The
TROUT TALE
The official newsletter of the Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited Volume 4, Issue 4
Summer 2016
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: After 20 years, Wyoming Game & Fish Deptartment Cutt-Slam program still going strong....Page 4 and 6
Hazlewood ready to step into new role as Wyoming Coordinator By MIKE JENSEN Trout Tale Editor
work approximately 32 hours per week. He will replace former Wyoming Coordinator Scott Christy who left last September to pursue other opportunities. Hazlewood will begin his new post on July 18, and he will be working out of the Green River office located at 520 Wilkes Drive, Suite 4B. hey say— whoever “they” might actually be — that when one “I’m looking forward to this opportunity,” said Hazlewood. “Working door closes, another door opens. In Calvin Hazlewood’s world, that just with the chapters, membership, Wyoming Trout Unlimited staff and Trout might be true. Unlimited national to further the mission of TU here in Wyoming will be In mid-May, it became official when the Wyoming Council of Trout very rewarding. We have done many great things for our fisheries and habiUnlimited (WYTU) executive committee made it official by announcing tat, and I look forward to spending more time helping to further our sucthat Hazlewood will become the next Wyoming Coordinator for Trout cesses here in Wyoming.” Unlimited. Needless to say, the Hazlewood, who has served WYTU executive committee is Hazlewood has a deep passion for on the council board for the past to have Calvin coming on coldwater fisheries conservation in many excited three years — most recently as board as coordinator. They noted roles with Trout Unlimited — both at the chairman — recently that he has a deep passion for chapter and council levels retired from his position coldwater fisheries conservation with Williams Co. in many roles with Trout after 35 years of Unlimited — both at the chapter and council levels. His skills in organiservice. zation, communication and financial discipline that he honed throughout He his long career with Williams in Rawlins and Green River, will be invaluwas offered able in leading the council forward. In addition, his knowledge of TU structhe positure, mission, goals and strategies will enable him to make an immediate tion as an impact in reaching all objectives of the coordinator position. inde“Wyoming TU is extremely lucky to hire Calvin Hazlewood as our pendent Wyoming coordinator,” said Dave Sweet. “Calvin brings a wealth of TU contracexperience in many chapter and council roles and he has a demonstrated tor and passion for our coldwater fisheries in Wyoming. I can’t think of a better will person to lead our organization and coordinate the work of our chapters.
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See COORDINATOR page 3 Hazlewood shows off an incredible Wyoming Green River brown trout he caught last year in late June. The fish measured over 25 inches. WYTU PHOTO/Mike Jensen
NOTES FROM THE CHAIRMAN Change is coming....
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hope this newsletter finds everyone well and getting ready to enjoy a wonderful summer here in the great state of Wyoming! I know we all look forward to the summers here — time spent outdoors with family and friends, and the great fishing opportunities we all have. I hope your summer allows you much time to get outside and have some fun. All the great work our chapters and staff are doing across the state make many of these fun opportunities even more available for us and future generations. Many changes are going to take place for me this summer. First of all, I’ll be retiring from my 35 year career with Williams, and Amy and I will be starting new chapters in our lives. I’ll be transitioning in mid-July to the Trout Unlimited Wyoming Coordinator position and am looking forward to this new adventure and chapter in my life. There are many great things happening within WYTU, and I am honored to get more involved and spend more time working with our chapters, council and staff across the state. I will be contacting all of the chapters more directly in the near future and want to hear from all of you about how I can help. Needless to say, I am very excited about this opportunity and look forward to what the future holds for WYTU. I’m still sorry that we weren’t able to have our spring meeting in Cheyenne due to the weather. We did have our fair share of interesting spring weather this year, and I know we made the right call. A lot of work was put in to making the spring meeting successful, and we all appreciate the preparations that were made. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to get together and share our thoughts, discuss the important topics that we all care so much about, and enjoy the friendships and fellowship with our friends from across the state. We’ll look forward to our fall meeting in Cody the last weekend of October, and plan on getting together with the East Yellowstone Chapter up their way and maybe even have the opportunity to help with some of their fish rescue work during our visit. Our WYTU Council has some very talented and dedicated folks leading us all along this path to help our fisheries here in Wyoming. We are still looking for some new folks to help us and get involved with the work of the council. Positions that could be considered are vice chair, at-large
board members, treasurer and chair. If any of you have thought about getting more involved with the council, we would love to hear from you. Some folks have already expressed interest and desire to get involved, and we are following up with them. Let us know if you might be interested or have questions and we’ll all do our best to answer them. I know from my perspective, the council and the work and fun that we all do and have together has definitely been something that I have enjoyed, and the friendships made have been awesome. Speaking of talented and dedicated folks on the council, I want to share a sincere thank you to Mike Jensen for serving as our newsletter editor and preparing this awesome award-winning newsletter for all of us to enjoy for these many years. This will be Mike’s last newsletter, at least for now, and I want to thank him for his work and dedication to publishing such a great resource that shares news from around the state. We will miss Mike and this great publication, and appreciate all the hard work that has gone into The Trout Tale. Thanks, Mike. Summer is the time that many of our chapters spend time working on projects, having some fun together fishing, sponsoring kids’ fishing days, planning BBQs to just get together and visit, as well as other great opportunities and events. Many of our chapters take a break from monthly meetings during the summer, so stay involved where you can with the many different things that are happening and available throughout the state. Great work is being done, and a lot of fun is being had along the way. Enjoy the summer, and thank you all for everything that is being done to carry on the mission of TU across the state. With all of our TU members, chapters, partners, council and staff doing great things in Wyoming, we, and future generations, will all be able continue to enjoy our time on the waters here in Wyoming! This is Calvin Hazlewood’s last column as chair of WYTU before he steps into his new role as Wyoming Coordinator for Trout Unlimited. He and his wife, Amy, live in Green River and, along with their daughter Dayna and their dog Hatch, enjoy the outdoors — particularly fishing and floating in their drift boat. Calvin is also an accomplished photographer. E-mail Calvin at calvin.hazlewood@gmail.com
