Iowan wins award for cutthroat trout

COUNCIL BLUFFS — A leading conservation group has recognized a Council Bluffs fisherman for his species preservation practices.

Ward Bean was presented the CuttCatch Award by the Federation of Fly Fishers for his accomplishment and appreciation of cutthroat trout diversity, according to a press release from the federation.

He fishes for cutthroat trout subspecies in their native waters and uses artificial flies for bait. He releases each fish he catches back into its native waters.

The award is part of the federation's Project CuttCatch, which promotes appreciation of America's native fish species. The program encourages fly fishers to document the cutthroat trout subspecies they have caught and released, like a bird enthusiast recording sightings of a rare bird.

Federation members who successfully catch four subspecies of cutthroat trout are eligible for the CuttCatch Award. Some of the subspecies occupy a very small range and can only be found in small, remote drainages, so tracking them down is an adventure in itself.

Many of North America's subspecies of cutthroat trout are facing pressures that could lead to their disappearance. Learning to value the fish in their native ranges is a critical first step towards conservation and recovery.

Bean has been fly fishing since he was a teenager, he said.

“My father owned a hardware store, and he had a fairly substantial sporting goods department in that store. He sold fly rods, and I wanted a bamboo fly rod ... and that got me started fly fishing.”

“I was self-taught,” he said. “I used a Sports Afield magazine article. It had photos that showed the correct technique.”

Bean fishes for trout in western states, in British Columbia in Canada and in northeast Iowa, he said.

“We have some great trout fishing streams in northeast Iowa,” he said. “There are over 60 separate spring creeks, they're called, because they all are spring-fed.”

The cutthroat is one of about five species of trout native to the United States, Bean said. It is distinguished by red marks under its gills that make it look like its throat has been cut.

“Then there are several subspecies,” he said. “They all live in the western United States.”

Bean, who also enjoys fishing for bass and pan fish, always releases the fish he catches, he said.

“I haven't killed a fish on purpose for probably 25 years,” he said. “It doesn't matter if it is a trout or a bluegill or a bass. I do it because it's a way of preserving fish species.

“We use barbless flies, and you can release them sometimes without touching the fish.”

Bean, former dean of continuing education at Iowa Western Community College, took early retirement in 1999. His Web site on fly fishing, www.warmwaterflytyer.com, has caught national attention.

The Federation of Fly Fishers, founded in 1965, is an organization with international membership dedicated to preserving, restoring, and educating through fly fishing.

For more information on Project Cuttcatch and the CuttCatch Award, see the federation's Web site: www.fedflyfishers.org.