You’ve stood in the river long enough for your mind to go quiet. Then the line snaps tight and a big brown trout comes thrashing out of the water, all muscle and fight. Your heart is pounding and you’re laughing like you’re twelve again. For those few seconds, you’re more awake than you’ve been in years.
Then you cradle him in the cold current and open your hands. Watching him swim off teaches you something no speech could: you can hold something powerful, honor it, let it go and come out stronger. That’s the awakening Catch & Release is built for.
The Lodge & Ranch at Chama sits high in northern New Mexico’s San Juan Mountains, surrounded by private water, open meadows and peaks that turn gold in the late afternoon. Evenings end in the main lodge around a stone fireplace big enough to stand in, trading stories about the one that got away.
You’ll be fully equipped and guided, so whether you’ve never held a fly rod or you tie your own flies, you’ll get your moment on the water. The trout don’t care about your job title, which turns out to be one of the most relaxing things about them.
Mark Nicole will join the group to turn each day’s adrenaline into reflective conversation. Men who were strangers on Friday afternoon will be telling each other the truth by Saturday night. That’s the kind of brotherhood that usually takes a full week to build, and here you’ll have it before the Main Retreat even starts.
By the time you head south to Santa Fe, you’ll be awake, unguarded and ready for the deepest work. Catch & Release is where your Legacy begins.
Dates: Friday, August 27 to Sunday, August 29, 2027
Location: The Lodge & Ranch at Chama, Chama, New Mexico
Led By: Mark Nicole
Tuition: $3,895 includes lodging, guided fishing with all gear, all meals and transportation
*Catch & Release is only available as an add‑on for Main Retreat participants.