WINNER OF THE 2014 TROUT UNLIMITED “BOLLINGER AWARD FOR BEST NEWSLETTER” The TROUT TALE is a quarterly newsletter of the Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited. The deadline for submission of information, photos and content for the Fall 2016 newsletter (October, November and December) will be September 1, 2016. Please send any and all contributions for the fall issue to Wyoming Coordinator Calvin Hazlewood at: calvin.hazlewood@gmail.com The TROUT TALE is available through e-mail and online on the council’s website at: wyomingtu.org
MISSION: Conserving and protecting Wyoming’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds
WYOMING COUNCIL OFFICERS: Calvin Hazlewood Chair Cole Sherard Vice Chair and Secretary Dave Sweet Treasurer Jim Broderick NLC Representative Mike Jensen Past Chair
WYOMING CHAPTERS: n Casper-Grey Reef n Curt Gowdy n East Yellowstone n Jackson Hole n Laramie Valley n Little Bighorn n Platte Valley n Popo Agie Anglers n Seedskadee n Upper Bear River n Upper Green River
OFFICE LOCATION: 409 Lincoln Street Lander, Wyoming 82520 Phone: 307.332.6700 Fax: 307.332.9299
ONLINE: www.wyomingtu.org
© 2016 Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited
Mike Jensen, Newsletter Editor • Calvin Hazlewood, Chairman
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SUMMER 2016
COORDINATOR, continued from page 1
Calvin Hazlewood doing what he does best... spending time on the waters of Wyoming in search of trout with a drift boat and several fly rods. WYTU PHOTOS/Mike Jensen I’m excited for the future.” Wyoming Water and Habitat Director for Trout Unlimited Cory Toye agrees. “I look forward to working with Calvin to continue increasing TU’s capacity and momentum across the state to improve coldwater fisheries,” Toye said. “Calvin is a great leader and will be an invaluable asset to our volunteers, chapters and council.” One of the first duties facing Hazlewood as he steps into his new role is to find a new chairman for the council as well as recruit new
volunteers to council board positions. Current Vice Chair Cole Sherard of Laramie will temporarily assume the chair position until elections can be held at the fall council meeting in Cody in late October. In addition, Hazlewood will be available to travel around the Cowboy State and meet with the various chapters and staff, and he says he’s looking forward to that. “Working together and having fun along the way is what makes TU such a great organization. Our chapters and membership have many great events and projects happening around the state, and those chapters are the foundation of our organization,” Hazlewood said. “The role of the Wyoming coordinator is to help them carry on this great work and provide support and help along the way.” Calvin and his wife Amy, along with Hatch the wonder dog, Amy and Calvin Hazlewood will continue to make Green River love spending time on their their home. home water — the Green He can be reached by e-mail at: calvin.hazlewood@gmail.com or call- River — in southwest Wyoming. ing (307) 321-1476.
Tie-One-On Banquet in Jackson a success The Fourth Annual Tie-One-On Banquet in Jackson, Wyoming, was another big success for both the Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited Chapter and Wyoming Trout Unlimited. The premier fundraising event was held at beautiful Hotel Terra in Teton Village on May 14. Nearly 200 conservation supporters, including Trout Unlimited CEO Chris Wood, were in attendance for a great evening and to help raise money to benefit coldweater conservation in Teton County and Wyoming. Trout Unlimited Western Water Project Director Scott Yates served as
master of ceremonies during the event that featured raffles, a silent auction and a live auction. Local band “PTO” once again kept the attendees entertained with great music during the evening. Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited and WYTU wish to thank those all those who attended and donated to help make the event such a success. ABOVE: Local Jackson band and favorite “PTO” play during the fundraising event held at Hotel Terra. LEFT: Trout Unlimited CEO Chris Wood speaks to the crowd during the Fourth Annual Tie-One-On Banquet in Jackson on May 14. RIGHT: An in-depth discussion takes place between TU staffers, volunteers and attendees during the annual fundraising event. WYTU PHOTOS/Mike Jensen
SUMMER 2016
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WYTU NEWS NOTES
Cody chapter to host WYTU fall council meeting in October The East Yellowstone Chapter in Cody is pleased to announce that the Wyoming Trout Unlimited Fall Council meeting will be held in Cody on October 28-30. This will be a great opportunity for those in attendance at the fall meeting to see the chapter’s renowned fish rescue project up close and personal. There will also be some outstanding fishing opportunities on that Friday. CODY, WYOMING Watch your e-mail for more exciting OCTOBER 28-30, 2016 details on the fall meeting as they become available.
WYTU FALL MEETING
WYTU spring annual meeting canceled due to winter weather Little America in Cheyenne was tagged to host the Wyoming Trout Unlimited Council Annual Meeting at the end of April. However, Mother Nature didn’t cooperate and caused the cancellation of the meeting. A winter blizzard moving through southeast Wyoming caused freeway closures and travel restrictions that prompted council leadership to cancel the annual meeting. “It was the right call to make,” said WYTU Council Chairman Calvin Hazlewood. “We didn’t want to put our members in a position to travel to Cheyenne in unsafe conditions.” Unfortunately the meeting couldn’t be rescheduled and the council will now look to Cody in the fall for the organization’s meeting.
