Redstone Call for Attendance

Folks -

Need to get a good sense of your chapter’s attendance for the Redstone Spring Rendezvous, April 11 – 14 in Redstone Colorado.  We are trying to gauge what level of experience (have members attending been to the event before, or are they new) who will be there, so that we can structure the event accordingly.

Please email Steve Craig or David Nickum with who from your chapter is going to be there, and if they have been there before or not as soon as you can find out.  It will really help the planning process.

THANK YOU!!!

Sinjin

Healing Troubled Waters – TU Climate Change Report

TU’s climate change report, ” Healing Troubled Waters” was released yesterday. You can download a copy, read the FAQ and related links at: www.tu.org/climatechange.

Study: Climate change will endanger trout

http://www.jhguide.com/article.php?art_id=2500

By Cory Hatch December 6, 2007
A survey of scientific studies on climate change and fish shows that Western populations of trout could diminish by as much as 60 percent as water warms, bugs disappear and droughts become more prevalent.

The report, compiled by Trout Unlimited, looks at the effects of climate change on trout and salmon habitat across the country. The report also suggests ways to make habitat more resilient to threats associated with a predicted 2 to 10 degree global temperature increase during the next 100 years.

Jack Williams, chief scientist for Trout Unlimited, said trout and salmon are good indicators of ecosystem health because they require cold, clean water for spawning, egg survival and rearing of young.

“We’re already seeing the effects of climate change,” said Williams, who pointed out that mayflies, an important food source for trout, are starting to emerge at an earlier time of year. “We’ve got a lot of trout populations that are poised to lose about half of their range.”

In addition to warmer water and impacts on insects, Williams said, climate change could mean greater floods, reduced snowpack, earlier runoffs, more wildfires and increased insect infestations in forests, all of which can hurt trout populations.

Bob Gresswell, a research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, studies cutthroat trout in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including one project below Jackson Lake Dam. Gresswell says trout across the West are so susceptible to climate change because development and irrigation pressures have already pushed populations into more isolated, high-elevation streams.

Further, humans have introduced non-native fish such as rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout and brown trout into cutthroat trout ecosystems, increasing the risk of hybridization and predation. Climate change could amplify the negative effects non-native fish have on trout, Gresswell said.

For instance, reproduction times for rainbow trout and cutthroat trout are somewhat isolated by the spring runoff. Cutthroat trout spawn just after the peak runoff and rainbow trout spawn just before. But with spring runoff coming earlier each year, Gresswell said, rainbow trout could eventually come to a point when they can’t spawn any earlier, and the chance of hybridization could increase.

Gresswell pointed to fish die-offs and fishing closures in Yellowstone and Montana as a probable sign that global warming is already affecting trout populations.

“I worked in the park for 17 years and we never closed the fishery even once [because of warm water],” he said.

Both Gresswell and Williams said that while it could be too late to stop climate change, it isn’t too late to make trout habitat more resilient to its effects.

“Let’s start working right now on things that we can do to our local stream systems to prepare for the kinds of impacts that we know are coming,” Williams said.

Restoration efforts include trying to reconnect larger low-elevation waterways to the smaller upper-elevation streams native trout now inhabit.

“That allows the fish to basically move around and find better habitat conditions,” Williams said.
Other ways to protect trout include removing old culverts, planting native trees and shrubs along streams to provide shade and protect stream banks, and placing logs and boulders in the stream to provide sections with deeper, cooler water.

Salmon, trout populations will be hurt by global warming, but it’s not too late to act, report states

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20071205/NEWS/71205008

December 5, 2007

Climate change will hurt trout and salmon populations, but there is still time to act before it’s too late, a report released today from Trout Unlimited states.

“Healing Troubled Waters” highlights how global warming will affect the nation’s game fish populations, stating that they are likely to decline by 50 percent or more, and some populations, such as the bull trout found in high-mountain areas in the West could be cut by as much as 90 percent.

