Scott has been active in the sport of fly fishing and fly tying since he was 7 years old. In fact, he’s never purchased a commercially tied fly. As an educator, he saw how important it is to engage young students in activities that incorporate the outdoors and the environment and get them away from the digital world for a few hours. He chose fly fishing and fly tying as his medium. Scott wrote a fly fishing curriculum to be used in the Junior High School he was teaching at. The school purchased rods and 1,000 students received 3-4 days of casting instruction. He then started a fly tying club which met once a week at 6am, fisherman’s hours. Scott also volunteers over 300 hours a year for New Hampshire’s Fish & Games ‘Let’s Go Fishing’ Program, and established a program teaching people how to fish New Hampshire’s numerous lakes from a float tube. He ties and presents at all regional fly fishing and some national shows around the country.

Mike is a guide who grew up fishing the trout waters of Southern Vermont and now lives in The Berkshires. Carrano earned a BA in Environmental Science and an MS in Education from Castleton State College — great credentials for an educational fishing guide. Carrano was also a teacher for six years in West-Central Vermont, which put him in a great geographic area that afforded further fly fishing experience.

Carrano’s favorite type of fishing is “targeting the largest trout in a particular area and going after them,” he says. He adds, “I truly enjoy the complexities of the sport and love sharing my 20+ years of fly fishing knowledge with others.” In addition to focusing on fishing fundamentals and reading streams properly, Michael also enjoys sharing additional background on the body of water he’s fishing, where it originates, species of fish it contains, and particular techniques and patterns special to that river when he’s out with guests.

About Drew

Drew Chicone is an author, award-winning outdoor writer & fly designer, photographer, lecturer, and materials expert, whose passion for teaching the art of fly tying has inspired numerous how-to articles, books and detailed instructional guides. He has lived and breathed the sport since he was tall enough to sit at the vise, and his fly creations are well known and in high demand among saltwater anglers and guides across the globe.

Drew has been a FFF Certified Casting Instructor, and commercial fly tier for more than a decade. He is a designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants and is patterns are sold in quality fly shops and have appeared in US and international publications. He is the winner of the 2016 and 2017 International Fly Tackle Dealer Best in Show Saltwater Fly Pattern Award, as well as the 2014 I.F.T.D Iron Fly.

Drew recently partnered with Wild River Press books to publish 3 new titles; "Top Saltwater Flies - Bonefish", "Top Saltwater Flies - Tarpon" and "Top Saltwater Flies - Permit" The hardcover set is available for sale at www.topsaltwaterflies.com.

Other Chicone titles include Feather Brain: Developing, Testing, Improving Saltwater Fly Patterns (2013), Baby Tarpon Flies (2017), Redfish Flies (2014), Snook Flies (2013), Essential Bonefish Flies: Andros (2013) and Essential Permit Patterns (2013).

In addition to his ongoing work as an educator, Drew ties premium saltwater flies for sale through his company Salty Fly Tying. He is the co-founder of Strip Strike University and frequently hosts destination schools and fishing adventures anywhere saltwater species swim. For more information about Drew, his latest works and hosted trips, visit www.saltyflytying.com. Chicone lives in Fort Myers, Florida with his wife Susan and their daughter Lucy.

Website: www.saltyflytying.com

Harry is the owner and head guide of Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing™, grew up fishing and exploring in theBerkshires. Harry has an extensive knowledge of Berkshire river geography as well as Berkshire history. Harry’s love of fly fishing and outdoor adventures led his travels to Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, and Oregon, where he worked, played, and explored for more than a decade.

In all, Harry has 18 years of fly fishing experience including 8 years in Yellowstone National Park . He spends his winters researching new territories, tying flies, and steel heading on the Lake Ontario tributaries. Harry’s mission is to share his enthusiasm for the outdoors and fly fishing through his company as well as teaching clients about the importance of sustainable practices within the sport.

Harry believes that it is important for clients to also forget about the day to day while on the river and really immerse themselves in their surroundings.

