Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing

The Monthly Current | July 2025

Casting Forward Together

We’re one-third of the way through our multi-day trip season, and what a journey it’s been so far.

Thanks to the incredible time, energy, and heart from our Mentors, Cooks, Equipment Managers, Trip Leads, and Assistant Trip Leads, our trips, both single and multi-day, have been meaningful and memorable. Whether you were rigging gear, prepping meals, mentoring quietly from the bank, or leading a trip from start to finish, you helped make it all happen. Thank you for showing up with full hearts and steady hands.

That said, we want to let you know that the San Juan trip scheduled for October 9 to 12 has been canceled. Like every season, things shift and plans adjust. Let’s keep bringing the same focus, flexibility, and care to the rest of the year.

Looking ahead, we’ll be holding a Trip Hotwash in late August or early September. It’ll be a chance to gather as a team and reflect on what’s working, where we can tighten things up, and how we want to shape the year ahead. One thing we’re especially looking forward to talking through is this:

Getting back to the grassroots of what PHW was built on.

Time-Presence-Mentorship

It’s not about the fish. It’s about the connection.

Several of our Mentors and Participants have reminded us this isn’t just a fishing club. And what we mean by that is this: while many of our multi-day trips take us to beautiful destinations with professional guides, riverside lunches, and fully catered five-star accommodations, we know that those comforts sometimes come at the cost of something deeper. These trips often mean drift boats instead of bankside walks, assigned guides instead of familiar Mentors, and catered meals instead of shared campfire conversations.

We’re incredibly grateful for the generosity and support that make those experiences possible. But the heart of the PHW experience lives in the time spent between a Participant and their Mentor. The ones who’ve built trust. Who’ve listened. Who’ve shown up quietly and consistently, because healing doesn’t always look like catching fish.

As we look toward next season, we’re exploring the idea of focusing more on trips closer to home. Ones where we don’t need guides. Where we can slow the pace. Where we can lean fully into what matters most: connection, presence, and relationship.

Again, thank you for all you’ve poured into this season already. Let’s keep pressing forward with purpose, with heart, and with the kind of steadiness that makes this program so special.

Grateful to be in it with you,
Woody & D-Day
PHW-COS Program Lead & Assistant Program Lead

Program Lead | Woody Boyd

Contact: woody.boyd@projecthealingwaters.org

Woody oversees the COS PHW program, guiding the program’s mission of supporting veterans through fly fishing. He ensures all teams work collaboratively to provide exceptional experiences for Participants.