But Congress could appropriate money in the future to find ways to help make coldwater fish populations sustainable despite the climate change, and in fact Congress is making some progress on that very issue even today, the report stated.

The complete report is available at www.tu.org/climatechange.

Enviros up pressure on Ritter over the Roan

http://www.aspendailynews.com/archive_22917

David Frey – Aspen Daily News Correspondent

Fri 11/23/2007 11:00PM MST

Environmentalists and sportsmen’s groups are calling for a “final push” encouraging Gov. Bill Ritter to seek more protections from energy development on the Roan Plateau. Their effort comes in the waning days of the review period the governor asked for to study the drilling plan put in place before he took office.

The effort is part of conservationists’ two-pronged approach meant to keep gas rigs off the surface of the plateau to protect the landscape and habitat for species like deer and elk.

In addition to pressuring the governor to urge the Bureau of Land Management to ban drilling from the top, drilling foes are encouraging lawmakers to support language in the energy bill that would keep drilling off the Roan for at least a year. Reps. John Salazar and Mark Udall, both Colorado Democrats, succeeded in getting that language included in the House version of the bill.

“Success with both the legislature and the governor’s review is going to be really important,” said Clare Bastable, conservation director for the Colorado Mountain Club. “What they decide to do in Washington is equally as important as the plan itself.”

Ritter’s office isn’t indicating what action the governor will take after the review period ends in mid-December. Spokesman Evan Dreyer said his options range from endorsing the current plan to making his own recommendations. But even if he offers his own plan, the BLM may not listen.

“There is nothing that obligates the federal government to pay any heed to us should we offer recommendations,” Dreyer said, “so in short, it is all still a very unsettled picture.”

THE PLAN
The BLM has approved a plan that would allow gas drilling on top of the Roan, but with phasing intended to limit surface disturbance and protect wildlife. The plan was based largely on recommendations by the state Division of Natural Resources, which worried that drilling on the plateau could harm the species that call it home.

But that was under Ritter’s predecessor, Gov. Bill Owens, a Republican. After Ritter, a Democrat, took office in January, he asked for a chance to review the project. The BLM initially refused until Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., brother of Rep. Salazar, threatened to withhold consideration of President Bush’s nominee to head the BLM.

The energy industry is also stepping up its efforts to press for drilling on the plateau. Last month, the group Americans for American Energy released a study that claimed the state could reap $1.2 billion in the first year of drilling on the Roan Plateau, and that local and regional bodies would gain $6 billion in royalties and taxes over 30 years and $11 billion in industry investment. Environmentalists questioned those numbers.

“It only makes sense, I think, to go slow on developing resources like the Roan,” said Bastable, who said most of the gas leases already approved haven’t been drilled on yet. “We’re in no danger of losing revenue.”

In recent weeks, conservation organizations and hunting and fishing groups have organized phone banks, appeared in radio ads and have encouraged members to call Ritter and Sen. Salazar to encourage more protections for the Roan.

“Nobody’s saying that you can’t extract gas out of the ground,” said Bill Dvorak, of the National Wildlife Federation. “We’re just saying there’s ways to do it that will leave the wildlife habitat intact.”

Dvorak said he would like to see energy companies use methods like directional drilling to reach the gas under the plateau without drilling new wells. He said he worries not only about protecting the habitat on top of the Roan, but some of the remaining habitat below. That’s important winter range, he said, but it’s already been impacted by a “web” of wells and roads.

“We think eventually there will be ways to extract the gas,” said Suzanne O’Neill, executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, “but we have to have a little bit of patience so we strike the right balance and protect critical wildlife habitat.”

In addition to species like deer and elk, the Roan is also home to some rare populations of native cutthroat trout. That has raised concerns among anglers.

“They’re a pretty unique population of fish up there,” said Ken Neubecker, vice president of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “Right now, while they’ve survived thousands of years in these small populations, a single accident up there, either from stormwater discharge or a tanker truck spill, could wipe these populations out. There’s no need to rush into this and go after this gas.”

