Couples Fishing Retreat
June 4 - 10, 2023
Health Guidelines: TAPS will make every effort to ensure safe and healthy gatherings. We will continue to monitor COVID variants and may require testing onsite and/or other protocols based on local regulations and CDC guidance. At this time, we do not require proof of full vaccination and masks are optional. Should we have to make any changes you will be notified right away.
All adult surviving couples, grieving the loss of a loved one who served in the U.S. Armed Forces are warmly invited to join the Couples Fishing Retreat on the Upper Delaware, with preference given to New York families.
Photo: FUDR
OVERVIEW
In partnership with the National Park Trust and Trout Unlimited, TAPS has prepared for you a healing journey for the mind, body, and soul. Join with fellow surviving parents in this immerse experience in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We will form unique bonds stemming from our shared experiences of loss and grief as we connect with the land and waters, through the power of fly fishing.
Qualified guides at Friends of the Upper Delaware (FUDR) and Trout Unlimited Northeast (TU) will provide their expertise in fly fishing education and support our physical safety in a variety of outdoor spaces. Visit the Friends of the Upper Delaware or Trout Unlimited Northeast for more information.
SCHEDULE
June 4: On this travel day, you will arrive at the West Branch Angler Resort, get settled into your room, then meet your hosts and connect with other couples on the Retreat over dinner at the River Run Restaurant on the campus of the Resort.
June 5 & 6: After breakfast, participants will receive their complimentary fishing gear then meet their fishing instructors at the pond on the West Branch Angler Resort campus to practice fly casting. After a box lunch by the river, instructors will guide couples, wading in the home waters of the resort. Early June is “premier hatch season” when mayflies flutter up from the surface of the river. With luck, there may be rising trout to stalk. Then, after the day’s instruction and wade fishing everyone gathers for dinner at River Run Restaurant.
June 7: A free day for rest and your choice of activities in the beautiful western Catskills.
June 8 & 9: Experienced fly-fishing guides take each couple on day-long float trips, where you will fish and take in the incredible wildlife like many waterfowl, deer mink and more, along with hopeful catches of the famous Delaware River brown and rainbow trout. A box lunch is provided on the river, with dinner and stories of the day’s adventures will be shared back at the River Run Restaurant each night.
June 10: After breakfast, participants will share “see you laters” and travel home.
ADVENTURE LEVEL
This retreat is rated as a medium-intensity adventure. We'll be active and everyone will have an opportunity to challenge themselves. Activities will involve light physical exertion. Much of our time will be spent outdoors fly fishing and enjoying the incredible scenery of the incredible Catskills in New York.