defendtheColorado.org) waved a sign that read “Save the Fraser River,” eliciting a steady stream of honks from passing motorists.

Fraser Valley residents “get it,” notes Klancke, and they’re generally well-informed about the details of Denver Water’s project. They understand the depleted Fraser River is on life support, and they want the river protected from more diversions.

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Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

27

TU Teens Take Charge in Creating the Next Generation of Conservationists

W

ho better to create a vision and plan for engaging teens in TU’s mission to conserve and protect coldwater watersheds than teens themselves? It was this concept that brought 30 teen conservation leaders from around the country together for four days in beautiful Jackson, Wyoming, for TU’s second annual Teen Summit. Every summer, teen leaders from across the country gather to exchange ideas, learn about conservation and leadership, and shape the continually evolving TU Teen program. Strong candidates for the Teen Summit have already been involved in TU; they’ve attended a camp or worked on chapter projects, and they want to do more. They have ideas for how to recruit and organize teens in their community, and summiteers want the opportunity to meet like-minded TU Teens from

across the country. From the teens who attend TU’s Teen Summit, a select few become part of TU’s National Youth Leadership Council (YLC).

TU’s YLC advises staff and volunteer leaders on national youth initiatives within TU, enhances the presence of TU’s teen programs in various media, and plans the annual Teem Summit.

This year Colorado sent three delegates to the Teen Summit. All three are excellent examples of young, intelligent, and engaged conservation leaders in their respective communities. After spending time with their conservation peers all three felt rejuvenated in their mission to get young people involved with TU. Hear about it in their own words in the essays below.

Adam Beede

I

’m Adam Beede, but most people simply refer to me as “Beede”. I found Trout Unlimited through my role model and Mentor, Doug Kolb. A couple of years ago he began teaching me the art of fly-fishing and also the important role of river conservation. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer and more experienced mentor, but more importantly, he taught me about the bigger picture of this thing we call fly fishing. That it’s about more than the fish, that by getting involved with nature, we protect the connections we have with nature and grow closer to the people around us. Since I joined TU, I’ve volunteered with multiple Youth and Women’s fly fishing classes, participated in some river clean-ups, fish surveys, fish rescues and spoken at the Colorado TU Gala. I attended the Colorado Fly Fishing and River Conservation Camp in 2012 and returned this year as a counselor. This year I also attended the national TU Teen Summit Camp. I look to get more involved with the Colorado Camp and Trout Unlimited in the coming years.

I’ll be a Freshman this fall at Western State Colorado University. I look to major in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering with a minor in Music or Philosophy. I’ll be starting a Trout Unlimited 5 Rivers Club at WSCU as soon as I arrive at the campus. I’ll also be designing a promo video for the Colorado TU Camp, and I look to get my 5 Rivers club involved in the community as soon as possible. I attended the TU Teen Summit with one goal in mind: learn how to get teens involved with Trout Unlimited and learn how to keep them involved. Attending the camp gave me some direction on how to begin to do this. Perhaps the biggest thing I learned from the camp is that there are, in fact, other teens who are willing to devote themselves to river conservation. As of now, roughly 230 people under the age of 18 are signed up as Trout Unlimited members.

The Trout Unlimited organization currently has a projected end date; a point where the TU membership value will read zero. However, I as a “teen”, and we as people, have the power to change this. The number of teen memberships can be increased greatly, and I don’t think it will be that tough to get teens involved - we just have to know how to reach them. This brings up the problem of how exactly we should go about improving teen involvement. I think that there are many, many different ways that we can go about this, and I intend to focus on a few specific ideas.

-Involve teens in TU as early as possible. I think that while the human brain is still developing, people are highly impressionable and it would be easier to get younger kids involved. I plan to keep it simple: take a kid fishing. This could easily lead to simple ways of introducing 28

High Country Angler • Fall 2013

TU. I think once this “seed” is planted, it will either take hold or it won’t.

Just plant the “seed” and see what happens.

-Increase the “young adult” involvement. I think that the younger an adult is, the more weight their words carry with a teen.

-Keep it fun. Include fishing with service projects and introduce other events where there are none (BBQ’s, Fly Tying Demos, Youth Fishing Retreats or Tournaments). Few teens will stick with TU if it’s all work.

-Introduce teen positions on chapter boards. We have things to say and we can make a difference! If you’ll give us the ability to make a difference, we’ll take it any day of the week.

-Social Media. It’s not my thing, but I do believe there is potential to involve teens through this.

I believe that there are many teens out there with lots of inspiration and motivation to get involved with TU. The challenge will be to find these teens and keep them. In the same way not all of the teens who attended the Summit will become really involved, not all of the teens we recruit are going to stick with it. In fact, more likely than not, few will.

