Learning to fish is easier when someone shows you the way. 

Minnesota Trout Unlimited’s Foster the Outdoors mentorship program connects young people with volunteer mentors who share their knowledge of fishing and love of the outdoors.

Through the program, youth have the opportunity to learn fly fishing skills, explore our waters and build confidence alongside a supportive mentor. The mentorship program does more than just teach kids how to fish. It’s about creating connections and helping the next generation discover a lasting appreciation for the outdoors and our coldwater resources.

In this article, Foster the Outdoors co-coordinator Kevin Wier gives a glimpse into this year’s program.

Season overview from Kevin Wier, Foster the Outdoors co-coordinator

On a beautiful Saturday morning in May we gathered for our annual Foster the Outdoors mentor and mentee matchup event.  This year the event took place at Valley Lake Park in Lakeville.  We paired up nine youth with volunteer mentors.  All of the mentees were accompanied by an adult guardian, who received instruction alongside the mentee.

Mentees had the opportunity to rotate through several learning stations where they received instruction in fly casting, knot tying and and flies as well as Minnesota Department of Natural Resources regulations. 

After the pairs finished with the stations, they were free to test their new skills on Valley Lake. Fortunately, the sunnies were in a cooperative mood and all of the mentees got a chance to see what it’s like to catch a fish on a fly rod.  Most of these youth had caught fish before but never on a fly rod, and there were plenty of smiles and high fives all along the shoreline. 

Along with their volunteer mentor, each youth and guardian pair is supplied with a fly rod/reel combo to use on program outings with their mentor.  Each youth also receives a fly box donated by Rose Creek Anglers (Rich Femling) that is filled with flies donated by our friends at Laughing Trout.  This year it was fun to see a couple of the mentees show up proudly displaying flies that they had tied themselves.

After the matchup concluded, the pairs compare schedules and try to get out fishing at least three times over the course of the summer.  We typically start them out on small lakes, getting more comfortable catching sunnies and developing their line handling skills with the goal of graduating to a trout stream by the end of the summer. 

In the fall, we get together with the folks from Laughing Trout and the mentees get a chance to try fly tying for themselves.

In the winter, we will arrange for a fly shop tour for the group.  Our season concludes with the mentee/guardian pairs getting complimentary admission to the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo, March 12-14, 2027. 

Next May we start our mentorship program all over again with another group of youth eager to learn from our wonderful mentors.  We are always looking for more mentors, so if this sounds like fun to you, please reach out.

Foster the Outdoors co-coordinators

Kevin Wier 612-867-5768

Rich Femling 763-807-5878

fostertheoutdoors@hotmail.com