On November 1st, the opening day of trout season, the Blue River Fly Fishers held their annual get-together on Blue. This seasons crowd was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, annual events we ever had. Several new faces came to Blue and we were delighted to meet people like Deborah Noble, Michael Underwood, and Steve Wolf. These new folk added to the wonderful weave and blend of our fly fishing family. The food was awesome, as the fellowship, and we even got in a little fishing time.
On November 1st, we decided to take on the "Too Lovely To Litter" project on Blue River as suggested by Matt Gamble. We needed six sponsorships to pay for the signs on the litter stations and in less than five minutes we had those six sponsors. That speaks to the great stewardship that exists in our family on Blue River. Chris Adams volunteered to build the stations and in less than two months the entire project was up and finished. I believe the message the litter stations send has made a difference in the amount of trash we find on the river. The south wilderness is amazingly clean and even around Hughes Crossing it's difficult to find trash like we have for so many years. No, the project is not perfect, but it's a great start in our effort to have a pristine Blue river.
 |
The quality of trout we had this past season was certainly something to write home about. The wildlife department presented us with some very nice presents in the shape and form of 16 to 24 inch trout mixed in with the regular stockers. There wasn't any shortage of trout to fish for this season and early in the season we received a bonus stocking, which added to the inventory of trout.
The Blue River Fly Classic came to fruition on February 22nd. 48 contestants signed up for the event with 44 able to actually compete in the event. The first one pattern event we had drew 31 contestants, and the second drew 37. So, we do have growth in this event and we fully expect it to grow over the years. The Classic was more than a fly fishing competition. We had a grand time, entertainment, fantastic food, and just plain fun. There were some awesome items that were raffled and when it was all said and done the event raised $2600.00 for the wildlife department. The funds raised this year could very well go to a project that could add a couple of more stocking points than we have now. Nothing official, but we'll know next trout season. Scott Dittner took first place in the Classic, Dan Ham finished a close second, and Jamie Reed took third in a tie-breaker situation.
 |
| From left to right - Walker Hairston, Steve Swenson, Byron Dowd, Chad Yoas |
 |
| Scott Dittner |
 |
| Dan Ham |
 |
| Jamie Reed |
And lastly, the elite Blue River Redhorse Sucker Club grew by two members... that we know of. This season we added Chris Adams and Dan Ham to the ranks of the club. Certainly the membership to the Redhorse Sucker Club will continue to grow and maybe... just maybe, I can catch one of those darn things.
 |
| Redhorse Sucker caught by Dan Ham. |
It's been a wonderful trout season.