Wyoming Game & Fish Department Cutt-Slam program still going strong after 20 years 1n 1996, Ron Remmick, who served as Wyoming Game & Fish Department Fisheries Supervisor in Green River and Pinedale, came up with Wyoming’s Cutt-Slam Program. The department’s program was designed to encourage anglers to learn more about Wyoming’s native cutthroat subspecies and develop more appreciation, as well as support, for the department’s cutthroat management. And after 20 years, the program continues to be popular among fishing enthusiasts — both in, and out of Wyoming. Curt Gowdy Chapter board member Mark Fowden, who serves as the chief of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s fish division, has offered up some fun-facts regarding the program: n First cutt-slam certificate was issued to McKenzie Mixer of Casper
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in 1996. n Since 1996, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department has issued nearly 1,300 cutt-slam certificates. n Anglers from 44 states have participated in the program. Wyoming anglers comprise the majority of certificates issued. n A Czech angler may have traveled the furthest to participate in the program. n Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming might be considered the most distinguished angler to complete the slam with a bunch of help from members of the Upper Bear River TU Chapter in Evanston. For a somewhat comical look at Trout Tale Editor Mike Jensen’s cuttslam experience, check out his story on page 6 of this newsletter.
Trout Unlimited national meeting to be held in neighboring Bozeman, Montana, this fall Join hundreds of like-minded Trout Unlimited (TU) members, volunteers and staff at our 2016 Annual Meeting in Bozeman, Montana from Sept. 28 - Oct. 1.ÊThe TU Annual Meeting is an event like none other, full of interesting presentations, networking with TU leaders from across the country, awards and fundraising banquets, and a greatÊconservation tourÊshowcasing successful stream protection and restoration. For those traveling from across the country, it’s alsoÊan excellent opportunity to fishÊsome incredible trout streams in Montana. The Annual Meeting isÊa powerful celebration of all we’ve accomplished together in the past year toward our mission to conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Register now to attend this great event. You can register for the entire event, or choose to attend just a few days or activities.ÊFor more information contact Melanie Liebo atÊmliebo@tu.orgÊor (703) 284-9407. The annual meeting of the members of Trout Unlimited will take place on Saturday, October 1, at 9:45 a.m. in the Emerson Ballroom of the Emerson Center for Arts and Culture, 111 South Grand Avenue, Bozeman, Montana. ÊThe members will elect members of the Board of Trustees and act on such other matters as are properly raised in accordance with the bylaws of Trout Unlimited.
Several important dates approaching for Wyoming chapters Most importantly as Trout Unlimited’s (TU) fiscal year ends on Sept. 31, the portal to fill chapter Annual Financial Reports opens on Oct. 1 and will stay open until approximately Nov. 15. These reports are important to TU as they allow the organization to get a picture of the overall health of TU and represent all of the incredible work chapters do locally in our nonprofit reporting. If your chapter has any questions on filing your AFR or compiling data for your AFR, please contact new Wyoming Coordinator Calvin Hazlewood by e-mailing him at: calvin.hazlewood@gmail.com. In addition, the cycle of Embrace-a-Stream grants from Trout Unlimited is approaching this fall. These grants are available to chapters to help complete projects to restore stream habitat, improve fish passage and protect water quality. Check out TU’s website for more information and deadlines. Another fundraising opportunity for chapters in the Cowboy State will be applying for a commissioner’s tag. Chapters are encouraged to write to their respective Wyoming Game & Fish Department commissioner in their area sooner rather than later. These highly coveted tags have helped numerous chapters over the years secure monies to assist with various habitat and restoration projects around the state.
SUMMER 2016
W Y O M I N G
BUSINESS
B U S I N E S S
S P O T L I G H T
Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions passionate to pass on legacy of fishing to the next generation
By WALT GASSON Director of Trout Unlimited Endorsed Businesses
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n my work, I have the opportunity to rub shoulders with people in the fly fishing business. It’s one of the perks of the job. The fact is that they are some of the finest people I’ve ever met. All of them are passionate about fishing. Hundreds of them are passionate about conservation. And many of them are passionate about passing on the legacy of fishing to the next generation of anglers. Few of them are all three. That’s what sets George Hunker and Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions apart. Growing up in New Mexico, George came to fly fishing at an early age. “I was addicted by the time I was 10 years old,” he says. “I sort of figured it out and taught myself by reading books.” He made his way to Wyoming in his early 20s, became an instructor with NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership School known for teaching outdoor skills in some of the most jaw-dropping wilderness locations, and eventually worked his way up to associate director. He married his sweetheart, Paula, in 1975 and by 1977, together they started Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions. In between, they spent time in New Zealand, a celebrated mecca for fly fishing, and returned to the States to try their hand at ranching, farming and raising children. Hunker has been the owner of Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions in Lander, Wyoming, for almost 40 years, and is one of only a few fly fishing outfitters to take anglers into the rugged Wind River Mountains. He specializes in guided camping trips to the high country — either walking in with animal support, riding in on horseback, or backpacking trips — and day fly fishing excursions on the smaller streams coming out of the east side of the Winds. His love for his home water is legendary. “The Wind Rivers are a rugged, rocky mountain range, with active glaciers and steep granite walls,” he says. “You’ll find the world’s largest herd of Bighorn Sheep here, and lots of moose, elk, deer, and smaller critters. The lakes we fish are from 9,000 to 12,000 feet up, carved out by the glaciers, and inhabited by all kinds of trout — mostly brook and cutthroat, but we get our share of golden, rainbow, brown, and lake trout, too.” Now 68, he took on a partner about ten years ago to guide additional trips and recently his son Hank has been assuming a greater role.
SUMMER 2016
“I love this life,” he says. “I get to share what I would do for free, and provide an exhilarating and peaceful outdoor experience for all kinds of people. If I had my life to live over, I’d be right here.” “Our goal is simple,” he says. “To take people to beautiful places, where trout abound, and where the simple camp life can cleanse our minds and bodies. We are primarily about two things: fly fishing in a perfect environment and making sure our guests are well taken care of and feel our love for special place.” A simple goal perhaps, but one that George has pursued with passion for decades. Universally loved and respected by fellow guides and conservationists, George Hunker is the spirit of Wyoming. Soft-spoken, kind and generous, he’s been an inspiration to many of our younger colleagues. Rawhide tough, he still outwalks mountaineers half his age. But in the end, the thing I’ve always loved most about George is his ability to instill in all of us a desire to work together to make Wyoming a better place. He is the past president and longtime treasurer of the Popo Agie Anglers — the Trout Unlimited chapter in Lander. Well done, my friend. Well done indeed.
