Idaho Falls, Idaho Project

“Andy, thank you. You are awesome for putting on the program for Foster kids. My three boys loved it each year. They won’t ever forget it. They keep saying they love it, and they want to fly fish. They had a blast with all the mentors and you. They loved the ice cream and all the food and snacks. Thank you again, much appreciated “

Mentee

The Mayfly Project

Project Location

Idaho Falls, Idaho

Year Project Founded

2017

Project Lead Mentor

Andrew Bosworth

Mentors on this team

15

Children mentored to date

26

Children mentored in 2025

8

Local foster care partners

Currently accepting new partners!

Local companies that support this project

Trout Unlimited Snake River Cutthroats

Apply to Mentor

For more questions about this project,
contact Andrew Bosworth at:
info@themayflyproject.com

Support the Idaho Falls, Idaho Project

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Every child tied their own wooly bugger and then went and caught fish on the fly they tied! They all had a blast and it was a day to remember, for sure. The smile on a kids face at the end of a project makes it all worth it!

Cody Nolan, Previous Lead Mentor

Idaho Falls, Idaho Project

Project Mentors

Andrew Bosworth, Lead Mentor

I have been fishing all my life. My earliest memories fishing are with my grandmother on a small pond from a boat for blue-gills and with the old man across the street who taught me how to catch bass and catfish. I would get up in the morning and wait out in front of his house for him to say whether we were going or not. It wasn’t just the fishing but the time he and his wife shared with me. My life has been blessed with mentors who helped me become the person I am now, and I strive to project that same positive influence for others. For the last 20 years, I have been a high school science educator, focused on getting kids to feel confident and excited about science. Now I can share my passion for fishing with kids via the Mayfly Project. Life is good.

Josh Merkel, Conservation Mentor

I grew up in Western New York where I learned to fish from my grandfather who took me on fishing trips from a young age. After learning how to fish for bass, pike, and panfish with conventional tackle I decided to pick up a fly rod after seeing others fly fishing the trout and salmon run in the tributaries of Lake Ontario. After graduating college, I moved west pursuing a career in land management, over the years I have lived in several states across the west and have been fortunate enough to fish many of the best rivers in the country. I moved to Idaho Falls in the summer of 2023 after taking a new job with the Forest Service and am looking forward to exploring the public lands of Eastern Idaho.

Dan Smith, Mentor

I started fly fishing in my early teens. My father was a bait fisherman and we fished together all the time, but I would get bored or distracted waiting. I saw some guys fly fishing for salmon at the mouth of the Saranac River on Lake Champlain in NY and I knew that was how I wanted to fish.

Doug Kinney, Mentor

I grew up in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Growing up my father taught my brothers and I how to fish for Bass and Walleye from a very young age. On the weekends we fished out of a little 16’ aluminum boat chasing largemouth bass on the numerous gravel ponds along I-80. In 2006 I moved to Idaho to pursue my career as a flight nurse and enjoy Yellowstone country in the Intermountain West. After moving, I picked up a fly rod and have been pursuing trout and steelhead ever since. I enjoy tying flies as much as fly fishing and learning the history behind each pattern and the tyers that invented them. I also enjoy teaching others how to tie flies. When I’m not working as a flight nurse you can find me making pizzas in a small little pizzeria I co-own in downtown Idaho Falls. I have a wife and 2 rescue dogs I enjoy spending time with camping and floating the rivers in my area.

Tanner Gardner, Mentor

I was born and lived in Wisconsin for 22 years. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a bachelors degree in hydrology and a minor in waste resources. I have always had a passion for the outdoors and enjoy taking part in remote fishing and hunting adventures along with hiking, camping and swimming. I also enjoy spending time outside playing basketball, football and occasionally throwing for a few holes on a frisbee golf course. I traveled to Idaho falls in pursuit of the Wild West experience chasing bugling elk and searching for world class trout. I’m very close with my family and the distance between them and I has inspired me to become more involved with my community and the Idaho Falls Mayfly Project.

Stephanie Castro Baldivieso, Mentor

Originally from Venezuela, Stephanie moved to Florida where she learned how to fish for blue gills and bass with her father. After finishing her degree, she moved to State College, PA for a graduate degree and she learned how to fly fish. Stephanie volunteered in her local chapter of Trout Unlimited, where she taught women anglers about fly fishing. Now, Stephanie moved to Idaho Falls, ID in 2023 for her science job and is looking forward to fly fish in Idaho waters and teach children how to cast, set up rods, and have fun fishing and being outdoors

Christopher Mouanoutoua, Mentor

I started fly fishing in my early teens. My father was a bait fisherman and we fished together all the time, but I would get bored or distracted waiting. I saw some guys fly fishing for salmon at the mouth of the Saranac River on Lake Champlain in NY and I knew that was how I wanted to fish.

Corey Levin, Mentor

Corey grew up fishing the flats of West Central Florida for snook, tarpon, and redfish. Fishing has been a part of his life since he can remember. While fly fishing was introduced him early, Corey did not develop a passion for it until he settled down with his family in Teton County, Idaho. He was hooked the instant he got that first Cutthroat eat on the dry fly. He loves to share his fly fishing passion with others. Corey has worked with youth for many years in the snow sports industry and strives to have lasting positive impact in the lives of others.

Maren Davis, Mentor

Maren grew up in Idaho hunting, going on pack trips, fishing, camping, loving the mountains and rivers and the beautiful outdoors! Relatively new at fly fishing, she has found a passion and excitement and wants to share it with everyone she comes in contact with, hoping that they will find the depth of beauty, tranquility, and respect for the fish, rivers, and their fellowman. She is looking forward to being a mentor and hopes to instill life-changing moments for those in the Mayfly Project in her area.

Beau Davis, Mentor

Originally from Utah, I grew up fishing for trout in and around the Wasatch mountains (using a respectable amount of worms and power bait I might add), before eventually falling in love with East Idaho and flyfishing enough to buy a house with my wife in 2023. As my guiding experience in Yellowstone National Park and personal pursuits have taught me, I know the curative power that fly fishing can provide–and just how fun can be! I look forward to being part of the project and can’t wait to help share what knowledge I can.

Leslie Soderquist, Mentor

Leslie grew up fishing the waters of southern Idaho and western Wyoming. She hails from Idaho Falls and spends as much time as possible fishing the Henry’s Fork and South Fork of the Snake. She LOVES helping others learn to fly fish and mentors with the Idaho Falls Mayfly Project as well as Casting for Recovery of Eastern Idaho.

Aaron Colldeweih, Mentor

A California native, Aaron grew up fishing with his grandpa at Donner lake near Truckee, CA. He moved to Switzerland with his family for graduate school before settling down in Idaho Falls Idaho in 2023. Now as a Scientist at the Idaho National Laboratory, he spends much of his time inside in a Laboratory dreaming of the next weekends fishing adventure. He looks forward to growing in his role as a mentor in the Idaho Falls Mayfly Project!

Jack Mclaren, Mentor

Jack grew up fishing with his father and grandfather in Denver, Colorado and across the Midwest. Forever fascinated by trout and rivers, Jack received a PhD from Utah State University focused on trout ecology in the Henry’s Fork River. Jack is now the Aquatic Ecology Program Coordinator for the Henry’s Fork Foundation based out of Ashton, Idaho. Eager to share his passion for trout, rivers, ecology, and angling, Jack is excited to serve the Eastern Idaho community.