Raleigh, North Carolina Project

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Raleigh, North Carolina Project

Project Mentors

ANNIE O’LEARY, LEAD MENTOR

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Annie O’Leary has fly fished in Wisconsin, North Carolina and Colorado, mostly in trout streams, over the last ten years.  The whole process is fun for her: planning the outing, preparing the gear, choosing (not always correctly) which fly to use, and catching fish!  She also loves the serenity and confidence it gives her, the solitude for thinking, the silent competition with the fish, and the stunningly beautiful places where we go fishing.  She can’t wait to share that with other people.

Outside of fishing, Annie raises funds for an international NGO. Hobbies outside of fishing include hiking, camping and gardening—anything that keeps her outdoors.

JENNIFER STUBBS, MENTOR

Franklinton, North Carolina

Jennifer is a mother of three young adults, a dental hygienist and a cancer survivor. Thanks to a free retreat with Casting Carolinas, for women with a cancer diagnosis, she learned she had a true love of fly fishing and the healing effects of being on the water. She now volunteers for Casting Carolina’s as a retreat leader and alumnae coordinator and is currently a board member and Education chair for the local Trout Unlimited Chapter, Triangle Fly Fishers.

TIM SUTTLES, MENTOR

Raleigh, North Carolina

Tim grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. Growing up he and his father fished for anything and everything that would bite a hook. Tim is now an avid fly fisherman but still remains happy to catch any fish that will bite a hook across saltwater and freshwater. Tim is also a pilot and works with children in the Civil Air Patrol as one of their glider pilots. Tim is excited to take you fishing and teach you all about conservation and how to enjoy this vast resource.

ANDREW LITCHFORD, MENTOR

Durham, North Carolina

A Florida native and lifelong angler, Andrew grew up fishing with his father for warm water, fresh and saltwater species. He spent 12 years in Colorado, and while there, developed a passion fly-fishing for trout. He currently works as an engineer for a local biopharmaceutical manufacturer and recently joined the board of Triangle Fly Fishers, the Triangle chapter of Trout Unlimited. He looks forward to continuing to share his passion for the outdoors and deepening connection to mother nature with the local community!

CY GURNEY, MENTOR

Durham, North Carolina

Cy lived in Texas, Okinawa, Florida, and Germany and has traveled in many other countries before calling NC home for the last 38 years. She started fishing with her family as a high schooler in Florida. It wasn’t until she picked up a fly rod that she became fascinated with fly fishing about 15 years ago in the mountains of NC. She states, “While it is undeniably a treat to hook and net trout, that is a small part of the overall experience of sharing space with the insects, the trees, the plants, and the wildlife along the brooks and streams during different seasons of the year.”
She retired from the NC Court System, Guardian ad Litem Program advocating for children for 35 years. She is a certified Durham, NC Master Gardener.

KATIE O’KANE, MENTOR

Raleigh, North Carolina

As the mentor newest to fly fishing and also North Carolina, I’m so thrilled to be part of The Mayfly Project. I moved from Los Angeles to Raleigh in May 2022 with my husband, Clayton, and two labs, Cam and Bear. Most recently, I worked with K-5 kids as an after school program site coordinator, yoga and social emotional learning instructor.

Since Clayton convinced me to try fly fishing in 2021 we’ve been lucky to travel to some amazing places like Montana and the Amazon, as well as enjoy the rivers and streams in our own backyards. Fly fishing is an exciting adventure no matter where you are, as well as a calming way to reset your mind and connect with nature. Let’s go fishing!

DYLAN KRAUS, MENTOR

Durham, North Carolina

Born and raised in North Carolina, I grew up fly fishing with my grandfather and brothers. From a young age I developed a love of exploring the outdoors and have carried that passion with me throughout my life. After working in AgBiotech as an entomologist for almost 10 years, today I teach 8th grade science in Durham, NC. I’m super excited to be part of such an awesome program and can’t wait to share my knowledge with others while learning some new things myself!

NICOLE SUTTLES, MENTOR

Raleigh, North Carolina

A North Carolina native, I grew up fishing in rivers and lakes near Hickory, NC. It was a great way to get outside and have some fun. I got away from fishing for a few years during college and early adulthood, but I came back around in 2018 when my husband asked if I wanted to give fly fishing a try. Since then, we have been fortunate to fish in lots of fun places, including North Carolina, Montana, Colorado, and even Iceland! I enjoy fishing but also love that it gives me the opportunity to travel and experience beautiful places. I’m excited to share it with the Mayfly Project as well!