Where to find them: Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions, LLC (O, G) George H. Hunker III Lander, Wyoming 82520 Phone: 307.332.3986 e-mail: george@sweetwaterfishing.com www.sweetwaterfishing.com
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CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF THE WYOMING GAME & FISH DEPARTMENT’S CUTT SLAM PROGRAM
900-plus mile road trip with broken wrist results in ‘Cutt-Slam’ success EDITOR’S NOTE: To pay tribute to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s 20th Anniversary in 2016 of their highly successful native CuttSlam Program, Trout Tale Editor Mike Jensen shares his unique adventure to achieve his own “cutt-slam.” This article first appeared in the Upper Bear River Trout Unlimited “Tight Lines” newsletter in the November/December 2010 edition.
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fter returning to Evanston in the spring of 2003, I stumbled across some reading material specific to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Cutt-Slam program. The program was the brainchild of former Wyoming Game and Fish Department Fisheries Supervisor Ron Remmick, who, at the time, was supervising both the Green River and Pinedale regions. Remmick’s Cutt-Slam program is simple and brilliant. It was designed to encourage anglers to learn more about Wyoming’s cutthroat subspecies and develop more appreciation and support of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s cutthroat management program. All an angler needed to do was to catch Wyoming’s four native cutthroat species — Yellowstone cutthroat, Snake River cutthroat, Colorado River cutthroat and the Bonneville (Bear River) cutthroat — in their native ranges, take photos of those respective fish and fill out a simple form that notes the drainages in which the trout were caught. Then send the information and photos to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Cheyenne for verification. In return, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department would send a color certificate featuring the four cutthroat subspecies recognizing the angler’s accomplishment. That was for me. I wanted to be a cutt-slam participant and recognized recipient. My quest for the cutt-slam was under way and I was excited. Fast forward seven years. While I’ve enjoyed some fabulous fishing over that period of time, my “slam” quest was stuck in slow motion. Maybe no motion would be more appropriate. That is until late July of this year when my cutt-slam quest got into high gear — by accident. I was fishing with my good friend and cutt-slam recipient Kerry Osborne on the Snake River in late July. We were floating a stretch of river below Hoback Junction and enjoying a great day of fishing. Toward the end of our float trip, Kerry was at the oars as I was throwing a large, articulated, Kelly Galloup “sex dungeon” streamer, when I felt something solid on the other end of the line. After several tiring minutes of action, we finally netted a very healthy, solid 19-inch (ish) Snake River Cutthroat. “You need one of those for your cutt-slam, don’t you?” Kerry quizzed. The light bulb went on in my head and my
quest was officially under way. Snake River cutthroat trout. Check. One down, three to go. Three weeks after the quest got back in motion, I was once again fishing over a long weekend with Kerry on the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho. Kerry suggested that, on our way home, we stop and fish Salt Creek for an hour or so. “It’s full of Bonneville (Bear River) cutthroats,” he said. So, we did just that. We threw dry flies on this small stream and caught a lot of wild, native fish in all shapes and sizes. I was absolutely amazed and thrilled when I caught a very nice, beautifully-colored Bonneville (Bear River) cutthroat on a size 16 Royal Wulff dry fly. The fish came out of nowhere in the small stream and smacked my fly. It put up a fight worthy of a much bigger river fish. I nearly lost the fish in a snag, and Kerry used my net to land the fish. It measured 15 inches — impressive for such a small stream. Bonneville (Bear River) cutthroat trout. Check. Two down, two to go. My cutt-slam quest was picking up momentum. So was the pressure. The next leg of my cutt-slam would come after speaking with Wyoming Energy Coordinator for Trout Unlimited Steven Brutger. Steven has been doing a lot of great work for Trout Unlimited on Little Mountain which is located south of Rock Springs. Little Mountain has several very small streams full of native Colorado cutthroat trout and is truly an amazing place, resource and outdoor paradise. I had the opportunity to fish Trout Creek on Little Mountain twice thanks to Steven. He took Mark Tesoro and me to Trout Creek on September 13, where he showed us around the area and introduced us to a fabulous fishery. We had a blast catching a ton of Colorado cutthroat trout on the dry fly. Some as large as 13 inches. Besides being full of wild trout, Trout Creek was small in size. So small in fact, you could jump over it in most places. The second trip to Little Mountain was the chapter’s fall fishing outing on September 25. That trip was also hosted by Brutger and all in attendance on that trip caught lots of beautiful Colorado cutthroats. All but me that is. You see, the weekend before the outing found my family and I camping, ATVing and fishing in the Uinta Mountains south of Evanston. Many of you know by now that my son Colton and I were fishing the East Fork of the Bear River when I slipped off a rock. Man down. Man down hard. I managed to save my brand new St. Croix 3 wt. rod but I also managed to break my wrist. In four places. Back to the fall outing at Little Mountain where I was sporting a new cast on my left arm and in a whole lot of pain. Needless to say, I didn’t fish much, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching
See CUTT-SLAM page 7 BONNEVILLE (BEAR RIVER) CUTTHROAT
SNAKE RIVER CUTTHROAT Page 6
SUMMER 2016
