Roanoke, Virginia Project

Scott is a Virginia native and has been fly-fishing for 40 years and currently resides in Bent Mountain, VA. He has been fortunate to fish much of South West Virginia, the Rocky Mountain West and Alaska over those many years. He is currently involved with Project Healing Waters for Veterans as a guide and SW Virginia Deputy Regional Program Coordinator. He has raised 4 children and currently enjoys 5 grandchildren teaching each of them to fish, enjoy and respect nature. He is very passionate about passing on his love for the outdoors and fishing. Scott looks forward to sharing those passions with young people in his role as lead mentor for the Roanoke Virginia Mayfly Project.

Helen resides on Bent Mountain, VA and enjoys all activities outdoors. She is beyond excited to share the quietude of this mountain with youth who desperately need it. Helen has a professional background in supporting students with disabilities at T/TAC at Virginia Tech for twenty years, so serving in the co-lead role for The Mayfly Roanoke Project is a great fit. She and Scott have raised 4 children and cherish sharing time in the outdoors with their 5 grandchildren. Helen finds energy and purpose in collaborative leadership within the community and is looking forward to supporting youth as they learn a lifelong sport, that people truly care about them, and that nature heals.

I was born and raised in SW Virginia, I was fishing before I could walk. I picked up my first fly rod when I was around 10 years old. I love to be outdoors hiking, camping and always fishing. Spending many many years in the military gave me the opportunity to fish all over the world. I have been fortunate to land many different species of fish with a fly rod. I love to tie my own flies. To me it is one of the most relaxing things that I can do other than being in the water. I am a Sports Performance Coach, High School Soccer Coach and Personal Trainer. Working with kids is something I do daily and having the opportunity to work with foster children and teach them the love of fly fishing and conservation is a dream come true.

A Virginia native, I grew up in the outdoors hunting, fishing, and trapping. I started dabbling in fly fishing in my pre-teen years catching bass and blue gills in ponds using a popping bug. Just before i retired, i started getting serious about it. I started tying my own flies and hitting the streams whenever i could. Some say that fly fishing is allot of work with all that back and forth with the rod and holding handfuls of line. I say nonsense! I have found it to be very therapeutic and when you make that perfect cast, the fly hits the water so soft that it doesn’t make a ripple, then BANG! That trout comes right out of the water with it. That is as pure as it gets for the outdoorsman..

I was born and raised in Roanoke, VA. I loved fishing growing up and during the pandemic, about 4 years ago, my husband introduced me to fly fishing. I had admired the sport since watching A River Runs Through It and was so tickled to begin to learn. I love doing anything outdoors! In my younger years before I got into insurance, I taught music to preschoolers and then became a preschool teacher. Outside of working full time for an insurance agency, I am a certified group fitness instructor which has included education in youth fitness. I enjoy working with youth and feel that getting them interested in fly fishing at a young age and enjoying the outdoors is so beneficial for them. I am so excited for this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of foster children.

Tanya Hylton is a retired oncology nurse having worked over thirty years at Blue Ridge Cancer Care. She grew up in a small town in New York and moved to the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains as a senior in high school. “Outside” is her preferred state of being and she spent four years living on a mountain in Ferrum without electricity or running water. She currently lives on Bent Mountain with her husband and two horses. Although she has no experience fly fishing she is an eager learner and is most excited to work with foster children in this program.

I grew up all over the US; Learning to bass fish in Texas and spending the summers fishing the lakes of New Hampshire with my grandpa. When we moved to Virginia my senior year of high school, I picked up fly fishing as a way to cope with the move. Over the last 20 years I have slowly become more and more passionate about fly fishing. I now reside in Roanoke with my wife and two young kids. I love to be outside, and I fill my free time fishing or talking about fishing. I understand first-hand the therapeutic value of fly fishing and look forward to participating as a mentor!

Dr. Hooper, a retired orthopedic hand surgeon, comes to the Mayfly Project with decades of fly fishing experience. He has been a fly fishing guide for Project Healing Waters, a non-profit fishing organization dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our military veterans. He is excited to work with our youth and looks forward to getting the next generation hooked on fly fishing!

A Ohio native, but has lived in the beautiful countryside of S.W. Virginia since the mid- 1980’s. Enjoys the outdoors, all types of fishing and hiking. With a heart to serve others, he assists with other great programs like Healing Waters, and looks forward to growing in his new role as a mentor for the Roanoke Valley Mayfly Project.

I’m Jim Cook and I’ve always been a water person. I began fishing shortly after learning to walk. I started fly fishing when I was 10 and tying when I was 13. I was born and raised in Staunton, Va and moved to Roanoke to work for American Electric Power after graduating from Virginia Tech as an electrical engineer. Living in the Roanoke area allowed ready access to my beloved Jackson River as well as the the James, New and other area rivers. After thirty nine years with AEP, I am retired and have the opportunity to pursue my passions of fishing, hunting and wildlife management. One of my retirement goals is to teach kids to fish who don’t have that opportunity. I look forward to sharing my love of the sport with the next generation.

Originally from Franklin County Virginia, Will grew up immersed in the outdoors, whether that was hunting his families farm or fishing across multiple bodies of water. First picking up a fly rod on vacation to Montana, Will has been fly fishing for around 10 years. Primarily self taught, he has taken a nearly annual trip to fish in Wyoming or Idaho, with the pursuit of the Wyoming Cutt Slam in mind. A 2021 graduate of Virginia Tech, he has mixed his college degree and love for the outdoors into a current role at Orvis as a financial analyst. With a passion for others as well as the outdoors, he is excited to step into a mentor role with the Roanoke Mayfly Project.

As a child growing up in Southwest Virginia I was fortunate to have a father who was a passionate fisherman and he got me started early slinging salmon eggs for trout on opening day, and fishing artificial lures for bass at a local lake in his V-hull Starcraft. In the ’90s, when the fly fishing craze swept the nation he and I jumped in head first and I’ve never looked back. I find immense pleasure in the tactics and strategy involved with fly fishing, but most of all, I value the friendships built on the water and the beautiful places that fishing can take you. I’m excited to join TMP to share the wonderful world of fly fishing and all of its benefits with foster children.

With deep roots in Southwest Virginia, Sarah spent her childhood fishing local rivers with her father and a veteran neighbor. Her passion for fly fishing grew when she worked at a fly shop in high school, leading her to join the Virginia Tech Fly Fishing Club, where she became one of the few women in the group. Sarah also volunteers with Healing Waters in Roanoke, giving back to the community that has nurtured her growth as an angler. A recent graduate of Virginia Tech, she is excited to continue connecting with the NRV community as a mentor for The Mayfly Project in Roanoke.