Benefits of Working and Volunteering for TU!

During a recent TU staff call, Chris Wood discussed the results of a TU staff survey. One of the survey areas had to do with various benefits of working for Trout Unlimited. 

January 27th is my birthday.  Looking at the beautiful day that was in store, I decided to take a trip from Bozeman to West Yellowstone and return home through Ennis and combine some TU business with pleasure…..  My plan was to visit West and Ennis fly shops and talk about the 2015 TU VSP TAPS trip.   The 2015 TAPS Men’s Retreat is being held at the Parade Rest Guest Ranch near West Yellowstone from August 26th through the 30th, and I needed to begin to round up some volunteer guides for the two days of fishing that TU and the Veterans Service Partnership will provide to the TAPS Men’s Retreat guests.  In addition, I planned to do some TU member/ volunteer work and pick up donations for the upcoming Madison-Gallatin TU banquet which I’d solicited as a member of the MGTU banquet committee and talk about aquatic invasive species issues with the fly shop folks.  So, I gathered my fishing gear, my black Lab Hopper, got my wife Karyn off to work, and headed down to West Yellowstone.   I visited Bud Lilly’s, Madison River Outfitters, and Blue Ribbon Flies.  I picked up MGTU banquet donations, talked some aquatic invasive species, and received support for the TAPS event including guide donation commitments from each of the shops!  Driving north along the Madison toward Ennis, Hopper and I stopped at Raynolds Pass Bridge below Slide Inn. We enjoyed a picnic lunch together overlooking the river,and while I geared up for fishing, Hopper played in the snow and scoped out the river looking for trout rising to midges.  My birthday wish goal was not lofty.  I only had about an hour, but I wanted to catch one trout on a dry midge!  There was not a lot going on, but I found a few midging fish in some slow water, raised a couple, missed one and pricked another. Alas, nothing to hand.  Facing a deadline to get to Ennis and pick up the MGTU donations and visit the fly shops before they closed for the day, I headed back.  As I approached the bridge, I decided to give a spot above the bridge that I knew often held rising fish one final shot.  Sure enough, there were a fair number of trout rising, my size 18 Griffiths Gnat fooled one, and I got my Birthday Brown trout!  Not an epic trout, but a nice, wild fish, and a birthday wish answered.  Back to the truck, I let Hopper out to play for a minute, and then down the road to Ennis.  Two fly shop visits, more TAPS trip guide commitments, 3 MGTU banquet donation retrievals, and I was back in Bozeman by 6:30PM in time to celebrate my birthday with Karyn!  Now, that’s a wonderful birthday and a great TU day!  What a sweet job I am blessed to have with such a great organization….

Dave Kumlien

Aquatic Invasive Species and Western Coordinator for Veterans Service Partnership