The energy industry has said the gas could be extracted without harming wildlife. An estimated 8.9 trillion cubic feet of federally-owned natural gas is believed to lie 8,000 to 11,000 feet below, enough to heat 4 million homes for 20 years. Supporters believe that could be an important source of domestic fuel, from an area originally set aside for energy production.

Ritter’s spokesman Dreyer said the governor’s office hasn’t seen a big increase in phone calls or correspondences from either environmental groups or drilling supporters, but that will likely change as the governor’s deadline approaches.

Drilling opponents said they hope the governor will seek to keep gas rigs off the surface of the Roan, and the BLM will listen.

“He’s the head of the state government and represents the people in Colorado,” Neubecker said. “His voice, I hope, would be important in protecting the resources on top of the Roan in the face of, really, this juggernaut of oil and gas development in western Colorado.”

Law prevents work to clear pollution

http://www.gazette.com/articles/water_30226___article.html/mine_law.html

By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD

THE GAZETTE

November 27, 2007

In the mountains above the Keystone ski resort, a legacy of the past continues to pollute the future.

From the 1880s through the 1940s, the Pennsylvania Mine was one of Summit County’s most profitable. Today, all it produces is acidic and metal-laden drainage water that poisons creeks, kills fish and confounds local officials.

For nearly 15 years, the federal law meant to clean sources of water pollution such as the Pennsylvania Mine has actually prevented work to improve the water.

A 1993 court ruling said that, under the Clean Water Act, anyone who tries to remediate water at an abandoned mine becomes legally liable for discharges there forever. The ruling halted efforts by the state to clean drainage from the Pennsylvania Mine and ensured that little water cleanup was done at any of Colorado’s other 23,000 abandoned mines.

A decade of efforts to pass a socalled “good Samaritan” law, legal protection for groups and government agencies who want to clean up mines, has failed, mainly because of resistance from environmental groups. Both of Colorado’s U.S. senators backed such a measure last year.

“The Clean Water Act was written and designed to clean up problems like this, and it’s the only thing stopping us from doing it, and it’s so unfortunate,” said Elizabeth Russell, mine restoration coordinator for Trout Unlimited, which wants to be a good Samaritan at the Pennsylvania Mine.

A recent report on Colorado water quality pointed to abandoned mines as a major cause of heavy metal contamination in creeks running down from the high country. Most of the mining companies no longer exist, so there is nobody to hold responsible.

There are a host of nonprofit organizations, local governments and state agencies that would like to get involved in cleanup efforts, particularly in areas such as Summit County where dead, brown waterways like Peru Creek at the Pennsylvania Mine could be bad for tourism. But assuming the legal liability for all future discharges – in today’s litigious society – is a risk none will take.

While it may seem a good Samaritan law may be a nobrainer, like most issues of environmental law, it is not.

When Colorado’s U.S. senators, Republican Wayne Allard and Democrat Ken Salazar, backed a bill in 2006 to remove parts of the law that discourage cleanup, it drew opposition from environmental groups.

The groups worried changes could allow mining companies to come back into the mines and renew operations and not be responsible for discharges. The opposition was enough to kill the legislation, and it looks unlikely any will advance in 2007.

It’s an issue dividing environmentalists.

Russell said she recognizes the concern other environmental groups have about weakening the law. But, she said, “We’re the only ones out there trying to do the darn cleanup.”

At the Pennsylvania Mine, the lack of legislation has forced cleanup advocates to get creative.

Plans are in the works to create a nonprofit organization, the Snake River Water Foundation, that will take over ownership of a water treatment facility outside the mine. The foundation will have little cash or assets, so it is hoped no one would bother to sue it under the Clean Water Act.

“Nobody’s going to sue them because they don’t have anything to be sued for. There’s no money,” Russell said.

Numerous groups, government agencies and ski resorts are involved in the effort, though not Denver Water, because there are no human health issues for Lake Dillon reservoir downstream of the mine, which serves the water supplier.