But the ones that do will be worth it. Finding these teens will be crucial to the life of TU; they will be highly motivated and ready to work. I promise you that these people will be ready and they WILL make a difference in your community. It’s up to you to go get them.

www.HCAmagazine.com

Taila Oulton

I

began fly fishing before I could walk, tagging along in my dad’s baby carrier. But I caught my first fish on the fly when I was three years old, and began tying my own flies soon thereafter. I have been attending fly fishing/tying expos and shows for as long as I can remember, and began teaching casting classes and tying lessons for youth when I was ten. I have been attending TU conservation camps since 2009 and have been a youth counselor at the Colorado TU Youth Fly Fishing and Conservation camp for three years. I participate in the local fly fishing competition, Superfly, every year in early September. I am also very involved in big game hunting and high school sports. Track and field is my strong athletic point, and I also am involved with basketball. I am currently the chapter president of my high schools FFA program and am about to begin my last of eleven years in 4-H. My expectations of attending the TU Youth Summit turned out to be extremely different than what was brought forth. The number of teens there was amazing; I never thought that that many younger people

Ryan Hays

I

was born and raised in the suburbs of Houston, TX. I grew up playing multiple sports, playing guitar, and running around my neighborhood. At the age of 14, however, I moved to the foothills of Colorado, picking up snowboarding, hiking, fly-fishing, and becoming a part of the mountain culture as a whole.

Today, I continue to be active in my high school, playing for our baseball and football teams while also participating in National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I have just recently joined TU, helping out the organization in the Colorado Division of Wildlife Outdoor Skills Day and attending monthly chapter meetings. I hope to become more involved in the near future, watching Colorado Teen TU grow as I start my last year in high school. I intend to apply to schools such as Georgia Tech, MIT, and Rice, as I hope to major in engineering and possibly even play football.

While fly-fishing certainly has the stereotype of an elitist sport run by fraternities of wealthy, cigar-toting men, I learned that in reality, it is not that way at all. At the TU Teen Summit, I met a variety of trout bums, ranging from pure conservationists to the most die-hard anglers.

These trout-obsessed teens are from all over the country, ranging from New England and the Great Lakes all the way to the Pacific Northwest.

Despite geographical, cultural, and motivational differences, every single one of them is passionate about saving our favorite cold-water fish.

It was so rewarding to hear all the different ideas and views proposed by www.HCAmagazine.com

from all across the country would be as driven and involved as we all were throughout the duration of the summit. There were a lot of really important questions asked and discussed throughout our many meeting periods. As involved as we were in the meetings, you could tell we wanted to get out on the water and get some fishing time in as well.

When on the water, we were still a well working team and made sure no one got lost or went out of sight without someone else. Everyone was supportive and the more experienced took those less experienced under their wings and showed them the ropes.

Looking back on my time there, I smile at the memories and think to the future. Getting more teens involved is still a key issue that will only be successful with everyone’s participation. I intend to work with the local fly shops and schools to get word spread about the Summit and how one can become an important part of conservation. Engaging people is the trick, because most organizations ask for a “donation” to be part of something good. Being involved in Trout Unlimited is a reward in itself, knowing that the volunteer work you do is giving back to the watersheds and everyone who uses the resource. Nothing is “too little”, every piece of trash picked up is one less that could end up in the water and add to pollution.

My goal is to first just get my peers aware of TU and the mission of clean watersheds. Then to show them the impact clean water can make, not just on fishing, but farming as well. I also hope to get a fly fishing club started at my school so there is work with play, to keep them hooked and just enjoying the outdoors.

Giving a talk on the TU Teens and the Summit at the Colorado Conservation camp I feel will also prove to be effective as the kids who are there are already keyed in and interested in conservation.

The summit and all the people attending and running it are already making a splash with conservation. With more teenagers, that splash can become a wave, and we will be that much more successful and extend the life of TU that much more.

the Summit’s participants, and more than anything, I learned about all the different things that leaders of TU Teen are doing in their communities and watersheds.

The Teen Summit was not only about learning, but it was also about application. We talked about effective strategies of becoming more involved in Trout Unlimited and how to get more teens involved in the organization. Throughout the Summit, we often emphasized the importance and influence of social media, and how entertainment outlets such as the Internet, blogs, websites, and films can be used to get teens hooked on conservation. The most common way that teens get involved in TU is through their love of fly-fishing, and by demonstrating our common passion for the sport and the outdoors, we can relate to other teen anglers throughout the country. We discussed how TU Teens can get involved in stream restoration and community projects by effectively connecting with our local chapters and state councils. Many, if not most of us have a true passion for the outdoors, and by encouraging other teen anglers to join in on the hands-on volunteer work in our local watersheds, TU Teen would be sure to grow and become more involved in the organization’s work.

As for me, I plan to work with Jake Lemon in bringing TU’s youth programs to my community and my local schools. There is certainly a supply of fly-fisherman in my own high school who would love to bring their passion for trout fishing to the next level through youth camps, school clubs, seminars, and local conservation. I look forward to working with these youth anglers in growing Trout Unlimited’s teen membership and influence.

Fall 2013 • High Country Angler

29

THE LAST CAST

•

JOHN NICKUM

Are GMOs a Threat?

Q

I see and hear a lot of dramatic statements claiming that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are potentially disastrous to human health and natural environments, but very few facts are provided to substantiate these claims. What are your thoughts about GMOs in the fish world?

