By Cindy Wilson
Participant and Fundraising Coordinator
You may have noticed a large presence of fly fishers in and around Lake Arrowhead on the weekend of April 11-13. That’s because Casting for Recovery, Southern California held its Spring 2025 retreat at the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge.
Casting for Recovery is a national nonprofit organization that provides fly fishing and wellness retreats for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer at no cost to the participants. Women are chosen to attend their retreats regardless of when they were diagnosed, whether their cancer treatment was years ago or is currently interrupting their lives.
The 2-½-day getaway is designed to teach 14 women the basics of fly fishing, provide medical and psychological/social support and offer the bond of sisterhood for life.
Nationally, Casting for Recovery offers 60 retreats a year, serving 800 women, and has provided retreats for more than 11,000 since their inception more than 25 years ago. The local Southern California/Central Valley program began in 2014 and has quite a history with Lake Arrowhead, as this is where they held their very first retreat.
Marsha and the rainbow trout she caught at Tavern Bay.
Since then, with the generous support of Kathi Rothner and Rick Reisenhofer, from the Arrowhead Lake Association, Casting for Recovery, SoCal/Central Valley has enjoyed the benefits of fishing in Tavern Bay on the final day of the retreat.
On this special morning, all the participants are provided with a one-on-one volunteer fishing guide and spend the morning putting their newly acquired fly-fishing skills into practice. This year, three of the participants were able to net their very first rainbow trout, and there were quite a few “long distance release” fish, as well. It was an incredible weekend spent in the mountains, one that both staff and participants will hold close to their hearts for a very long time.
Casting for Recovery was founded on the principles that the natural world is a healing force and that women with breast cancer deserve one weekend – free of charge and free of the stresses from medical treatment, home or workplace – to experience something new and challenging in a beautiful, safe environment.
At a Casting for Recovery retreat, the gentle motion of fly casting serves as physical therapy to those who have undergone radiation or surgery, while connecting them with nature and others, offering emotional healing and support.
Casting for Recovery is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with the highest marks on charity rating sites such as Charity Navigator. They rely on the support of an all-volunteer staff at the local program level and all retreats are funded by sponsors and donations.
If you would like to make a difference and donate to the program, please visit CastingforRecovery.org/SoCal.
0 Comments