Fly Fishing Helps Idaho Foster Youth

Most fly anglers are familiar with how healing fly fishing can be. From Project Healing Waters to Casting for Recovery, there is no shortage of groups using fly fishing to help those in need.

In 2025, Idaho Department of Health & Welfare (IDHW) will be using fly fishing to aid children in extended foster care, according to a February 6 press release. These youngsters will receive a free fishing license, and they’ll benefit from a partnership between IDHW and The Mayfly Project.

The Mayfly Project is a national nonprofit that uses fly fishing to aid children in foster care 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, build confidence, and develop a meaningful connection with the outdoors.”

Kaitlin Barnhart, the national program director for The Mayfly Project, is pleased to see IDHW using fishing to help foster children.

“We’re proof of how what IDHW is doing is important,” Barnhart said in a press release. “Fly fishing creates so many mental health benefits. . . . It gives kids a chance to take a break and just be kids on the river. There’s a decompression we often see when we get them on the water—they become a different kid almost immediately.”

You can read more about IDHW’s program, and learn how to get the free licenses, here.