History of Fishers of Men
Fishers of Men Retreat, Inc. was founded in 2014 with a clear purpose, and the ministry of FOM immediately generated interest from like-minded and like-spirited men. The first retreat held in Vail, Colorado was a tremendous success with a variety of participants from Texas and Colorado. Our speaker at the inaugural retreat was Dr. M
ichael Attas, a cardiologist and avid fly fisherman. He is also the author of Fly Fishing - The Sacred Art: Casting a Fly, a Spiritual Practice. We were quite fortunate to have Mike with us for the 2014 retreat and hope to remain connected with Mike and his work in the particular field of fly fishing and spirituality.
In 2015, we returned to Eagle Valley to fish the Eagle River and the Colorado River. The fly fishing included a variety of excursions with wade and float trips on several different waters. Our speaker was the Rev. Kelly Koonce, an Episcopal priest, fellow fly fisherman, and gifted speaker and teacher in the Christian faith. You can read one of Kelly's reflections at this link.
The Colorado rivers and valleys have provided the perfect settings for years of FOM retreats, and for the 2016 retreat, the Rev. Bert Baetz set his sights on the world-class fly fishing to be discovered in the Roaring Fork Valley. It was a tremendous success with tight lines on the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Rivers, and in our time of devotion, the Rev. Chuck Treadwell invited the group to consider life's quest and our real ambition in life to fish. We were welcomed by our gracious host, Dr. Michael Attas, into his home near Basalt, CO. We enjoyed the view, the time around the campfire, and the rich fellowship amongst fellow fishers. Our dinner at the Roaring Fork Club was certainly a highlight for the group to come together and recount the day on the river.
In 2017, Fishers returned to the Roaring Fork Valley, and the fishing was once again superb. The highlight on the river must have been Marshall Durrett's catch on the Roaring Fork River. Marshall has been on a number of retreats; in 2014, he started out as a beginner fly fisherman, and over the years, Marshall has honed his skills. On the second fishing day of our retreat, Marshall caught a 24-inch cutbow trout; when Marshall landed the fish, the guide said, "Fish this big don't live in this river!" Also, we welcomed the Rev. Dr. Stephen Kinney to our program. Stephen Kinney is the founder and Executive Director of The Front Porch, and Stephen led our spiritual program with an emphasis on what the mission statement of Fishers means in our everyday lives. The group connected with what Stephen had to say and the group was able to
naturally connect with one another.
In the summer of 2000, our Executive Director, the Rev. Bert Baetz, lived in the Jackson Hole, Wyoming. That summer, Bert lived in a fifth wheel trailer along Fish Creek, he worked at the Jackson Drug Soda Fountain, and Bert developed a serious passion for fly fishing.
In 2018, Bert felt the nudge to return to this special place, and he decided to lead the group to Jackson Hole for the 2018 Fishers of Men Retreat. With a number of past retreat participants in the group, the Jackson Hole fishers quickly came together in good fellowship. Also, the group was fortunate to be led by the Rev. Jimmy Bartz in the spiritual program. Jimmy is the rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole, and Jimmy is known across the country for his speaking, leadership, and ability to engage with an audience. Jimmy led the group to discover the Biblical and spiritual tension between power and love. For our time on the river, we fished two different sections of the Snake River, and our best day on the river had to have been our float from Dead Man's to Moose, a most scenic float with plenty of fish to be caught by all.
In 2019, we returned to Jackson Hole
for an epic retreat. We once again fished the Snake River floating through Grand Teton National Park: we caught many native cutthroat trout with the Grand Tetons towering in our background. We also ventured into Idaho to fish the South Fork of the Snake River. On our second day of fishing, we traveled through a light snowfall and braved the elements for a "sportier" day on the river. We were only more energized by the welcomed seasonal weather. The fish certainly did not lose their appetite in the cooler temperatures, and we were all smiles after hooking into a number of trout species that second day on the river. The Rev. Jimmy Bartz was our spiritual leader for the second year in a row, and Jimmy no doubt picked up where he left off from the year prior. We had several returnees from 2018 and even welcomed several new faces to the group. Jimmy was able to quickly bring the group together for a real conversation about the "second half" of life. Using the Jacob story as our paradigm, Jimmy led the diversely aged group to acknowledge the universal struggle in life and how we, like Jacob, are blessed by God in the struggle.
In 2021, we welcomed The Rev. Miles Brandon to lead program for Fishers in Basalt, Colorado. Miles led the group through a program titled The Gospel According to Ted Lasso. It was light-hearted and rich in content. Miles was able to draw on several themes from the show that tap into the depth of our spiritual lives as men.
In 2022, we welcomed The Rev. Dr. Will Willimon to lead the program for Fishers back in Basalt, Colorado. Will had the group read his book and again and led to explore the different seasons of life for men.
In 2023, we returned to Vail thanks to hospitality of the Leaman family. The program titled Meet Me at the Mountaintop was led by local priest The Rev. Brooks Keith. Brooks explored several "mountain" stories from the Bible and challenged us to see how those stories relate to our lives and our "mountaintop" experiences.
We have a clear mission with Fishers of Men, and since 2014, our retreats have provided a time in which each participant discovers the union of fly fishing and the Christian life.