The 2025 Heritage Award Honoring Oliver White

About the Honoree

Oliver White, chair of Indifly and general manager and partner of South Fork Lodge, is the recipient of the 2025 Heritage Award.

“Oliver’s life story exemplifies the power of fly fishing to captivate and inspire,” said AMFF President Gardner Grant Jr. “His passion for fly fishing, coupled with strong doses of curiosity and tenacity, have made him a renowned practitioner and teacher of the sport, a tireless explorer of new frontiers, an accomplished builder and operator of world-class angling lodges, and a visionary proponent of empowering indigenous communities around the globe to thrive by protecting sport fisheries and other natural resources. He is an accomplished and admired leader in the fly-fishing community.”

After a serious skiing accident during college, Oliver took up fly fishing as part of his rehabilitation. He fell in love with the sport, became a guide, and ultimately met Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman in Tierra del Fuego. Bill saw something in Oliver and offered him an opportunity in New York to pursue a career in finance. After a few years, Oliver left to open Abaco Lodge in the Bahamas, which would become one of the most-loved fly-fishing destinations in the world. He ran both Abaco Lodge and Bair’s Lodge (host of the 2015 season of Buccaneers and Bones) for the next fifteen years. In 2020, he and fellow angler Jimmy Kimmel became the new owners of the South Fork Lodge in Swan Valley, Idaho. The lodge—carefully expanded and remodeled to exacting standards while preserving its storied history—is a haven for dry-fly anglers visiting the legendary South Fork of the Snake River.

In 2020, Oliver became part of the Indifly Foundation, first as vice chair and then as chair. Formed out of a Costa project to help a village deep in the heart of Guyana’s rainforest conserve its resources and arapaima fishery, the project and its success created a natural roadmap for other areas of need and conservation importance. In addition to the Rewa Eco Lodge in Guyana, current projects include the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, Anaa Atoll in French Polynesia, and the Makhangoa Community Camp in Lesotho.

In 2019, Yeti and Felt Soul Media brought Oliver’s life story to the screen in the acclaimed documentary A Thousand Casts. Against the backdrop of a fishing trip to the Kingdom of Bhutan in pursuit of the rare and elusive golden mahseer, Oliver narrates the extraordinary, dangerous, and, in the end, serendipitous events that took him from philosophy student at UNC Chapel Hill to financier to fishing lodge entrepreneur to the ecotourism champion and devoted husband and father he is today. Oliver White is truly the embodiment of AMFF’s Heritage Award ethos.

Highlights of the Event

The 2025 Heritage Award honoring Oliver White was held before a sold-out crowd in the elegant Model Room of the New York Yacht Club on May 1. During the lively reception, artist Mike Sudal put the finishing touches on a painting of a Brown Trout that was later auctioned off. Master of ceremonies, AMFF President Gardner Grant Jr, welcomed everyone and shared a surprise tribute video made for Oliver featuring congratulatory and heartfelt messages from some of the most notable and passionate anglers, including Jimmy Kimmel who offered a glimpse into how their relationship started and his admiration for the way Oliver lives his life. Huey Lewis took the podium to share stories of his friend and their fishing adventures, followed by the evening’s auction, which was led by the inimitable Alec Griswold, whose energy, along with the generosity of attendees, helped raise recording breaking funds. A highlight of the night was the ‘fireside chat’ between Oliver and his friend of over 20 years, Bill Ackman. Their conversation delved into Oliver’s remarkable journey and his lasting contributions to the sport. Reflecting on its enduring appeal, Oliver captured the essence of fly fishing: “What makes fly fishing so great is that it requires just enough thought to be challenging and keep you present, but not so much that it is taxing.”

As always, we would like to thank our wonderful auction donors who helped make the evening such a success. Live auction donors include Rachel Finn, John Francis, Jimmy Kimmel, David Mangum, Bill Matthews, Brew Moscarello, Flip Pallot, Al Quatrocchi, South Fork Lodge, Mike Sudal and Yeti. Silent auction donors include Gordon Allen, Scott Biron, Alan Bourgault, Henry Caldwell, Salvatore Campofranco, Catskill Outfitters, Cheeky, Blane Chocklett, Mark Comora, Frank Conroy, Costa, Harry Desmond, Derek DeYoung, Steve Earle, Stephen Farrelly, James Heckman, Peter Kellogg, Jim Klug, Val Kropiwnicki, Ted Lebow, Josh Miller, John Mundt, Al Quattrocchi, Vaughn Podmore, Fred Polhemus, Poncho, REC Components, Mark Rehbein, The Shade Hotel, Simms, Scott Smith, Turtlebox, VAER, Jess Westbrook, Emily Whitlock, Joan Wulff, and Yeti. Each attendee left with a renewed sense of inspiration and a Yeti with a custom bandana designed by artist Paul Puckett.