Website: www.berkshireriversflyfishing.com

Captain Mark Dysinger has fished the New England salt most of his life. Although he is skilled in many angling methods, he is most accomplished with the fly rod.  As the owner of Flyosophy Charters, he specializes in the northeast slam of striped bass, bluefish, and false albacore.  Although he guides in Long Island Sound and its surrounding waters, he is also passionate about freshwater fishing and is a recognized authority on flyfishing for northern pike.

Mark has fished extensively across North America, and his works have appeared in numerous print and online publications, including three books. He has been a featured innovative fly tyer for Eastern Flyfishing Magazine, and his Bunny split fly (aka Musky Bunny Twin Tail) is included in the "deadly dozen" musky patterns in Rob Tomes' Musky on the Fly.  Mark is a regular fixture at the northeast winter fly fishing shows, where he demonstrates fly tying techniques and shares angling insights and strategies. His enthusiasm and attention to detail make him a popular instructor, and his topical presentations are both informative and entertaining. He is an experienced teacher both on and off the water, and takes great joy in seeing others succeed. Mark’s patience and enthusiasm have positively affected many fellow anglers.

Mark resides on the Connecticut coast with his wife Anne and daughter Lucy.

Website: www.flyosophycharters.com

Camille Egdorf grew up splitting the year between Montana and Alaska, where she has spent every summer of her childhood at her family’s fishing lodge on the upper Nushagak River in Bristol Bay. During the off season, they would travel back to Montana where she went to school and fished the famous Big Horn River. At the age of 18 she started guiding for her parents in Alaska and spent the next 7 years honing in her skills not only as an angler but as an individual. Eventually, she started traveling internationally hosting groups of anglers to various exotic places including Christmas Island, Brazil, Belize, Argentina and many others. She was featured in the award winning film, Providence, by Confluence Films which was a feature length film about the piracy issues in the Indian Ocean. She was also highlighted in a YETI film called Odd Man Out which detailed her upbringing and drive for being a female angler the industry. She currently resides in Bozeman, Montana with her husband and works for Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures overseeing the Alaska and Christmas Island departments. She continues to travel to Alaska every year in addition to hosting trips around the globe. From a very young age, Camille knew her passion was in the outdoors and would become her life’s work. She also enjoys sharing the sport with others and being a role model for other angling hopefuls who are just getting into fly fishing.

Rachel will tell you that her introduction to fly fishing was a happy accident. While recovering from a back injury sustained wind surfing, her partner Jeff suggested she take up fly fishing. Armed with a Leonard bamboo rod, Finn took to New York’s Ausable River and never looked back.

Finn is a Federation of Fly Fishers certified instructor, and during the fishing season she is a fixture in the Adirondack guide circuit. She is the head guide at the Hungry Trout Fly Shop in Wilmington, New York, and takes clients along the many rivers, streams, and ponds found in those majestic mountains.

She is retired from her summer position guiding trips in Alaska, putting in 10 reputable years at the helm. She is a Patagonia Ambassador and holds pro staff positions for Scott Fly Rods, Airflo, Nautilus Fly Reel, and Lund Boats. She has also appeared on ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games and the Outdoor Life Network’s Fly Fishing Masters.

She is an accomplished artist whose works have been shown in New York City galleries. She has a master’s degree in fine arts from Yale University, and her passion for fly fishing is often evident in her mixed-media works. Much of her art is made for the enjoyment of her friends. According to Finn, she currently enjoys the challenge of Spey fishing and “being humiliated by Great Lakes steelhead” and steelhead from “other destinations yet to come.”

Website: www.hungrytrout.com

Brita Fordice was born in Washington State and learned to fly fish at the age of 8. Spending summers at her family house on the Stillaguamish River fed her desire to explore new fishing water, and pushed her to teach herself to tie flies at the age of 10. After college and a few years spent living and fishing in Idaho and Alaska, she returned to the Seattle in 2005 where she began working for a fly shop and guiding soon thereafter. She has also extensively fished the waters of the Bahamas for bonefish, as well as Florida for migratory tarpon.