It’s not the ideal way of doing cleanups – it’s taken 15 years to reach this point, and plans for the treatment facility still haven’t been drawn up. It will cost from $500,000 to $1.5 million, Russell said.

But, for now, it’s the only way of cleaning up the polluted water rolling down from the mines of yesteryear.

The native dilemma

Hermosa Creek cutthroat project mixes opinions

On the whole, Durango’s angling community is “divided” on the issue, according to Ty Churchwell, vice-president of the local Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited. http://www.durangotelegraph.com/telegraph.php?inc=/07-11-08/localnews.htm

by Will Sands

The push is on to go native in the headwaters of Hermosa Creek. The Colorado Division of Wildlife and San Juan National Forest are currently working to reverse the local decline of the native Colorado River cutthroat trout. However, the reintroduction effort, which focuses on the drainage’s headwaters, has also drawn mixed reviews.

The Colorado River cutthroat, the only trout species native to western Colorado, was abundant in rivers through the mid-1800s. At that time, human settlement arrived in the San Juan Mountains, and the fish were over-harvested. Early residents of the area recognized the need to restore the balance in the Animas, San Juan, Florida and Pine rivers, and they imported rainbow, brook and brown trout from outside the region and began stocking them in the area’s waterways. These fish, and particularly the brook trout, eventually outcompeted the native cutthroats, leading to the current situation. Only a few pockets of the original fish remain in the San Juans, and the cutthroats have been designated a Species of Special Concern by the DOW and a Sensitive Species by the Forest Service.

“When you have a combination of species, the brook trout typically outcompete the others,” explained Mike Japhet, senior aquatic biologist for the DOW. “If we did nothing, the entire upper Hermosa Creek area would be completely populated by brook trout in a number of years.”

The DOW is doing something in the upper Hermosa watershed, however. Faced with the threat of an “endangered” designation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency is continuing its efforts to bring the native fish back to the San Juan Mountains.

“This project is certainly one that is a high priority,” Japhet said. “The Forest Service and DOW have agreed that preventing the listing of this species as ‘endangered’ is a good thing to do. It’s a situation where an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”

This ounce of prevention actually got under way in 1992 on the East Fork of Hermosa Creek. At that time, a hold-out population of pure Colorado River cutthroat trout was discovered in a remote stream within the Weminuche Wilderness. The DOW then identified that East Fork of Hermosa Creek, located near Purgatory, as an ideal stream to reintroduce the natives. More than a decade later, that population is now flourishing.

“The project on East Hermosa Creek is doing very well,” Japhet said. “It’s a very stable, very robust population of cutthroats up there.”

That 1992 discovery also led to the creation of a Weminuche strain of Colorado River cutthroat trout. Spawn taken from that original discovery has been used to establish a brood stock at the Durango fish hatchery. Since 2005, fingerlings from that stock have been seeded into remote streams and high-mountain lakes throughout the region. Now the DOW plans to stock the native fingerlings into another stretch of Hermosa Creek – 4 miles of the stream’s upper reaches above Hotel Draw.

Japhet explained that the upper Hermosa Creek drainage offers the DOW a unique opportunity to restore the natives in close proximity to the East Fork population. With the current project, the agency will reintroduce the fish into 4 miles of upper Hermosa Creek and 1 mile of Corral Creek. To accomplish this, the Forest Service recently built a five-foot waterfall barrier on the stream to isolate the new fish from other trout and potential predation.

Next summer, the stretches will be treated with rotenone, a short-lived botanical pesticide, to kill the existing, healthy population of mixed trout species. Widely used for the last 80 years, rotenone does not harm other species and breaks down completely within 48 hours. Thirty days after the application, the fingerlings will be introduced and special regulations will be implemented to protect the fledgling population.

Though the introduction is intended to be beneficial, it has drawn criticism and split the local flyfishing community. Some have criticized the DOW for destroying one population of fish to create another. Another group of anglers has said that the project will harm their ability to fish on a favorite stretch of water.

