“The mission of Thermopolis Trout Unlimited is to bring together the communities in the Bighorn Basin to conserve, protect, and restore our cold water fisheries and their watersheds.” 

"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."

~ Henry David Thoreau

We will accomplish our mission by facilitating events, activities, and projects that will:

  1. Create public awareness of the critical need to conserve and protect our healthy watersheds, and to join together as we work to restore those that are damaged or destroyed.  

  2. Educate, inspire, and motivate individuals and families to join us in this vital mission.

  3. Provide volunteer opportunities for individuals and families that are not only engaging and fun, but will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those individuals and families, and the environment we seek to preserve.

“While here on earth, I shall endeavor with all my ability and steadfast efforts to preserve and add to our wilderness so that all who follow in my footsteps might have the same opportunity to use and enjoy it as I have. Remember, the way of a wilderness is love and kindness towards all forms of life.”

Finis Mitchell.

Finis was a true outdoorsman. As part of a citizen volunteer effort coordinated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to introduce more trout species into the waters of the Wind Rivers, Finis and Henry hauled in small trout—fingerlings—to lakes near their camp. In 1931, Finis and his father took six horses, each loaded with two milk cans of water containing about 1,000 fingerlings, up rough trails to empty the cans into various lakes. The fingerlings were supplied by the fish hatchery at Daniel, Wyo. In this tricky process, the water in the cans had to be oxygenated by sloshing around. Burlap covered the cans, letting air in but keeping the trout from spilling out. During the 1930s, Finis, by his own estimate, stocked about 2.5 million fingerlings in 314 lakes.

Please Join Us! Together we are making a difference in the Bighorn basin.

Thermopolis Trout Unlimited started in 2024 to partner together with those concerned individuals and groups in our communities. Together we will conserve, protect, and restore our fisheries. Learn more about our events and initiatives.

Projects and Events

  • Fly Fishing Clinics

    Whether you are new to fly fishing or an experienced fishing guide, we will have networking opportunities, informative classes, and fun contests with cool prizes like Hats, Stickers, Hand Tied Flies & Gift Certificates.

  • Watershed Restoration

    All Trout Unlimited restoration projects address the causes of degradation rather than merely the symptoms. To sustain healthy streams and trout populations, we need durable restoration solutions. Thus, our watershed restoration projects utilize partnerships and process-based restoration practices to help streams and landscapes function without chronic intervention over the long term.

  • Fishing Days

    Everyone is invited to our fishing days! While experienced anglers are encouraged to come, we remember what it is like to be a new angler and be unsure of how, where and when to go out. A chapter fishing outing is a perfect place to build those skills and confidence.

  • Fly Tying Classes

    You are invited to learn fly tying or im­prove tying skills. Experienced instructors will teach both beginning and intermediate level fly-tying courses. Classes consist of instructor-led demonstrations and hands-on tutorials. The courses are completely free of charge, and all materials needed during in-class instruction are provided.

  • River Clean Ups

    Keeping trash out of rivers and streams is one of the easiest ways to conserve and protect our local waters. Join us for one of our River Clean Ups, make an immediate impact, and meet some really cool folks!

  • Trout in the Classroom

    Trout in the Classroom offers students the chance to raise trout in a classroom setting and then release them into a nearby body of water.  Caring for the fish fosters a conservation ethic in the students, and fosters a new generation of advocates for trout and the watersheds in which they live.

  • Rod Building Clinics

    I can build my own custom fishing rod? Absolutely! Thermopolis Trout Unlimited will be hosting A Rod Building Class led by our own board member Matt Mueller. Check out our calendar of events for more information.

  • Monthly Speakers Series

    Join us for our monthly speakers series and engage with knowledgable, fishy, fun experts!

"To go fishing is the chance to wash one's soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of sun on blue water. It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature, charity toward tackle-makers, patience toward fish, a mockery of profits and egos, a quieting of hate, a rejoicing that you do not have to decide a darned thing until next week. And it is discipline in the equality of men - for all men are equal before fish."

~Herbert Hoover

Ready to get involved or learn more? Join us for one of our monthly events, meet our board of directors, and some of our amazing volunteers. Learn more about our current projects and events.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter to learn about our latest projects and events and to receive invitations to all of our events.

Thermopolis Trout Unlimited is proud to be a 501(c)(3) organization under the umbrella of the national organization of Trout Unlimited, whose focus is to conserve coldwater fisheries throughout the continent.