The Trout Unlimited Veterans Service Partnership (TU VSP) will host the annual TU VSP veteran couples trip to Slough Creek and Yellowstone Park from September 1-7. Veteran couples were chosen from nominations submitted by TU VSP chapters from around the US and from alumni veteran couples who have participated on previous VSP trips. The upcoming trip includes couples from Wisconsin, Montana, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. They will fly into Bozeman and travel by horse drawn wagon into Silver Tip Ranch on Slough Creek just outside Yellowstone Park and will spend the week learning how to fly fish, fishing for Yellowstone cutthroat trout, horseback riding, hiking, and relaxing.
The focus of this unique trip is on veteran couples. TU recognizes that the veteran makes a huge sacrifice in their service to our country, and so does the spouse and family. We believe (as does the VA) that the spouse and family are the “first line of defense” in the care and recovery for all veterans including those with disabilities, and the powerful testimonies we have received prove this out.
“……and I witnessed what a quiet river and a fishing rod, could do for your soul. It was a time of reflecting and reconnecting for us and I feel like we both had the opportunity to decompress, enjoy each other, and just breath.”
We believe that fly fishing can be a great shared experience for the veteran and spouse. During the week, we stress teaching basic “on stream survival” fly fishing skills to ALL participants. We teach everyone how to cast, how to fish, how to land and release fish, and how to tie the basic fishing knots. The TU VSP supplies the necessary equipment for each participant so that everyone can perform these tasks on their own. They all have nets, hemostats, clippers, chest packs, leaders and tippet, and their own flies, etc… We want ALL participants to learn the basic fly fishing skills, so they can go fishing TOGETHER. Most veterans fly fishing programs don’t engage spouses in their programs, but the TU VSP does, and it works!
” The TU VSP has given us something as a couple that we didn’t even know we needed. We are very excited to continue this sport together and share our knowledge you gave us with our sons. If there is anything we can to help give back to this organization, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
If you would like to learn more about the TU Veterans Service Partnership program, please visit www.tu.org/veterans or contact TU VSP Coordinator Dave Kumlien at DKumlien@tu.org or call 406-570-0023.