On the whole, Durango’s angling community is “divided” on the issue, according to Ty Churchwell, vice-president of the local Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

“We can’t even come up with a uniform opinion about the project amongst our board,” he said. “We took a straw poll at our last meeting, and we don’t have strong consensus in one direction or another and can’t make a formal statement about the reintroduction.”

However, for his part, Churchwell strongly advocates the reintroduction and restoring a local section of stream to the conditions of 125 years ago. “My personal opinion is that I am all for it,” he said. “I’d like to see things restored to native genetics as closely as possible. This is a section that the public will be able to drive to, fish and catch a cutthroat trout that is as genetically pure as possible.”

Churchwell and Japhet also disputed the claims that the reintroduction will damage the Durango fishing experience. They noted that local anglers have hundreds of miles of stream at their disposal and can readily fish the 23-mile stretch of lower Hermosa Creek as well as countless other similar streams.

“There are so many people who love to fish up there, and they don’t care what kind of trout they catch,” Churchwell said. “But there are also hundreds of miles of stream just like that in the San Juans, and we’re talking about reintroducing natives on one little section.”

Japhet added that the project is about reestablishing the viability of an animal species. He asked that anglers endure a temporary disruption in recreation to help accomplish a greater goal.

“We’re certainly sensitive to the fact that people are concerned about impacts to their recreational fishing,” he said. “But we feel like the short-term disruption will be far outweighed by the benefits of enhancing the habitat and creating a new area for people to fish for these natives. When you restore a native species, it’s a win-win for everyone.” •

High flying: National Fly Fishing Championships return

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/sep/27/national-fly-fishing-championships-return/

By Zak Brown
Thursday, September 27, 2007

When Jay Alipit steps into the rushing waters of the National Fly Fishing Championships next week, the cool Colorado flows will feel mighty familiar.

The Boulder angler will be one of more than 150 competitors at the Boulder-based championships, the largest fly fishing competition in America. At stake are individual and team gold, silver and bronze medals. And as a local angler, he has homestream advantage.

“I’ve fished these rivers for a long time and feel like I know them like the back of my hand,” Alipit said. “When you step into the waters, you immediately know what’s going to work, how spooky the fish are. (The competition stretches) are not the most popular sections, but I think they’re probably the more challenging on the waters.”

Five-member teams from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Ireland will assemble in Boulder for the championships, which are being held in northern Colorado for the second consecutive year. The competitors will fish for three days on the Big Thompson River, the Poudre River, Dowdy Lake and Parvin Lake. The lakes are part of the Red Feather Lakes area.

The areas around the fishing venues are open to the public, and spectators are welcome to watch. It is a chance to pick up some pointers from some of the best fishermen – or women – in the country. The competition is coed.

The winner will be determined by total centimeters after the three days of competition, and the species of trout caught has no bearing on who wins. There are two sessions on Oct. 3 and 4 and one session on Oct. 5. Anglers’ assignments, or beats, are determined randomly, and that’s why total centimeters won’t determine who gets spots on the U.S. national team.

The 55 American anglers, who earned their spot in Boulder through qualifiers, are vying for a chance to be considered for one of the 15 spots on Team USA. The qualifications are not objective. An angler’s skill and competency are also factored in when invites for the 2008 World Championships in New Zealand are handed out.

“Sometimes the competitors will draw bad beats (their fishing assignments) for the entire tournament and struggle,” said Paul Prentiss, chairman of the championships. “Then some will do really well, but draw good beats the whole time. So the coaches look for things like a competitor’s focus and skill and heart.”

Alipit competed at last year’s tournament and qualified for the tournament this year in Fresno, Calif. After seeing the type of competition he’s up against, he expects to be more prepared for this year.

“We were surrounded by great anglers. It was a learning experience for all of us, with the exception of the guys who were already on the team. It was great fun,” he said. “To have those type of anglers competing on our local waters, it’s pretty intense.”who gets spots on the U.S. national team.