CUTT-SLAM, continued from page 6 my number two son, Colton, catch fish after fish after fish. He’s turned into a very fine fly fisherman at the young age of 16. By the way, kudos to Bill and Judy Shipman for completing their cuttslam on this outing. Well done, Shipmans. I did manage to catch three nice fish during the outing using a size 16 Royal PMX dry fly. My prize that day was a beautiful 12-inch trout. Colorado River cutthroat trout. Check. Three down, one to go. More pressure. Only one fish — the famed Yellowstone cutthroat trout — left to catch. I had pretty much resigned myself to waiting until next year for two reasons... 1) my broken arm, and 2) I knew we would have to travel a lot of miles to catch a “yeller.” However, after watching the weather forecast call for unseasonably warm temperatures and high pressure through the first weekend in October, I asked Colt if he was up for a road trip. “Oh yeah,” was his response. So phone calls were made and a plan was formulated. On a friend’s recommendation, we would travel to, and fish, the East Fork of the Wind River near Dubois in hopes that both Jensen men would be successful and land our Yellowstone cutts. Not so fast, my friend. After the almost “silly” fishing experienced on Trout Creek, my expectations were high. Way too high. We fished hard for nearly six hours throwing everything but the kitchen sink in the water that afternoon. The bottom line was that I landed only one fish. It was a nice cutthroat, but I wasn’t absolutely certain that it was a Yellowstone cutthroat. And daylight was fading fast. We headed to Jackson where we spent the night. Our original plan called for us to head toward home on Sunday morning and make a quick stop along the Salt Creek or Thomas Fork so Colt could finish his “slam” by catching his last, needed cutthroat — the Bonneville (Bear River). But no. We were on a mission. And the pressure was really on. Sunday morning found us parked in front of the Jack Dennis Fly Shop waiting for the store to open. We were like seagulls at a McDonald’s parking lot eagerly awaiting something. In our case, it was Yellowstone fishing licenses, flies, bear spray and advice on where we could go to catch our fish. Once we had our shopping list filled and some great advice, we headed north to Yellowstone. I knew we had a long day in front of us. And a lot of miles to travel through the park — and most of it at the posted 45 mph speed limit. Just before we hit the Grand Teton National Park gate, we discovered we left the bear spray back at the fly shop. “Terrific,” I mumbled. Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead. “Look at the grizzly bear, dad,” Colt yelled. I shot a quick glance to see the enormous bear and kept driving. Fast. “Holy cow, dad, look at the wolf!” Colt yelled a few
minutes later. “Don’t bother me, son. We have fish to catch,” I responded as I depressed the gas pedal to the floor. The pressure was mounting. We needed to catch a couple of “nice” Yellowstone cutthroat trout for our “slams.” The clock was ticking. And oh yeah, Colt needed to be at school and I needed to be at work on Monday morning. Tick, tick, tick. Long story short, here’s the end of the story: We got chased off the Yellowstone River by an enormous herd of rambling buffalo after 40 minutes of hard fishing. No takes. No fish. Back in the truck to drive further into the depths of Yellowstone National Park. My arm hurts. Slow moving traffic. Tick, tick, tick. I needed to go pee. Have you ever had a cast on your arm while wearing waders and needing to relieve yourself? Not fun. Not fun by any stretch of the imagination. Note to self, launder my waders upon arriving home. More driving. Stupid 45 mph speed limit signs. Arrive at the Lamar Valley. Fishermen everywhere. No place to fish. More driving. Tick, tick, tick. I hate pressure. Arrive at Soda Butte Creek. 300 photographers and bystanders causing a traffic jam. No clue what they were looking at. Didn’t care. Tick, tick, tick. More driving. Only 10 miles from Montana border. Huge pressure. Finally a pullout by a stinking pile of mud. No one around. Mount up. Time to fish. Several hundred yards to the creek. Several casts. Nothing. Next cast against the grassy bank, hookup. Relief. Yell at Colt to come a running. Need photo for “slam proof.” Fish off. “You horsed him, Dad,” Colt said after a disgusting sigh. Too much pressure. Sweat beading down my forehead. Embarrassment. Arm is hurting more. Cast and move. Move and cast. Untangle line. Dry flies. Dry droppers. Nymphs. Streamers. Cast and move. Tick, tick, tick. Untangle line again. Next cast. Nice fish... big fish. Need picture for proof. Nice fish... big fish spits the hook. Ready to cry. “Oh, you babied him, Dad,” Colt mumbled under another deep, disgusting sigh. Arm is really killing me. More casts. Nothing. No landed fish. Way too much pressure. Screw this. Time to go home. Seven hours-plus later, arrive at home at 12:45 a.m. after our two-day, 900-plus mile road trip. Can’t sleep. Consider quitting sport of fly fishing. Colt goes to school. I take Monday off and feel sorry for self. All day. Needless to say, what a trip. On the following Tuesday morning, I got some great news from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department in Cheyenne. They did indeed, confirm the photo of my one fish caught on the East Fork of the Wind River as a Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Funny. My arm felt much better. Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Check. Four down, none to go. Done. Done like dinner. Thank the good Lord.
Next cast. Nice fish... big fish. Need picture for proof. Nice fish... big fish spits the hook. Ready to cry.
COLORADO RIVER CUTTHROAT SUMMER 2016
YELLOWSTONE CUTTHROAT
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WYTU CHAPTER CHATTER
UPPER BEAR RIVER CHAPTER Information Provided By JIM HISSONG Howdy from Upper Bear River Trout Unlimited Chapter. Well, we worked our butts off and put on another “Greatest Fundraising Trout Unlimited Banquet in Wyoming” on May 14. Over 200 patrons attended, ate a great dinner, drank some beer, bought lots of raffle tickets and competed for wonderful silent and live auction items. The highlight of our live auction was a custom-made brown and gold rod (donated by Willy’s Rods) emblazoned with the iconic Wyoming symbol, Steamboat, matched with an Abel reel finished with Steamboat graphic. The winning bid was $1,700! Tim Gorman, who has fried fish for child anglers at Kids’ Fishing Day for many years, was named Trout Bum of the Year. The Business Partner of the Year award was presented to The Uinta County
Herald who has provided momentous media coverage for UBRTU over the years. When the monies were finally counted, UBRTU cleared over $14,000 for its conservation projects and activities in Southwest Wyoming. Hurrah! Speaking of conservation plans, we are getting down to “nut cuttin’” time on the Booth Ditch project. The most pressing problem on the Bear River is sedimentation. Replacing the push-up dam and ineffective head gate with a state-of-the-art head gate/fish screen will help UBRTU fulfill its mis-
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sion to “Bring Back the Bear!” This is a showcase project on the largest irrigation canal in the Bear drainage. It will go a long way in obtaining funds for future schemes to restore the river. Construction phase begins this fall. On June 25, the chapter hosted our ninth Kids Fishing Day. Over 200 children were equipped with “Zebco” rod and reel combos, bobbers, and garden hackle in pursuit of Bonneville cutties stocked in the Bear Pond by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department. UBRTU members were busy helping rig terminal tackle, untangling mono lines, and grilling hot dogs for kids and families. After the Kids’ Fishing Day, UBRTU members will be taking a well-deserved break until September. There are rivers to float, creeks to wade, and fishy lips that need piercing!