Brita is a virtual encyclopedia when it comes to recognizing and procuring tying materials from classic and modern flies. Her guiding for the past few years has been solely based on targeting Puget Sound species such as sea run cutthroat and migratory salmon. In 2016, after almost 12 years at the fly shop Brita was offered the position of technical specialist for Far Bank Enterprises. She now spends her days answering technical questions on Sage/Redington/RIO products and guiding Puget Sound, and ties flies at night.   She says it’s the perfect life for her.  Brita has been a professional fly tier for many years and was an Umpqua Signature Tier as well. She has been featured in Catch Magazine, The Steelheaders Journal, and written articles featured in Southern Culture on the Fly, Flymen Fishing Co., and others.

Website: www.farbank.com

Steve Galetta is co-owner and outfitter of the Bighorn Angler Fly Shop and Lodge in Fort Smith, Montana. He grew up in upstate New York, where he studied the art of match-the-hatch dry-fly fishing for selective trout. After moving to Montana for college, he never looked back, making Montana his classroom for chasing trout in moving water. “I decided to make the Bighorn River home,” he says, “because it has the longest fishing season in the state of Montana and provides anglers with the opportunity to catch fish on dry flies every month of the year.” For Steve, one of the most enjoyable aspects of working in the fly-fishing industry is passing along the traditions and history of fly fishing to younger generations. His first book, Fly Fishing the Bighorn River, was published by Stackpole Books in 2015.

Peter Jaacks was raised casting a fly rod and rowing a raft down the rivers of the Rocky Mountains. Fly Fishing became Peter’s reason to explore his backyard, looking for quiet streams and rising trout all around his native Colorado. While earning his BA from Colorado State University, Peter broadened his horizons as an outdoorsman leading trips into the backcountry with the University Outdoor Club. It was there he realized his passion for sharing the wilderness with others. After finishing school, he ventured up to Alaska and began guiding the state’s remote western rivers with Wild River Guides. He now spends his summers guiding in Alaska, spending as much time in the wilderness as possible in pursuit of salmon and trout on the fly. When not guiding in Alaska, Peter now calls Montana home, plying its waters for wild trout.
Website: www.wildriverfish.com

Peter is forever grateful that his grandfather took him fishing at a young age and gave him a lifelong appreciation for striped bass. As a teenager, Peter was fortunate to caddie for a gentleman from the Anglers Club of New York who taught him to fly cast, and another enduring gift was given. Today, he enjoys surfcasting and flyrodding as the situation dictates and in addition to stripers, his favorite species are false albacore, bonefish, and roosterfish. Peter is the owner of the Saltwater Edge tackle shop in Middletown, Rhode Island. He currently serves as the Board Chair for the American Saltwater Guides Asociation, and is a member of Rhody Flyrodders, Boston Flycasters, Newport County Saltwater Fishing Club and Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers.
Website: https://saltwateredge.com

Born and raised on the shores of Long Island Sound, John grew up fishing for Striped Bass and Bluefish. He worked in at his local fishing shop where he taught fly-casting instruction, tied flies, and began shore guiding in Saltwater. John attended the University of Vermont where he was the President of the UVM Fly Fishing Club and cultivated a passion for freshwater fishing. He earned his USCG Captains License during college and began guiding in the Norwalk Islands on his Center Console. Following college he worked with Fly Reel manufacture 3-TAND as a product specialist and sales representative. He has been featured in Fly Fisherman Magazine, Catch Magazine, Fly Fish Journal, and Anglers Journal. John has been a contributing author for Anglers Journal since 2014. He has also produced and directed films accepted into the International Fly Fishing Film Festival. John spends his summers guiding fly fishing float trips for Alaska’s Wild River Guides, where he is also the General Manager. He spends shoulder seasons working in Montana at Bighorn Angler managing social media operations and guiding. John has worn many different hats in the fishing industry but he finds his sense of home chasing fish with a fly rod in the saltwater.

