Thank you for taking the time to teach us how to fly fish!
Traverse City, Michigan Project
Lead Mentor: Eric Hubschneider
Co-Lead Mentor: Emily Hansen
Project location: Traverse City, Michigan
Mentors on this team: 8
Children mentored to date: 6
Children to be mentored in 2023: 4
Local foster care partners: Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiatives
Local companies and partners that support this project: The Northern Angler, Trippe Family
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Traverse City, Michigan Project
Northern Michigan has an incredible amount of public and easily accessible streams/lakes, so we hope that by introducing local foster care children to fly fishing they’ll easily be able to turn this into a hobby they can do on their own.
Project Mentors
EMILY HANSEN, CO-LEAD MENTOR
Grawn, Michigan
Emily Hansen was born and raised in Northern Michigan. She credits her love for the outdoors to growing up in such a beautiful area. Emily is an artist and started fishing so that she could catch fish, take pictures, and use the photos as references for her paintings. However, she fishes a lot more than she paints now-a-days! Emily is happiest in the river and is looking forward to sharing her passion with others!
BRIAN KOZMINSKI, MENTOR
Boyne City, Michigan
Brian Kozminski, known as “Koz” by friends, has been fly fishing Michigan waters for over 30 years. Originally from Grand Rapids where the Rogue River and Grand River were his home waters, his frequent trips to Grayling to fish the Holy Waters were not enough. Over a decade ago, he and his wife, Lesley, daughters, Simone and Camille, made ‘Up North’ a permanent way of life. A recent transplant to Boyne City now allows the Jordan and Boyne Rivers to become his backyard home waters. A lifetime member of Trout Unlimited and ex officio for the Miller VanWinkle Chapter, he shares his passion for the resources by teaching locals the art of fly tying. He has been tying flies since his father taught him at the age of nine. Although Steelhead and large Brown Trout at night are exciting, the true treasure of northern Michigan lies in the vermiculation and blue halos of the native Brook Trout from its cold, clean and clear rivers.
JOHN SULLIVAN, MENTOR
Grayling, Michigan
Originally from Chicago, then Indianapolis, John fell in love with fly fishing about 20 years ago when his brother-in-law in Utah took him on an amazing float trip down the Green River. For the past 15 years John and his wife Courtney have been fly fishing and kayaking with their family at their vacation home on the North Branch of the AuSable. Recently retired, John is now a full time Michigander and is looking forward to his first season working with The Mayfly Project in Traverse City.
News & Events
The Golden Trout Year, Denver Project!
It was an amazing year for our Denver, Colorado Project! We run a large program, and we served 12 kids over this past summer and fall. We had 9 boys and 3 girls participate this year. Two of our boys participated last year, and one of those two participated for his...
Angler’s Coffee, Supporting TMP!
We're thrilled to be chosen as the beneficiary of Angler's Coffee's drive to have a positive impact in their communities and the environment. For every bag, tumbler, or collaboration pack purchased, Angler's coffee donates back to The Mayfly Project! "I ordered...
A Journey to Joy!
A Journey to Joy: Mayfly Project Mentor to Big Sister In the spring of 2022, a dear friend of mine, involved with the Mayfly Project in Bend, Oregon,reached out with a unique opportunity. The offer? To become a mentor, teaching kids in foster carehow to fly fish. I...
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Traverse City, Michigan Project
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