CURT GOWDY CHAPTER Information Provided By TASHA SORENSEN The Curt Gowdy Chapter in Cheyenne put on another highly successful Women’s Fly Fishing Clinic on Saturday, May 7, at the Laramie County Community College. According to event organizer, Tasha Sorensen, who serves as the Trout Unlimited Wyoming Field Rep for the Sportsmen’s Conservation Project, the event was sponsored by the Curt Gowdy Trout Unlimited Chapter and Shoot and Cast. She noted that 17 women participated and the chapter had a waiting list of 85 women who wanted to participate in the annual clinic. A follow-up day on the water for those who participated in the clinic is scheduled for July 9, on Pole Mountain. “I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity you’ve given me, as well as
many other women,” said Jaimel Blajszczak who attended the event. “The clinic I attended confirmed my gut feeling I have about fly fishing, and it helped me realize to trust it. It gave me the confidence I need to push me to a place where I’ll pick up the phone and call another woman, whom I met there, and go fishing. What a sense of accomplishment. As a mother, I cannot wait to be a role model to my daughters, showing them women can go into the outdoors, safely and confidently! I learned enough to get out on the water, choose my own fly, tie it on and cast it in a location I know feels right. To top it off, now I can give my daughters these skills at an early age! They’ll grow up with that confidence. Thank you!” Chapter member and board member Janet Marschner added this. “There was a common theme — women just want to outfish the men in their lives and I have to agree,” she said. “We need to be able to pick the right fly, tie it on and catch fish. All by ourselves.” The husband and wife team of Nick and Hillary Walrath of Green River also helped out with the clinic. Both Nick and Hillary are Trout Unlimited employees. The chapter also held elections for new officers on June 30 and the results of the election were not available at press time.
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SUMMER 2016
Dedicated volunteers and agency personnel gather for Yellowstone Lake Expedition By DAVE SWEET Yellowstone Lake Special Project Manager for Wyoming Trout Unlimited
T
he summer and fall of 2016 may be the final year of the telemetry study on Yellowstone Lake. As we have reported many times over the past couple of years, the telemetry study is designed to provide two critical pieces of information that are central to the efforts to suppress the lake trout in this system and thus allow the native Yellowstone cutthroat of the system to recover. The first of these is to inform the gill netting crews about how those lake trout move around the system, allowing more productive netting. In particular, the movement patterns help to reveal the travel corridors of the mackinaw. The second piece of information gained from telemetry is the identification of the lake trout spawning beds. Year 2016 may be our final year because our major grant from the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust fund will be running out of money by this time next year. Without additional funding, the Trout Unlimited portion of the work will stop. In anticipation of this final year, we put together a major plan to implant as many lake trout as possible with transmitters. This effort was called the Yellowstone Lake Expedition. It was scheduled for June 13-17. Our goal for the week was to implant 180 transmitters into sexually mature, male lake trout. We were targeting mature, male fish because we wanted to be sure that they spawn this coming fall (female lake trout don’t spawn every year).
update
This report is a summary of that expedition: During the week of June 13-17, a total of 19 fishing boats and three surgery boats staffed with approximately 95 volunteers and agency personnel spent five days angling on Yellowstone Lake and performing the required surgeries. The goal for the week was to catch by angling, enough mature male lake trout to implant 180 transmitters. We anticipated that we would have to catch somewhere around 700 lake trout in total to reach our goal. Right up front, I want to acknowledge that the volunteers and staff that helped with this project were incredibly dedicated to the task. They provided their own gear, their time and their resources to the effort. They faced some of the harshest conditions on the lake I have ever experienced. We were rained on multiple times, hailed on three times, blown off the lake by huge waves and swells that made it unpleasant and dangerous for even the biggest of the boats. Even during the lulls in the wind, we couldn’t reach the most productive fishing areas. Of the five total days, only parts of two of those days were pleasant to be out on the lake. Yet, during the entire week, everyone kept a pleasant and positive attitude. Some even slept on the dock during the worst of the conditions so that they could be ready to go back out when the weather broke. Three boats experienced mechanical issues; yet their owners kept trying to help whenever they could get out on the water. In spite of the adversity, we were able to implant 72 mature lake trout with transmitters. Of those, 63 of these were on the two good weather days. The other three days when conditions were far less than ideal, only nine were implanted. Had the weather cooperated,
SUMMER 2016
we certainly would have been much closer to or exceeded our goal. On Friday, the last day of the expedition, we tagged 33 lake trout with only six fishing boats and some of them for only half a day. A couple of other statistics are worth mentioning. A total of 117 lake trout were caught during the five days and 287 cutthroats. This is particularly encouraging as we were trying to catch lake trout in known congregation areas and at depths more suitable to the lake trout. Yet we caught over two and a half times as many cutthroats as lake trout. Clearly, the population of cutthroats seems to be recovering. The largest lake trout caught was 29-1/2 inches and weighed about nine pounds. Many of the tagged fish were 22-26 inches. The largest cutthroat caught was reported at 27 inches (perhaps a bit of angler exaggeration); but many were 18-22 inches. I personally saw a confirmed 24 inch cutthroat. And, several small cutthroats (down to 10 inches) were caught indicating the survival of young cutthroats that are avoiding predation. The expedition received great press coverage during the week with a reporter for TV and radio accompanying us for one day and a newspaper reporter with us for a second day. Many of the anglers who joined us for the week were not Trout Unlimited members. However, all left with a new or renewed appreciation for the importance of our native cutthroat trout. Tremendous support was also provided by Yellowstone National Park fisheries personnel as they accompanied us every day and were actively engaged in the surgeries. The National Park Service also provided many of the camp spaces for the volunteers as did the concessionaire Xanterra. Xanterra also provided boat slips and two of their rental fishing boats for two days. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department also assisted with a surgery boat all week and a crew every day to perform surgeries. This truly was a collaborative effort. The next phase of the project is to find a way to get the rest of the transmitters implanted into lake trout this summer. Although we won’t be organizing another major angling expedition, our intent is to help in any way we can to assist with this critical telemetry study. Stay tuned for more information in future communications. COURTESY PHOTOS/Alicia Viskoe and Brian Sheets
Dave Sweet has been a member of Trout Unlimited since the mid-70s. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from Trout Unlimited as well as former chairman of the Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited. He currently is serving as the treasurer of the council and is a former president and current board member of the East Yellowstone Chapter in Cody. He was inducted into the Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame. Dave and his wife, Cathy, are the parents of two daughters — Cindy, an attorney in Casper, and Diana, a fisheries biologist for the Wyoming Game & Fish Department in Jackson — and they live in Cody. Dave loves to fish for any species; hunt for whatever crawls, flies or walks; and ride his horses. E-mail Dave at: davidps@tritel.net.
