Casting for Recovery, a non-profit organization offering support and educational fly-fishing retreats for women with breast cancer, is excited to partner with fishing outfitter and rod manufacturer Tycoon Tackle, Inc., which operates from Charlottesville, VA. Tycoon Tackle has committed to building an unlimited quantity of custom co-branded rods named “The Martha Ann” in honor of Tycoon Tackle president Tim O’Brien’s mother, Martha Ann O’Brien, who lost her battle to breast cancer in 2007. $100 of every sale of “The Martha Ann” rods directly support Casting for Recovery’s renowned programs for women with breast cancer.
Martha Ann O’Brien spent more than 30 years of her life in and around Tycoon Tackle, as an employee and wife to the company’s founder. Although Martha Ann was not an avid angler, she was known to “mix it up” with the fish from time to time. Her spirit and wit would bring the most intense angler to laughter. One time after landing a 56-pound Amberjack on a light-spinning rod she quipped, “Is that all there is to that?”
“My mother waged a gallant battle with breast cancer, one that she ultimately lost, but not without a fight with vigor, humor, and gusto,” says Tim O’Brien, president of Tycoon Tackle. “Through the custom fishing rod named after her, her spirit will live on in the streams, rivers, lakes, and flats of the world. We believe in Casting for Recovery’s mission of providing life-changing programs that combine the therapeutic sport of fly fishing with counseling and medical education for women in any stage of breast cancer treatment and recovery.”
“We are excited to partner with one of the longest-standing custom rod makers in the industry,” says CfR executive director, Whitney Milhoan. “We are honored to be the recipient of proceeds of “The Martha Ann” rod since it’s so close to the hearts of the family at Tycoon Tackle. Nearly everyone has been touched by breast cancer, and it’s inspiring to see Tycoon Tackle’s passion to support other women who have been affected by this devastating disease.”
The Martha Ann rod is available for order at www.tycoonoutfitters.com. It is a custom, built-to-order, co-branded rod in weights from three- to five. Each rod will be shipped in a custom rod sock and co-branded aluminum rod tube for $499.95 plus shipping and handling. $100 of every sale goes to Casting for Recovery.
To learn more about Casting for Recovery, or how to help, please visit http://www.castingforrecovery.org.
Photo Courtesy of the O’Brien Family