Contact:

Email: John@Wildriverfish.com

Website: Wildriverfish.com

Southwest Florida native Capt. Lacey Kelly is no stranger to the flats. She’s spent a lifetime on the water and several years guiding for tarpon, snook, and redfish on fly and conventional tackle. For two years she ran Tres Pescados Fly Shop in San Pedro, Belize, where turquoise waters provided her with the proper backdrop for mastering permit on the fly rod. Now back in Florida, Lacey manages and guides with Florida Outdoor Experience, a hunting and fishing lodge located near Cedar Key in Chiefland. In May and June, you’ll find her in Homosassa putting clients on record tarpon. When she’s not chasing tarpon, year-round sight fishing for redfish, snook, and black drum is her specialty. Working along Florida’s nature coast has allowed Lacey to get back into guiding with a new emphasis on promoting and instructing the sport of fly fishing. Whether she’s tying flies for her next charter or fletching arrows for the next hunt, you’d be hard pressed to find another as dedicated to the outdoors as Capt. Lacey Kelly.

Morgan Kupfer has loved fishing from the moment he picked up a rod as a young boy. His passion for fishing led him to start a blog in 2009 - Tight Lined Tales of a Fly Fisherman - which has moved into a top spot within the fly fishing bloggerverse. He is also passionate about conservation, putting the fish and the environment first is an important foundational value for his life. Morgan is eager to share the importance of the fly fishing legacy through the AMFF Ambassador Program.

Email: mkupfer32@gmail.com

Website: Tight Lined Tales of a Fly Fisherman

Peter Kutzer has been spending time in the outdoors of Vermont for as long as he can remember. Peter grew up on a small farm in Southern Vermont fishing ponds and rivers close to his back yard. His fondness for fly fishing began in the early 90’s and in 2002 he started working as a Fly Fishing Instructor and Guide for the Orvis Company’s Fly Fishing School in Manchester, VT.  Peter truly enjoys introducing people to the outdoors through fly fishing and wing shooting, and it’s evident in his enthusiasm while teaching.

As an Orvis Adventures Specialist, Peter creates technique- and species-specific fly fishing schools from Vermont to the Florida Keys, the Western United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Casting techniques include single hand for trout to bonefish or two handed casting for salmon and steelhead. He is well versed in both fresh and salt water with a fly rod.  While he’s not teaching specialty schools, you will see him giving casting tips on Orvis News’ Ask a Fly-Fishing Instructor.

He does a great job of making big fish look small!

Aileen Lane, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, learned to tie flies before ever wetting a line. She caught her very first brown trout fishing solo in Idaho one Thanksgiving day. Her custom fly-tying business, MKFlies, is named after her daughter, McKenzie. Since 2014, Aileen has been the publisher and owner of Kype Magazine, an online digital fly-fishing magazine on ISSUU.com. Aileen is a Pro Staff tier for Deer Creek UK and appeared in the Emmy Award–winning documentary Rocky Mountain Fly High­way. She is a pediatric occupational therapist and calls both Boise, Idaho, and Sedona, Arizona, home.

Dave McCoy credits his father, who introduced him to fishing, for sparking his passion for life in the great outdoors. Dave grew up in Eugene, Oregon, which made Hosmer Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir, and the Deschutes, McKenzie, and Umpqua Rivers his stomping grounds. He quickly discovered the thrill of having a fish on, but it was the awe of his surroundings that instilled his interest in conservation. Dave has dedicated his professional life to the fly-fishing industry and has spent the last twenty-plus years as a guide, outfitter owner (Emer­ald Water Anglers), conservationist, and fly-fishing ambassador (Pata­gonia and Costa Sunglass, T&T Fly Rod and Nautilus Reel, and Keepemwet). He is a member of the Echo/Airflo Pro Staff, an IFFF Certified Casting Instructor, and a Snoqualmie River steward for Native Fish Society. Dave is quick to note that he is nothing in his pursuits without his wife and daughter, who, without saying a word, constantly remind him why he is so inspired.