The 55 American anglers, who earned their spot in Boulder through qualifiers, are vying for a chance to be considered for one of the 15 spots on Team USA. The qualifications are not objective. An angler’s skill and competency are also factored in when invites for the 2008 World Championships in New Zealand are handed out.

“Sometimes the competitors will draw bad beats (their fishing assignments) for the entire tournament and struggle,” said Paul Prentiss, chairman of the championships. “Then some will do really well, but draw good beats the whole time. So the coaches look for things like a competitor’s focus and skill and heart.”

Alipit competed at last year’s tournament and qualified for the tournament this year in Fresno, Calif. After seeing the type of competition he’s up against, he expects to be more prepared for this year.

“We were surrounded by great anglers. It was a learning experience for all of us, with the exception of the guys who were already on the team. It was great fun,” he said. “To have those type of anglers competing on our local waters, it’s pretty intense.”

Gunnison River diversion successfully installed

Another partner in the project was the Gunnison Angling Society, a chapter of Trout Unlimited. Spokesman Mern Judson said the chapter has worked for 10 years to get the old dam replaced and even though the work was scheduled during the chapter’s annual Superfly fundraiser, there was no question the work had to be done.

http://www.gjsentinel.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2007/09/12/091207_OUT_db_gunny_dam_WWW.html

By DAVE BUCHANAN The Daily Sentinel

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

GUNNISON – An irrigation diversion on the Gunnison River that promises to be fish-, boater- and irrigator-friendly was completed last week after a decade of wrangling among concerned parties.

The new structure, actually three separate smaller dams, was designed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife to replace an earth-and-rock diversion that effectively blocked upstream fish passage during low water and also posed some hazards to boaters.

With Pagosa Springs-based stream rehabilitation contractor Dale Hockett of Elk Ridge Construction doing most of the heavy lifting and with water flow cooperation from the Bureau of Reclamation and the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users, the project was completed inside four days and within the $50,000 budget, said DOW aquatic biologist Dan Brauch.

“I’m very happy with the way it turned out,” Brauch said. “From our initial design we put something together that would meet all the purposes of what we are trying to achieve in the project, which included easing kokanee passage upstream and improved boating safety downsteam.”

Also vital was maintaining water availability for irrigators and Brauch said the new structure, built largely from large boulders donated by the Colorado Division of Highways from one of its projects near Gunnison, will not only provide water to ditches but also not need the annual maintenance the older dam required.

“The design met all those objectives and then Dale came in and did some slight modifications on-site to make it better,” Brauch said. “We ended up with a much more natural-looking structure.”

Hockett has worked extensively with stream-rehabilitation guru Dave Rosgen and does most of Rosgen’s projects, Brauch said.

Hockett “is great at placing rocks and knows how they need to be built for stability,” Brauch said.

That talent is critical, since the new diversion is built to be inundated during spring runoff without washing away, as the old structure did each year.

“Most of the structure will disappear during high water, the only part you’ll see is right off the bank,” Brauch said. “It’s going to be more efficient than the old structure.”

Another partner in the project was the Gunnison Angling Society, a chapter of Trout Unlimited. Spokesman Mern Judson said the chapter has worked for 10 years to get the old dam replaced and even though the work was scheduled during the chapter’s annual Superfly fundraiser, there was no question the work had to be done.

“They were nice enough to call me and ask if we wanted to postpone the work since it meant lowering the water level in the Taylor River,” Judson said. “But I said, ‘Heck no, we’ve worked 10 years to get this done.’ ”

The work earlier had to be postponed because of high water levels. The Uncompahgre Valley water users and the Burec agreed to lower flows in the Taylor by 75 cubic feet per second to assist the construction.

Also helping in the project was Ray Trucking of Gunnison and a grant from the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District paid $25,000 toward the work.

“Without their help this would not have happened,” Brauch said.

