Going the Distance for Casting for Recovery

About 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime; this is a startling statistic. Last year I found a way to help women dealing with breast cancer as a volunteer for the Casting for Recovery (CFR) retreat in my home state of Oregon. CFR is a national non-profit support and educational program for women of all ages and in all stages of breast cancer. It provides retreats at no cost to participants, which allow women whose lives have been profoundly affected by breast cancer to gather in a beautiful, natural setting and learn to fly fish.

At the retreat I witnessed a program that brought hope, gratitude, peace, inspiration, encouragement, and strength to women recovering from breast cancer.  I walked away inspired and fired up to once again use my spey casting skills to raise money for Casting for Recovery and team up with past Spey-O-Rama champion,Whitney Gould .

At the SOR finals, a wind advisor was in effect that day. Gust of 20-35 WNW winds made it far from ideal conditions. Swirling, blustery weather would blow a cast 20 feet back and slam the line on the water. With just 6 minutes to complete 12 casts, it was challenging to have the patience and wait for the “right wind.” It was one of the most interesting competitions to watch.  Despite gusty conditions, both the men and woman made some big cast. Whitney and my combined distance was 265 feet. Based on that, with your pledges we raised over $7000.00 for the CFR Nor Cal and Northern Oregon Retreats. 

 I would like to thank all you that contributed and made this possible. 

   

Simms, Echo, Gary Anderson Custom Rod, Nautilus Reel, Boggs Trail Butter,  Owl Creek Flies , Sage Products  Little Creek Outfitters , Royal Treatment Fly Shop, Fanny Krieger, Judith O'keefe, Rebecca Blair,  The Drake , Gink and Gasoline , Deneki , Roger Grummel, Cynthia Ervin, Eunice Higgens, Chris Deleone, George Olmsted, Stephanie Gould, Blue Ribbon Sales, Mark Seligman, Dylan Rose, Doug Morgan, Judith Brown, Paul Ridgway, Mary and Jim Bast, Glen Foster, Nanaette Rich, Paul Nicodemus, Karen Gould, Richard Harrington, Jeff Howard, Genevieve Long, Douglas Jett, Mike Williams, Darryl Gould, Linda Slater, Andrea Warner, Swing the Fly, Anne Vitale, Rob Perkins, Nick English, Catherine Slaugh, Phil Renner, Sharon Gould, Mark Huber, Cheryl Bell, Scott Humphrey, Suzanne Gulick, Steve Egge, Rob Sims, Clay Krull, James Reid, Lee Lashway, Ram Reagan, Rob Stuart, Kate Taylor, Hal Leavell, Poppy Cummins, Lindsay Vincent, Kristen Kinsman, Summer Run Guide Service, Carla  Lessard, William Swindell, Raging River Sales, Saracione, David Beaudry, Glen McCormick , James Reid, Gene Weber ,Ian Reeves and Robin Wright, Denise Bulwinkel ,Diane Moreel ,Sandi Kushnei ,Joanne Winship

Congrats to Steve Egge who won the fishing trip and Andrea Warner who won the casting lesson.

The raffle items went to:

Simms Backpack - Anne Vitale

Sage Rod - Carla Lessard

Nautilus Reel - Mark Huber

Echo Rod - Mike Williams

Gary Anderson Rod - Glenn Foster

Boggs Trail Butter – Summer Run Guide Service

Owl Creek Flies -  Glen

Public Land your Playground

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." Aldo Leopold

Public lands are my play ground and if you hunt or fish in the west, it’s probably your playground too. 

If you have an adventurous spirit; at your fingertips you can walk for miles in solitude and grace, finding rocks unturned and spectacular views. 

Places wild and free, without judgment.  

It's up to us to give this land the highest standard deserved for fish and wildlife.

It's up to us to protect these special places so our kids can experience wild places like we do.

Cedar on high ground

Find the chukar!

Get involved to protect your Public Lands! 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month,  Find out how Casting For Recovery helps women recover and find hope and how Simms Fishing Products is bringing awareness in October and you can support that effort. 

My grandmother had breast cancer, a good friend lost her life to cancer 5 years ago after numerous treatments and my mother at the age of 60, pasted away from pancreatic cancer 10 years.  Its heartbreaking to see women I love, loss their life's at such as early age. 

Cancer is a disease that can't be ignored.  Casting for Recovery is a non profit that provides hope, at no cost retreat to participants, which allow women whose lives have been profoundly affected by breast cancer to gather in a beautiful, natural setting and learn to fly fish. The retreats incorporate counseling, educational services and the sport of fly fishing to promote mental and physical healing. CFR currently has 45 retreats in 35 states scheduled for 2011.

Each Casting for Recovery retreat accommodates 14 women, who apply and are selected through a random lottery, and immerses them in the world of fly fishing for two-and-a-half days.

Volunteers share their love of the sport by teaching participants casting, tie the basic knots and all about the bugs . . . “What Fish Eat”. They attend a medical session to learn about and share the latest medical treatments available. Participants also attend an evening gathering to share their emotions and feelings about breast cancer with an experienced Psychosocial Facilitator. On the last day of the retreat, the women are in the water practicing catch and release fishing assisted by CFR staff and men and women “riverhelpers” from local fly fishing clubs. Many of the participants have never picked up a rod in their life but go on to become active in the sport or become volunteers for the Casting for Recovery program.


Ways you can support CFR. Support your local retreat  

Purchase one of these Simms products

Volunteer at CFR

Spey Nations - East Coast Spey Gathering

 Spey Nation is a celebration of the 2-handed rod culture in the Great Lakes Fishery offering the unique opportunity for enthusiasts and manufacturers to gather in a streamside setting in Altmar, New York on the Salmon River.

Spey Nation features a full BBQ, raffles, “On the water” demonstrations, and interaction with professionals from the East and West Coasts. Mixing styles, knowledge, and backgrounds, Great Lakes anglers finally have the opportunity to learn Traditional Spey, Scandinavian, and Skagit techniques from the experts, try specialized equipment on the water and talk with other fishermen in an atmosphere dedicated exclusively to 2-handed casting while enjoying a burger and a brew. 

Admission is free. The BBQ is free; Spey Nation is funded completely by generous donations to our raffles. All “Profit” is donated to grass roots Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead conservation projects in our watershed.

I'll thrilled to be attending and presenting along with Will Turek, Michael Mauri, Andrew Moy, Jay Peck, Lee Davison, Walt Geryk and Travis Johnson

Additional Spey Casting class with Andrew Moy at Tight Lines North and me , June 26th. A great opportunity for beginners or experienced casters if your looking to take spey casting to the next level! Call me for more details or check out Tight Lines Fly Shop .