Angler Education Adult Mentored Fishing Program

*Current application period closes Friday, April 3rd 2026

Under the direction of the The Texas Parks and Wildlife Angler Education program, the Adult Mentored Fishing Pilot Program is designed to provide adults (18 and older) with an opportunity to increase their knowledge of fishing and gain hands-on experience fishing in their local community waters. The program also provides Angler Education volunteer instructors with more opportunities to increase and expand their impact – through teaching fishing and building a community of life-long anglers. 

Program Description  

Learn to Fish (Mentees) - Adults (18 +) wanting to increase knowledge and gain hands-on experience fishing. Ideally novice and inexperienced anglers. Mentee Info Sheet 

Teach Fishing (Mentors) – Current (at time of application) certified Texas Parks and Wildlife Angler Education volunteer instructors (18 +) wanting to teach and provide fishing experiences for mentees. Mentors will submit their volunteer hours to the Angler Education program. Mentor Info Sheet

• There’s no entry fee to participate, but mentee and mentors will be required to have a current fishing license and provide their own equipment.
• During the pilot phase, participation will be limited to mentees and mentors that reside in certain counties within and adjacent to major metropolitan areas.

Eligible counties: Travis, Hays, Williamson, Dallas, Tarrant, Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, and Galveston

After an application process and orientation, mentees and mentors will be assigned together in small groups, based upon multiple factors: location, experience level, fishing method preference (conventional v fly fishing), etc. 

Each group will collectively schedule and execute four sessions during the program duration (April through June). A session must be a minimum of 2 hours or a maximum of 4 hours. Mentors will be required to teach objectives from the Angler Education curriculum and each session, along with instruction, the mentees will have time to apply their knowledge, through fishing on location.

How to Participate

Prospective mentees and mentors are required to complete an online application. Completing an application doesn’t guarantee participation in the program. 

Completed applications will be reviewed by a team member and the applicant will receive an update on the status of their application and any further steps to participate; with the email they provided in the application. Orientation sessions will be scheduled and highly recommended for mentees and mentors to attend.

Adult Mentored Program Application - Spring application period has closed. 

Program Contact

Adam Comer, Aquatic Education Manager
adam.comer@tpwd.texas.gov
(512) 389-4732