A

Thank you for a very timely question. There certainly is a lot of information, misinformation, and disinformation about GMOs in the press, on TV, on radio, and in social media. Unfortunately, much of the information is sensationalist and presented primarily to foster public reaction, and contributions, in support of personal beliefs that have little or no valid evidence to support those beliefs.

As the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion… but they are not entitled to their own set of facts.” I like to think that the thoughts that follow are based on scientifically valid information and that I have arrived at those thoughts on the basis of scientifically valid analyses.

First, readers need to understand the difference between “genetic modification” and “genetic engineering”. Genetic engineering is just one form of genetic modification, albeit a rather extreme form. Sensationalist arguments against GMOs are usually presented in reference to genetically engineered organisms. Genetic modification has occurred naturally throughout the history of life on earth. The genetic makeup of each generation is not identical to the preceding generation… except for those simpler species that can reproduce asexually, and even there, mutations occur. Natural genetic modification produces variation among individuals within a species and is essential for evolutionary change.

Humans have made use of these natural variations to practice selection for genetic traits that we deem to be desirable. Using selection techniques, we have developed breeds of cattle, hogs, horses, dogs, and cats, as well as many plants, such as corn, which no longer resembles its parent plant, teosinte. Nearly all plants and animals that have been domesticated are genetically modified when compared to their ancestors. This includes several species of fishes.

Genetic engineering involves laboratory manipulations of nucleic acids (DNA and 30

High Country Angler • Fall 2013

RNA) the molecular compounds for inheritance. Fragments of nucleic acid from one species are inserted into the chromosomes of another species in attempts to give the recipient species desired characteristics of the donor species. Such laboratory techniques became possible when we learned the physical structure of DNA in the 1950s and subsequently learned which specific sections of chromosomes carried the DNA to produce specific characteristics. These techniques are way beyond what I can address in this column. Suffice to say that “tinkering” with the genetics of any particular species, by inserting genetic material from another species into the undeveloped eggs of the recipient species, is frightening to some people… no matter what safety precautions are in place.

Genetically modified fishes can be developed by either of two, quite different, means of modification… selection within existing variations, or genetic engineering to insert new variations from other species. The most heated arguments at this time involve genetically engineered Atlantic salmon… the AquAdvantage® Salmon. These salmon have growth rates twice as fast as their wild counterparts and also tolerate a wider range of temperatures. The fish’s rapid growth is boosted by the injection of a growth gene (GH-coding sequences) from the Pacific chinook salmon and another gene sequence (the AFP gene) from the ocean pout - a large, eel-like fish - into the fertilized eggs of Atlantic salmon. The recombined genes from both species are present in cells throughout the body of the engineered fish and produce the desired characteristics.

Laboratory studies indicate the genetically engineered fish are sterile and pose no potential for breeding with wild populations, but proponents of the “precautionary principle” are not convinced. Never-the-less, rearing facilities have been designed to provide maximum security to prevent escapes.

Some consumer advocates worry about potential allergic reactions or even toxic reactions in people who eat the engineered fish, even though there is no evidence to support these concerns.

Standard hatchery production systems for public, recreational fisheries, as well as similar systems in fish farms, have also produced genetically modified fishes, sometimes deliberately, but sometimes by accident. These changes have never involved

genetic engineering. Fish have been selected for faster growth, “better” coloration, resistance to disease, and better survival. These changes tend to be temporary and disappear when hatchery-reared fish reproduce in the wild. The accidental genetic changes in propagated fishes typically result from such practices as selecting broodstock from one portion of a spawning run rather than the entire run; using donor broodstock from a different area, or different kind of habitat, than the recipient waters; or using a small number of brood fish (fifty or more is preferable), thus creating a “genetic bottleneck”.

Inappropriate hatchery production methods that have nothing to do with genetics can also cause apparent differences in “hatchery fish”. Formulated feeds may not provide sufficient quantities or quality of nutrient and cause weak fins and dull coloration. Hand feeding can result in habituation to humans which makes the fish more vulnerable to predators… including anglers.

The absence of cover and structure in rearing units may produce fish that cannot select appropriate habitat after stocking. Almost all the characteristics that sometimes make hatchery propagated fish look and act differently than wild fish are due to hatchery practices, not real genetic differences.

Never-the-less the arguments will go on.

I think that all of us wish for streams and lakes filled with wild, naturally produced, native fishes; however, our demands on nature often exceed its ability to produce what we want. We then turn to genetic modification, which generally means selection; but, can sometimes include genetic engineering.

Either process results in fish that are safe to eat, but, extreme modifications must not be released into the wild unless there is strong evidence over extended periods of time that no harm will result.

About

The

Author.

John Nickum, is a retired PhD. fishery biologist whose career has included positions as professor at research universities including Iowa State and Cornell University, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s fisheries research facility in Bozeman, MT, and science officer for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Mountain-Prairie Region. He was inducted into the National Fish Culture Hall of Fame in 2008. www.HCAmagazine.com

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