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A trip of a lifetime.... that should be done every year! By TOMMY THOMPSON Trout Unlimited Bighorn Basin Project Manager
“I
’m not interested in the fishing.” It felt strange to hear those words exit my mouth, but the more I thought about how to best spend my time on an upcoming river trip, the more I was convinced that my gaze should be cast upward at legendary things called Kaibab, Tapeats and Vishnu instead of downward at legendary things called Adams, Wulff and Zonker. The trip would be my first on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon and most people who knew about my plan were surprised to hear that I wouldn’t be chasing the rainbows and brown trout that reside there. I’d explain my reasoning, “I can’t look around at anything else if I’m watching my flies.” This prompted a response from a friend who said, “Yeah, but you’ll be on the water for 18 days and two-hundred and twenty-some miles. You’ll A spectacular view of the Colorado River and Nankoweap Granary. WYTU PHOTOS/Tommy Thompson have plenty of time to look around!” A valid point, I had to admit, but I stuck to my guns. Truth be told, my decision was heavily swayed by my friend and fellow Trout Unlimited (TU) staffer, Jeff Streeter. He would be on the trip as well. It would Policy? Exactly how immobile will this tank-boat be? be his 13th run through Grand Canyon, which made him by far the most The first big rapid (House Rock) is 17 miles from the put-in and is commonly knowledgeable person on the trip, and he wouldn’t be fishing…that settled it. referred to as a “wake-up call” for the uninitiated. As I lined up for the entrance I Sixteen of us launched together at Lee’s Ferry on April 24. We were all from recalled what Jeff had told me and thought, “My policy is to not flip.” It must have Wyoming and more than half of us had backgrounds in biology and conservation. worked — we avoided the holes that guard the cliff wall on river left and stayed There was also an archeologiest, a writer and a few educators. An introspective upright. The left-to-right move in a tight right turn was no easy task. House had group, to be sure. I wouldn’t have wanted to be there with anyone else. On the taught me a lesson — I was decidedly more Peterbilt than Porsche. I was not nimble afternoon before our launch day, we rigged our boats and passed our safety enough to make many lateral moves mid-rapid. I’d better get good at planning inspection. I’d be rowing a rented 18-foot gear boat that was bigger and much ahead. The following weeks were filled with more than 150 named rapids, some of them infamous: Hance, Horn, Granite, Crystal, Bedrock, Deubendorff and Lava Falls are a few that have been known to eat boats on occasion. Streeter, who is as skilled in a raft as he is with a fly rod (i.e. better than anyone else I know), led the group through the big stuff to show us his preferred lines and to set safety at the bottom of the drops. Good thing, too – over the course of the trip he scooped up two flipped boats from our party and kept the swimmers from suffering through a prolonged experience. For the most part, though, the rapids are just big, clean fun. The spray from the waves and the breeze from the increased speed through the drops provide a welcome respite from the desert heat. Amazingly, some of the unnamed rapids in the canyon are deemed “riffles” and would certainly be named if they were in any Wyoming river. The enormity of the whitewater was intoxicating. Needless to say, I would chomp at the bit every morning until we were on the water. The affinity I felt for the place was not tied exclusively to the grandness of the river, however. When I was off the water in Grand Canyon I sensed the intimacy of the place. I no longer felt like a streak of bright color that’s zooming past the bank. I could slow to the pace of the lizards basking in the sun at camp. I could hear very clearly the call of the canyon wrens as they toured the cliffs. I took long looks at the The author rows his wife through Horn Creek Rapid. raptors and vultures soaring overhead and wondered if it was the smell of my unlaundered shirt that had attracted them (sadly, my wife was convinced). I also heavier than any raft I’d ever piloted. If I had to guess its loaded weight I’d say it took great delight in the cleanliness of the beaches. Grand Canyon river runners do was somewhere between a track hoe and a dump truck. Streeter gave me some not leave trash, food, or fire remnants behind when they leave a camp or a lunch advice about how to handle such a behemoth in the large rapids ahead, “You don’t really steer those things – you just set policy.” I tried to process that for a minute. See GRAND CANYON page 11
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SUMMER 2016
spot — the canyon is too stately for such disrespect. Possibly the most surprising part of the trip to me was the hiking. It was spectacular, to say the least. A short walk from the boats could make me feel like I was on another planet. A tight slot canyon rewarded our swimming, shimmying and scrambling with an otherworldly rest at an enormous rock slab “patio” that was protected by a sheer cliff overhang several hundred feet high. We saw grottos filled with frogs, waterfalls, ferns and other primitive plants. We hiked into bat caves and impossibly big caverns. We walked up dry side canyons, some of which still contain artwork left by prehistoric inhabitants. We listened to our archeologist friend as he described how the Ancient Puebloans would have used the home sites, lookouts and granaries we encountered. We’d spend an hour or two hiking through these places and it felt ridiculously brief. I wanted to stay for a day or two. I needed to see what was around the next bend, hear the sounds change overnight and watch as the shifting light transformed the canyon walls. I knew after day three that the 15 remaining days of the trip wouldn’t be sufficient for me. I don’t know how many more Grand Canyon trips I need to take in order to be fulfilled. However, I’m fairly certain that even if I get to Streeter’s total of 13, it won’t be enough. I could never see it all — not even in a hundred trips. I understand now why people say that a float through Grand Canyon is “a trip of a lifetime…that you should do every year.” It’s the best river trip in the country — even when you’re not interested in fishing. Tommy Thompson is a Trout Unlimited staffer based in Cody, Wyoming. Depending on the day, you could find him on the river with a fly rod, oars or a paddle in his hands. E-mail Tommy at: Tommy.Thompson@tu.org
HOLES IN MY WADERS One hell of a ride....