As an avid sportswoman, Lori-Ann discovered the excitement of experiencing nature through fly fishing on her home waters of southwest Montana, Idaho’s Snake River and the Jackson Hole area of Wyoming. Her first fish to the fly was a wild steelhead from the Deschutes River in Oregon. And from there the journey to explore and learn everything about fly fishing started. In 1989 Lori-Ann became the first woman Orvis endorsed guide, and later assisted in creating the first women-only fly fishing school for the company. In 1994, she founded Reel Women Fly Fishing Adventures with friend Christy Ball. The group received recognition nationally and became an immediate success offering fly fishing trips for women. Lori -Ann was a technical advisor during the filming of “A River Wild,” won the International Sportsman's Expo’s Best of the West casting competition in 2003, and has been featured the Outdoor Channel’s 2011 series Buccaneeers and Bones. She helped launch Orvis’ collection of women’s fly fishing clothing along with Nancy Zakon and Christy Ball.  From 2009-2015 she was Director of Fishing and Guest Relations at Belize’s El Pescador Lodge, bringing the guide team up from five to 14 full-time professionals. The lodge was Orvis’ International Lodge of the Year in 2013. Today she runs guided trips to Belize, runs saltwater schools, and is a professional speaker Late summertime finds Lori-Ann in her Montana town. Willow Creek is home to the Reel Women School house. Located next to the Missouri Headwaters, the fishing options are endless. The Reel Women School program and destination trips are all a part of Lori-Ann’s mission to share the fun of fly fishing. October is Lori-Ann “soul” fish time. And birdie time with her favorite Setter, Panga.

Website: www.loriannmurphy.com

Derek Olthuis was raised in North Western Montana where he learned to fish, developing a love for the outdoors. At the age of 8, while visiting family in Bozeman, his uncle introduced him to fly fishing on the Gallatin River.  Derek has since had the opportunity to fish around the world chasing anything that swims, although his main loves are trout and char. His passion for fly fishing is centered in teaching others about the sport. He hopes to help everyone more fully enjoy their time on the water by helping them to become a better angler. As a guide and fly fishing instructor he hopes each client will learn and develop skills to help them better understand trout behavior and the techniques to catch them. When he is not guiding he can be found taking pictures or filming for the IF4 Film Festival. Derek is an ambassador for Loop Tackle, Kast Gear, Tacky Fly Fishing and a field tester for Orvis. If you ever see him on the water don't hesitate to ask for or give some fly fishing advice. He believes fly fishing is a sport in which there is always something more to learn.

In the words of the Dog himself: "I came to fly fishing late in life at the age of 33 and I’ve tried to make up for those lost years before the fly rod ever since. My first cast was at sunset on Missouri Key en route to Key West. It was an instant addiction. Shortly after that I caught my first striped bass on a fly that I tied myself and fly fishing took over nearly every thought and free minute. I read every book about saltwater fly fishing and flies I could find and went to every fly show I could get to where I would stand for hours watching the fly tiers, asking questions and taking notes. I started tying flies commercially in 2000 with my black lab, Jack at my side. It began with a few guides I knew, then a few local shops and eventually an online store.

From the beginning the objective has been to turn out simple flies that are proven to catch fish, be durable and hopefully be part of someone’s fishing stories. The greatest rewards in all of this has been hearing back from customers about their catches on my flies and watching students in the classes I teach tie their first fly and then go out and catch a fish on it. I’ve had the opportunity to fish in a lot of beautiful places for a lot of different species with some amazing people but my favorite water is my home water on the North and South Rivers in Marshfield, MA. In fly tying and in my own fishing it has never been about the number of catches or the size of the fish…it is the stories, the experiences, the places, the people, and the fish themselves that keep me doing this."