BILL BERRYMAN, MENTOR

Raleigh, North Carolina

Bill grew up in Southeast Texas, along the Louisiana border where the Gulf Coast marsh meets the East Texas, Piney Woods. His hometown of Port Arthur separates the cattails and salt marsh near the mouth of the Sabine River from the white-sand creeks and streams, that he floated in an old Jon boat with his dad. As a kid, cane poles and bait-casting for Bass, Sunfish, and Crappie, along cypress lined banks, Bill learned to appreciate both flora and fauna, of this wild and scenic area, known affectionately as “Cajun Lapland”. “Dad taught me to fly-fish when I was about 8 or 9”, says Bill. “We’d take turns with an old “beater” of a Fly-rod he had, and I was fascinated, yet struggled with the strange casting techniques it required. I got my own first flyrod when I was 11 yet “gave in” to the ease of spin-casting. “Narrow McKim Creek that bisected our family Tree farm, was a haven for many of Texas’ freshwater species, where I logged hundreds of hours of solitary fishing from hole to hole”. Little did he know then that much of what Bill learned from this little creek would be useful later in the world of fly-fishing techniques. An Eagle Scout (1969), Bill fished for Walleye, Smallmouth, and Northern Pike in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota / Ontario, on a 9-day wilderness canoe trip. Totally hooked on everything outdoors, through college and early adult years he fished extensively with big bass rod gear, on lakes and reservoirs, but enjoyed lighter tackle on the crystal-clear streams of central Texas Hill Country, usually dove-tailed into a whitewater canoe trip, sic Guadalupe River. His family’s tree farm business deepened his grasp of sustainable forestry, and environmental stewardship. With a degree in Elementary Education, and minors in Forestry and History, Bill and his wife Karen married soon after college graduation (SFASU ’77), then taught in the public schools in the Greater Houston area. Bill continued to enjoy camping, hunting, and fishing, from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma to Colorado. Joining Weyerhaeuser in 1986, he moved to North Carolina (Cary), and has been here ever since. He continues to broaden his fishing footprint having fished extensively in Wisconsin, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, and even Kansas. Bill renewed his fly-fishing about 25 years ago, where it has replaced any other means of tackle in his quest to fish new places, and for different species.

Today, Bill remains employed full-time, in the wood products industry, saying, “Why retire,…I love what I do. With training engagements comes a means to get me to new places, and to enjoy fly-fishing for different species not native to North Carolina. He says, “flyfishing for the past 25 or so years affords me the greatest way to unwind and relax. And send any stress downriver. I don’t think about anything else while I’m out on the river. It’s me against the fish. Standing in a stream, feeling the gentle pressure of the water against my legs, I might make that perfect cast (not always) as my line unrolls gently across the surface. My fly sometimes lays there motionless for a split second, before it suddenly explodes in a rush of water and green mischief, engulfed by a beautiful fish, totally fooled by my offering. In that adrenaline rushing moment it remains the greatest feeling that I just cannot find in any other sport. I quickly get the fish in as soon as I can, so as not to tire him out too much. A quick release back to catch another day, maybe by me, … maybe by you. I’m not the most technical Flyfisher, but I am no less passionate, and I almost always catch fish. My giving back to others is my way of passing on that knowledge to others who will literally dream at night about fishing ,…then jump to alertness when the water explodes, feel each pull, twist, and turn, then admire that fish, before letting it be caught another day. Will you let me show you how to feel that passion too? Tight lines, Bill

RYAN MITCHELL, MENTOR

Raleigh, North Carolina

Ryan began fishing when he was 5 or 6 living on a horse and cattle farm in Iowa, and took up fly fishing when he moved to Colorado after graduating from Iowa State University. In the ensuing 30+ years, he’s had the good fortune to fish in several parts of the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. One of his favorite aspects of flyfishing is the focus on being in the moment, absorbing and appreciating nature. It is a great way to unplug and relax. Being able to mentor and help others to enjoy the sport is what drew him to the Mayfly Project. Ryan lives in Apex with his wife and their three boys. In addition to fishing, he enjoy woodworking and cooking. He has been a commercial banker in the Triangle since 2007.

Questions or Need to Connect?