W
ell, here it is. After four years of editing and packaging this newsletter for Wyoming Trout Unlimited— 16 total issues — the time has come to hang up my “editor’s hat” as well as my board position as past chair on the WYTU executive committee. As I write this one last column, along with assembling the various pieces of this newsletter, I find myself reflecting upon many fond memories of being involved with this newsletter. And, perhaps even a few not-so-fond memories associated with deadlines. But, that’s the nature of the beast, I guess. I’ve been dealing with them for over 35 years in my chosen career. As the headline of this column says, it’s been one hell of a ride and one I’ll never forget. Simply put, it’s been an honor and a privilege to be involved with this project and to serve Wyoming Trout Unlimited in this capacity. Without a doubt, the highlight of my being newsletter editor was when WYTU was presented the “Bollinger Award for Best Newsletter” in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in September 2014 at the national Trout Unlimited meeting. What an incredible honor to have our newsletter selected as the best newsletter in Trout Unlimited. The collaborative effort of so many people — volunteers and staff alike — who have made outstanding contributions to make this newsletter what it is, and to have our work recognized by our peers as the best, makes this award so very, very special. As I mentioned, this project has been a collaborative effort of so many talented volunteers and staff who have contributed to the pages of this newsletter in some form or another. And I can’t thank
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See HOLES IN MY WADERS page 12
“
SUMMER 2016
I have laid aside business and gone a-fishing — Izaak Walton
“
GRAND CANYON, continued from page 10
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HOLES IN MY WADERS, continued from page 11 them enough for their support and willingness to share their thoughts, stories and photos of incredible work being done by Trout Unlimited in Wyoming. I have to admit I have never been around such an incredible group of passionate folks as those in Trout Unlimited. Whether staff or volunteer— from the very top of Trout Unlimited to the chapter level — I am truly impressed and I’m proud to call many of those conservationists my friend. I’d like to offer a heartfelt thanks to some of those who contributed to the newsletter or supported the publication in some fashion or another. Thanks to Calvin Hazlewood, former Wyoming Coordinator Scott Christy, Cory Toye, Dave Sweet, Walt Gasson, Steven Brutger, Charlie Card, Jim Broderick, Nick and Hillary Walrath, Rick Slagowski, Jim Hissong, Robb Keith, Brett Prettyman, Jeff Streeter, Tommy Thompson, Cathy Purves, Kae Ellis, Diana Miller, Beverly Smith and of course, Chris Wood. I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer up a “really big thank you” to my wife, Jodi, and my kids — Matt and Kelli, Colton and McKenna. Thanks for your support and encouraging words. It is, as always, most appreciated. And last, but not least, thanks to my two Labrador retrievers — Deuce and Gunner. I can honestly say, they have been present for all but two of the assembling of newsletters (I did produce two newsletters during my six month stay in New Mexico) and I always enjoy having my dogs around to bounce ideas off. They must have thought my ideas were brilliant as they never said anything to the contrary. Their tails always wagged in agreement, it seemed. And I like that. A lot. Last but not least, congratulations and kudos to
my very good friend Calvin Hazlewood who is ready to step into his new role as Wyoming Coordinator. I have great faith in my friend that he will pick up where Scott Christy left off last fall, and take this organization to the next level. He’s the right man for the right job and I wish him nothing but success in his new adventure. I’ll leave you with this. The words from the chorus of one of my favorite songs — Wood Smoke in the Wind — sung by Michael Martin Murphey... I’m gonna get so lost, I’ll find myself again I’m gonna drift away like wood smoke in the wind I’m gonna get so lost, I’ll find myself again, I’m gonna drift away like wood smoke in the wind I hope to see you on fly water sometime soon. I’ll be the one driving my drift boat and not thinking too much about deadlines. After four years, Mike Jensen wraps up his position as editor of the council’s “The Trout Tale” newsletter. Mike and his wife, Jodi, call the Cheyenne area home and he always looks forward to driving his drift boat and creating more Wyoming fly fishing adventures and memories with family and good friends. E-mail Mike at trouthut@gmail.com
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: n Calvin Hazlewood steps into Wyoming Coordinator position n Wyoming Business Spotlight: Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions in Lander n Yellowstone Lake Expedition successful despite bad weather n After 20 years, Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s Cutt-Slam still going strong n A trip of a lifetime through the Grand Canyon n Much, much more! 409 Lincoln Street Lander, Wyoming 82520
WYOMING TROUT UNLIMITED