A Great Year for a Man Who is Breaking Down Barriers Through Fly Fishing


Last April, at the 2015 Orvis Guide Rendezvous in Missoula, Montana, Chad Brown of Soul River, Inc. received the first annual Orvis Breaking Barriers Award for the remarkable work he does with inner-city youth and veterans. Since then, Chad has been featured in Outside Magazine, the Portland Tribune, and Oregon Public Broadcasting. Orvis could not be prouder to support Chad’s work and to promote his important message about the healing power of the sport we love.


Chad Brown gave an emotional speech as he accepted his Breaking Barriers Award last year.
Photo by Tom Rosenabuer

Recently the BBC World Service interviewed Chad for a program called “Outlook,” and it’s a moving conversation about how fly fishing quite literally saved his life. The interview is about 12 minutes long, and it’s well worth your time.

Click here to listen to Chad’s interview with the BBC’s Jo Fidgen.

And here’s a short documentary about a trip last summer that took twelve kids from the inner city to Alaska, where they fished with combat veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI:

And here’s his great acceptance speech at last year’s award ceremony:

4 thoughts on “A Great Year for a Man Who is Breaking Down Barriers Through Fly Fishing”

  1. This is the epitome of the power that fly fishing has to change lives when put to use with a purpose. Huge props to Chad for taking the time to make a huge difference in the lives of others.

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