The Mayfly Project Vise Takeover

June 22, 2020

We’re teaming up! With both The Mayfly Project and Confluence Collective spending more time behind the vise than usual this year, we’re especially excited for our next Virtual Noob Fly Tying vise takeover — together.

THE MAYFLY PROJECT: The mission of The Mayfly Project is to build relationships with children in foster care through fly fishing and introduce them to their local water ecosystems, with a hope that connecting them to a rewarding hobby will provide an opportunity for foster children to have fun, feel supported, and develop a meaningful connection with the outdoors.

With a simple goal of creating space for everyone on the water, Confluence Collective focuses work on fostering accessible and inclusive learning spaces and community building opportunities through fly fishing. Connecting people holding different identities through a shared passion helps put understanding into action, and allows more perspectives to curate what the fly fishing community and culture should look like to truly be welcoming of everyone. 

Both knowing more can be achieved when we work together, it was clear our overlap in mission would result in some awesome collaboration. The learning and healing power fly fishing holds for anyone is undeniable; the ability to build relationships through this connection is perhaps even more prominent. 

While COVID-19 has interrupted regular programming for both The Mayfly Project and Confluence Collective, we still want to support finding community and sharing experiences as best we can from a distance. Part of this effort manifested as the Virtual Noob Fly Tying series hosted by Confluence Collective and welcoming varied perspectives to step up behind the vise and learn together. Meanwhile, The Mayfly Project had shifted from in-person programming to create fly tying kits for their kids in program to keep learning, and expanding their fly boxes. It just made sense to welcome The Mayfly Project into the series for a vise takeover!

Cori Brago, Vermont Program Mentor, will be leading us through the gurgler pattern alongside returning noob Eeland Stribling. Let’s hear more from the brave faces behind the vise:

Cori with kiddos Jack and Lincoln on the water

Q: How did you each get involved with The Mayfly Project?

Eeland: I first got involved with The Mayfly Project from people who had worked as mentees and exclaimed to me how much fun they had and amazing the kids were. I’ve always wanted to  give someone the opportunity to be able to fish, learn and enjoy nature as I have.

Eeland and Wilfred, sharing His Part [which you should read here on @blacksteveirwin]

Cori: I joined the Mayfly Project after our chapter lead and friend asked if I'd be interested in teaching foster children to fish.  It was an immediate yes for me.  Fishing was an outlet for me in uncertain times and being able to help children find peace of mind on the water as well was a no brainer.  Not only is this a rewarding experience, and opportunity for foster children to get outside, but for my own children to see the importance of giving back.

Q: How have you observed fly fishing as a means of building relationships and connecting to the environment? 
Cori:  I have this thing…”strangers are friends I haven't met yet!”  So building relationships in the fly fishing community has been the easy part, tons of people just wading through the world looking for adventure in the great outdoors while being conscious of their environmental impact… Working at Orvis for 6 years I got a crash course in how to respect, enjoy, and protect the environment and now working with The Mayfly Project it is part of my responsibility to pass teach that to the next generation

Eeland: Absolutely. The main reason I believe is because you have a baseline common goal: to catch fish. Once people share an idea, a common belief and understanding it is easier to bridge gaps to other aspects of your life. Then when you immerse yourself in nature, there’s a common understanding that you all are a part of the ecosystem. Some of my great friends and mentors have come from the fishing community. I don’t think we would have those relationships if it weren’t for a bony fish we’re trying to trick with a fly.

Q: Why is it important to talk about access and inclusion within the context of fly fishing?

Eeland: It’s important because if a majority know and care about fishing and conservation, the majority will fight to protect  the land and the resources. You can’t be what you can’t see. When looking through a fishing magazine or during fly fishing movie premieres, very rarely do you see a person of color. That can be a deterrent for anyone who wanted to learn to fly-fish but wouldn’t want to feel like the only one.

Cori:  At the end of the day, my goal is to create a positive, healing, and FUN experience for children  on the water.  Foster care impacts children from every race, religion and identity, in all parts of our country. Being a part of an organization that takes action to make sure all have an equal opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and sport of fly fishing for children in foster care has become one of the most rewarding parts of my life.  Sharing my knowledge and excitement for the sport onto others to cultivate their own life long journeys on the water, reminding kids that we are all students of life and that its never too late to learn something new. 

“We are all students of life and its never too late to learn something new.”

— Cori Brago

Eeland: My priorities and purpose is to give kids and their families who have never experienced the outdoors or nature, the opportunity to fish and learn about the land we all can use. I want people to see that you don’t have to look like or be the stereotypical fly angler to enjoy fishing and know what you’re doing. I’m not the first but I want to be the catalyst to encourage people from different race, religions, classes, and cultures to experience the healing and pure joy that we’ve found.

“I want people to see that you don’t have to look like or be the stereotypical fly angler to enjoy fishing and know what you’re doing.”

— Eeland Stribling

JOIN US: On June 30th we’re excited to welcome Cori Brago and Eeland Stribling behind the vise for a very special Virtual Noob Fly Tying session. Even more exciting: we’re working with The Mayfly Project to offer fly tying kits providing all the basic materials you need to tie along! With your purchase of $15 for the kit, you’ll fund a kit for a child in foster care to join in as well.

So let’s come together from wherever we find ourselves for a celebration of fly fishing —virtually for the moment, but together in spirit.

Please note: this fundraiser has ended. Thank you to all who participated!