Drought and native trout: Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers

colorado reservoir dry

Finding resilience in a summer of reckoning across the Rockies and Southwest  We’ve all seen the headlines: fast growing wildfires, record low snowpack, drying reservoirs, heat waves, hoot owl restrictions, mandatory fishing closures and other worrisome conditions for our favorite coldwater critters.  But for humans, too, these challenges remain stubborn after 25+ years of drought in a lot of the West.  Across the Colorado…

Video of the Week – The Golden Trout Project 

Golden trout film thumbnail

If wilderness and pristine fishing areas resonate with you, it might be time to check out “The Golden Trout Project”.   High in the southern Sierra mountains of California lives a beautiful native trout called the golden trout and now is a splendid time to explore the area. Trek there to see the numerous projects and habitat improvements made by Trout Unlimited and partners and…

A champion for one of the Lahontan cutthroat’s last native holdouts

Lahontan cutthroat trout

After 5 miles of mountain biking, I rigged up my fly rod, observed my surroundings, dapped a parachute Adams onto the surface of the 2-foot-wide creek and pulled a 15-inch Lahontan cutthroat into my net.   The mountain bike wasn’t mine. I borrowed it from Dave Sarazin. He also supplied the maps, the fly recommendations and numerous teaser photos in the leadup to my trip to the…

Trout Unlimited Joins Colorado River Basin Cities, Businesses, Farmers, Utilities, and Conservationists to Call for $2 Billion in Federal Drought Funding

The sparkling Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon

More than 70 organizations from across the Colorado River Basin launch a coalition to stabilize water supplies Denver, CO – A broad coalition of organizations from throughout the Colorado River Basin is urging Congress to provide at least $2 billion in new federal funding to begin to address the region’s escalating water supply crisis. The…

A valid question; How’s fishing after restoration projects?  

fishing golden trout habitat

An angler might wonder; what will one of Trout Unlimited’s restoration projects do to the fishing?   It’s a valid question.   At times we work with contractors to add numerous logs (or even full trees) and woody debris in a stream to make the habitat more complex.   We break up long, straight riffle sections with j-hook rock structures to slow down the flow and create deeper holding water.   We…