Website: www.muddogflies.com

Acclaimed traveling fly angler, Thomas and Thomas fly rods advisor Rebekka Redd is in pursuit of fish all around the world. Ms Redd holds nearly 20 years (starting as a kid) of storytelling experience from around the globe.
She photographs, writes, and even paints her passion - fish.
Rebekka is duel citizen of the EU and Canada. She began her career in film and film making via award winning CMT music videos and the much loved Canadian drama “Heartland”, acting to cinematography are passions of hers, and now she’s combined it into her life of fly fishing.
Her educational back ground is in sports medicine, however, she chose to pursue her love of life on the fly. She has hosted and directed numerous award winning fishing television shows and filmed with talented film makers such as RA Beattie and Jako Lucas.

Aside her ongoing work with Thomas and Thomas, Rebekka works with the prestigious travel company Yellowdog fly fishing adventures , as a travel ambassador along side Oliver white, Jeff Currier, Jako Lucas and Will Flack.
Plus she is sponsored by the world renowned Alumacraft Boats.
She owns & operates a non-profit animal rescue, is an active member of her local steelhead association, Trout Unlimited, Wild Mustang Foundation, and the Canadian Horse Coalition. She is a founding ambassador for the Able Women fly fishing team, and Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. She is CEO and founder of North Shore Women’s Fly Fishing Association (site coming soon).

When Rebekka isn’t in a remote jungle water way, or fishing salt water flats, she’s stalking big pike in her home waters of Ontario, Canada.

Website: www.rebekkareddflyfishing.com

Brandon has been an active AMFF member and fly-fishing history enthusiast for almost a decade. He began acting as an AMFF ambassador in 2012 by promoting the Museum through fly- fishing presentations at various club and organization meetings in the Mid-West. Brandon’s strong passion for the Museum and the history of fly fishing coupled with this enthusiasm to share the tradition make him a great asset to the Museum's Ambassador Program.
Email: Brandon@TroutSchool.com

Kyle has been working in the fly fishing world since he graduated from UNH.  He got his start in the mountains of Colorado guiding trout fishing.  Since those days Kyle has logged time managing outdoor brands, developing successful content strategies, writing, advocating for conservation and guiding saltwater through his company Soul Fly Outfitters. Kyle's true passion for the sport is embedded deep within soulful rhythms of the outdoors. The art of the cast and the intricacies of a successful day on the water have always held his attention. Nothing is more satisfying to Kyle than getting to know a body of water intimately.  Kyle's purpose in the sport is to pass along the great tradition of conservation, and he works tirelessly to protect the resources that we all love

Matt Smythe lives with his wife and three kids in the Finger Lakes region in western New York. He grew up fishing for bass and pickerel in the lakes and outlets near his home, learned how to cast a fly rod in grad school, and has fished for pretty much anything that swims in pretty much any water since. Matt is the Director of Communications for the American Fly Fishing Trade Association, a poet, a storyteller, Army veteran, avid outdoorsman, and advocate for Tourette Syndrome awareness. He also bowhunts, telemark skis, and runs trails--sometimes competitively. He considers himself fortunate to get to travel a great deal for both work and fly fishing, and even more fortunate to meet kindred spirits who share the need to advocate for the sport we love and the places it takes us.

Rich Strolis grew up in the foothills of the Berkshires of Western Massachusettes where he cut his teeth on the plethora of smaller and larger bodies of moving water. Post college and while juggling another demanding career, he became recognized as a guide on the ever popular Farmington and Housatonic Rivers in Connecticut for the better part of 10 years. He later transitioned his work to commercial tying, speaking engagements and teaching many facets of both fly fishing and fly tying across the Northeast and Eastern seaboard. His fly patterns although based out of the Northeast, have a strong following and relevancy across the globe and have been tied and fished by many as a result of his library of online videos. He is a signature fly designer for the Montana Fly Company, which currently produces over 25 of his patterns. His patterns have appeared in several national magazines and books, including Flyfisherman, Eastern Fly Fishing, Strip Set, Fusion Tying, Caddisflies and 50 Best Places, Fly Fishing The Northeast to name a few. His first book was released in January 2016, Catching Shadows Tying Flies For The Toughest Fish And Strategies For Fishing Them which details a wide cross section of his patterns and was a top 10 seller in its first year on the shelves. Rich is currently a Pro Staff member and advisor for a wide array fly tying and Flyfishing companies including Regal Vise, Partridge hooks, Solarez UV resins, Enrico Puglisi materials, Hatch premium fly reels, and Flycraft.   Rich is a very well rounded trout fisherman, but his passion lies in chasing trophy trout and various other apex predators on streamers with a pretty impressive list of locations he’s fished outside of New England. He lives in Simsbury, Connecticut, with his wife, Megan, and two daughters, Tessa and Nora.

