The 4th Annual South Platte Pro Am Carp Slam, Sponsored by Wells Fargo, World Fishing Network, RIO Fishing Products and Trout's Fly Fishing

When: Saturday, August 21st and 22nd, 2010 Where: Fuel Café in Denver, Colorado

www.carpslam.org

Please join Denver Trout Unlimited as they host the 4th Annual Carp Slam on the banks of the South Platte River in Downtown Denver. This is your chance to become Colorado's premier Carp Fisherman while supporting TU's river conservation efforts. The Grand Prize for winning the "open" format is $1,500.  All proceeds go toward restoration projects taking place on the metro section of the South Platte River.

In addition, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will speak to participants during lunch about the city’s promotion and involvement in River South and River North, the key initiatives that are helping to restore and enhance the S. Platte River for a variety of recreation uses, including fishing!

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

In addition to Wells Fargo as the lead sponsor for the event, this year’s sponsors include World Fishing Network, Trout’s Fly Fishing, Rio Fishing Products, Umpqua, Ross Fly Rods and Reels, Temple Fork Outfitters, FishExplorer.com, Coloradoflyfisherman.com, Orvis Cherry Creek, Hardy and Greys, MichaelGracie.com, Charlie’s Fly Box, Colorado Skies Outfitters, Tonto Hair, Willie Stewart, TrophyRoom.com, theonlinekeepsac.com, Fuel Café and Wynkoop Brewing Co.

Thanks to this year’s sponsors, Day 1 amateur participants will each receive a gift of a pair of Oakley sunglasses (valued at over $150), Rio fly line and leaders (valued at $85), a commemorative Carp Slam T-shirt and numerous other items as a thank you for participating in the event.

Registration Info

You must register ahead of time for the event. To register for the event, or find out additional information, please visit www.carpslam.org or call 720-24TROUT for tickets.

Carp slam poster Final 8-3-10 v2

Willoughby: Healthy upper Colorado isn't sure thing anymore

By Scott WilloughbyThe Denver Post

"We can't continue to take and take water from the upper Colorado without accounting for the serious impacts to fish and wildlife habitat," said Ken Neubecker of Colorado Trout Unlimited. "This is a river on the brink. A vibrant, healthy river system in the upper Colorado is every bit as important to the future of Colorado as the water it supplies to our farms and cities."

Estimates place as much as 60 percent of the upper Colorado already being diverted from the drainage and the proposed Windy Gap Firming Project could take another 20 percent of a river struggling to survive. The proposed Moffat Firming Project, seeking federal approval at the same time, will further reduce flows in the upper Colorado.

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_15725733

Carson Lake’s lure

Grand Junction Sentinel

By Bill Haggerty

Carson Lake has long held a soft spot in my heart. Maybe it’s because Carson is a lovely, pristine mountain lake. Or maybe it’s because Carson Lake is so close to town, I can beat the heat in about an hour and a half. Maybe it’s because one of the finest short drives in the West, the Lands End Road, takes you right up to Carson Lake. (Lands End is a spur of Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway!)

Most likely, however, it’s because I can catch lots of wild, fat brook trout there.

The road is in good shape, and the trek around the lake is an easy hike, except for the bog near the inlet (wear appropriate foot gear!). It’s also a spotless recreation area and we can thank the local Grand Valley Anglers chapter of Trout Unlimited for adopting this lake and keeping it so clear of litter.

http://www.gjsentinel.com/outdoors/articles/carson_lakes_lure/

Save our waters

By Tonya BinaSky-Hi News

The Grand County chapter of Trout Unlimited has forwarded a petition to Moffat Firming project stakeholders, signed by Grand County residents and visitors, reiterating the need for protection of the area's rivers.

With the comment period on the water firming project long over, and as citizens await the ruling on the proposed increased diversions by Denver Water and the Northern Water Conservancy District, Trout Unlimited's Colorado River Headwaters Chapter President Kirk Klancke said the reason for the petition was to “just keep things simmering.”

In just over a week, as many as 429 people signed a petition urging sound use of headwaters resources in Grand County. Signatures had been gathered on three separate occasions, during a Trout Unlimited event at the Crooked Creek Saloon, at the Trout Unlimited Annual Banquet and at Winter Park's Art Affair, where Trout Unlimited hosted a booth.

“It was to let the people who are governing this process understand how much this means to the people of Grand County,” Klancke said.

http://www.skyhidailynews.com/article/20100807/NEWS/100809931/1079&ParentProfile=1067

Project clears invasive plants from river

Trinidad Times

Randy Woock, Staff writer

Eradication efforts are underway in Trinidad for vast swaths of invasive plant species that threaten to choke out the native riparian plant life of the Purgatoire River. Tackling Tamarisk on the Purgatoire, part of the Purgatoire River Watershed Woody Invasive Removal Project, is a multi-phase project aimed at removing such invasive species as the tamarisk and Russian olive in order to facilitate the development of the river area for recreational purposes.

The main stem of the Purgatoire River flows from Culebra Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains through Trinidad and on to the county’s northeastern quadrant where it joins the Arkansas River.

The project’s origins stretch back to about five years ago with the Trinidad Community Foundation (TCF) and has grown since to include a multitude of active and supporting partners such as Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, the Spanish Peaks-Purgatoire River Conservation District, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the City of Trinidad, the Tamarisk Coalition, private landowners and host of other agencies and groups. “We were talking about how the Purgatoire River, from the dam all the way through the town, was a very under-utilized resource. When the (TCF) got together, one of the tenants of their reason for being was recreation within the area,” TCF and Purgatoire Anglers chapter of Trout Unlimited member Howard Lackey said. “I took the project with the river as kind of our banner project for recreation.”

 http://www.trinidad-times.com/clients/trinidad-times/project-clears-invasive-plants-from-river-p675-1.htm

Thanks to Coyote Gulch for the link! http://coyotegulch.wordpress.com/

Fish the Arkansas with Guides that Care August 30th

On Monday, August 30th come out to fish the Arkansas River with guides that care. Cost for 2 people for a full day float is $375 or $315 for 1 person. Walk and wade for 2 people is $335 and $275 for 1 person. Half day rates available for both float and walk and wade.

All proceeds will be donated to the Land Trust for the Upper Arkansas, a nonprofit organization that protects important natural, agricultural, scenic, and historical lands in Lake, Chaffee, and Fremont Counties that the Arkansas River flows through.

Space is limited so RSVP by calling ArkAnglers 719-539-4223 or contact Hayden Mellsop hmellsop@pinonrealestate.com