The DOW paid another $20,000 with the remainder coming from water users

First time’s a charm

GJ angler wins Superfly contest on his initial try

http://www.gjsentinel.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2007/09/12/091207_OUT_superfly_WWW.html

By DAVE BUCHANAN The Daily Sentinel

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

GUNNISON – For every fall but one since 1989, the Gunnison Angling Society has conducted its Superfly fundraiser. In all those years, except the first, of course, it’s questionable if anyone entering the one-day fishing contest for the first time has won.

Matt Mayer of Grand Junction managed that feat last weekend when the Superfly novice garnered first place in a contest whose face has changed greatly from years past.

In prior years, the competition, a major fundraiser for the Gunnison Angling Society chapter of Trout Unlimited, was a one-fly contest with winning based on total number of inches of trout. You started with one fly and when that fly was no longer fishable (which mostly means hanging high in a tree or broken off by a fish) your fishing was done for the day.

In the past, whoever caught the most fish (equals usually most inches, right?) usually won.

This year, however, anglers were given free access to their fly box but were limited to recording only five trout, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, with one “wild card” trout at any time.

This put a premium on catching a big fish early, since you had to measure your first fish (kokanee salmon were not allowed) and being able to gamble later whether that 10-inch trout you caught with an hour left on the clock should be counted or released on the hopes of catching something bigger before time ran out.

Mayer, who runs a medical technology company in Grand Junction with his father, orthopedic surgeon David Mayer, made his life much easier when he hooked and netted a 19-inch rainbow on the East River with only a few minutes left in his morning beat.

“I caught it on a flashabou egg pattern, one they tie at Western Anglers, with a little beadhead,” said Mayer, who finished the contest with a total of 77 inches for five trout. “I’ve used it before so I had some confidence in it. We (Mayer, teammate Steve Ward and their guide) moved into this hole with 15 to 20 minutes left in the morning and I caught that fish with 5 minutes left.”

Unfortunately, no photos exist of the winning fish (although all fish were winning fish, since even a 10-inch fish might have been the clincher) because Mayer and Ward “were scrambling around so much to get Steve his last fish,” Mayer said.

The two members of the Grand Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited finished eighth as a team, and the other GVA team, comprised of Mac Cunningham and this woeful reporter, managed to clinch fifth.

Team fishing presents some interesting challenges. Mindy Sturm, a Realtor from Crested Butte, and Gene Hart, a long-time Gunnison River guide now living in Gunnison, paired up to take second in the team standings with 121 inches total and she said there was some strategy and gambling needed to finish high in the standings.

“I figured we needed at least a 15-inch fish (to win) and if I would have counted my 13-inch fish we would have lost by 2 inches,” she said. “So I released the 13-incher hoping for a bigger fish. We didn’t really know where anyone’s score was, I just felt I needed a 15-inch fish.”

But her gamble failed and she stuck on four fish, including one that went 15.5 inches, while Hart recorded five, the biggest a 151⁄4-inch rainbow (all fish were measured to the closest eighth-inch). The twosome finished 15 inches behind the eventual winners.

“But I really like the concept of working to catch a few big fish more than just hooking everything you can and getting it back in the water,” Sturm said. “There was a lot of strategy, (including) knowing the water and the holes and how many fish were sitting in the holes and getting the larger fish out of there.

“We caught almost a dozen (fish) each we didn’t count.”

But what can an everyday angler take out of a fishing competition, whether it’s the Superfly or the National Fly Fishing Championship slated for Colorado in October?

At first glance, it might seem competitive angling, even as low-key as the Gunnison Superfly, where emphasis in put on enjoying oneself, offers little for the average fly fisher, but that’s like saying nothing comes out of NASCAR.

Just as many improvements in engines, safety and equipment have grown from the cars that go fast just so they can turn left, anglers can gain something by watching competitive anglers.

“There’s a lesson in knowing the river and how to stay out of trouble with your fly because every river has so many spots where you can into trouble,” offered Mayer, who won a Scott fly rod. “I’d say you have to have a fly you can fish with confidence, but also don’t be afraid (to change flies) if one isn’t working for you. I used so many different flies, I wouldn’t have done nearly as well if it was still a one-fly contest.”