Website: www.catchingshadows.com

On a trip to the Roach River in Maine 30+ years ago, Scott’s father introduced him to fly fishing, which planted a seed that would lead him to
spending most of his life involved in the sport.  In 1989, Scott’s dad started a small sporting goods store (the Bear’s Den) selling firearms, archery, bait and fly-fishing gear.  Scott has worked there ever since! Over 20 years ago, they decided to make it fly specific, and have never looked back.  They find the fly-fishing community to be an incredibly good group of people - concerned with the environment and preserving its wildlife for the next generation, as well as passing on a love of the sport.  Scott and his sister now run the Bear’s Den Fly Fishing Shop, and they just celebrated the 30th anniversary of the store’s opening.

Website: www.bearsden.com

Jess Westbrook and his wife Laura founded the Mayfly Project in Arkansas in 2015. The project’s mission is to support children in foster care through fly fishing and to introduce them to local water ecosystems. This introduction to a rewarding hobby provides opportunities to have fun, feel supported, and develop meaningful connection with the outdoors. In 2016, the Westbrooks partnered with Kaitlin Barnhart, who was running a similar program in Idaho, to form the now-national project. Jess’s idea for the project came from his own use of fly fishing as a therapeutic tool to manage anxiety. In 2014, Jess and wife Laura’s son, Kase, was born. Soon after, Jess started experiencing intense anxiety attacks, which he had never had before. He had been fly fishing since he was six years old, but something changed for him when a friend stepped in to help by getting him out on the water. “I found that when I was on the river, I forgot about everything but fishing,” explained Jess. “When we are fly fishing, we are so concentrated on casting, mending, presenting good drifts, etc., that we forget about everything else around us.”
During this time, Jess began mentoring children in foster care. The timing was perfect. He was looking for a way to give back to the community through the sport that had helped him over some tough hurdles. It seemed that during a most chaotic time in their lives, foster children too could find an anchor in the outdoors. They could take a break from being worried and simply spend time in nature catching fish. They could find home rivers even while feeling like they didn’t feel have a home.

Website: https://themayflyproject.com

April Vokey began fishing as a toddler. By the sixth grade, she was saving her allowance for weekend visits to the local tackle shop where she eventually stocked her ‘hand-me-down’ Plano box with every lure and bait she could afford.

After discovering a passion for fly fishing in her teens, April Vokey soon dedicated her entire life to the pursuit, eventually culminating in her founding Fly Gal Ventures in 2007 at age 24.  The company was built on the basis of the promotion of both education and encouragement to those who looked to chase their dreams.

She has since established herself as a respected authority in the sport and has traveled the globe in pursuit of gamefish on a fly rod.

Her writing has appeared in numerous industry leading publications including Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod & Reel, and Fly Fusion magazines. Also a popular TV personality, April has been featured on the Outdoor Channel’s Buccaneers and Bones series, 60 Minutes Sports, The Steve Harvey show, Discovery Channel’s Refined, Discovery’s/OLN’s Close Up Kings, WFN’s Fly Nation TV, and her own Shorelines with April Vokey. Feeling limited by airtime, she has since branched out with her podcast, Anchored with April Vokey, a series dedicated to archiving the stories and personalities from some of fly-fishing’s most influential people. The show is one of the only fishing podcasts solely recorded in a face to face environment where April ensures to ask questions apart from the norm.

Email: info@aprilvokey.com

Websites: flygal.ca, www.aprilvokey.com