Dr. Yolanda Edwards was interviewed by Alicia Bartlett, podcast manager of On the Real with the Ubuntu Fly Anglers Network, for the 16th episode of On the Real and Be What You Don’t See March leader spotlight. Dr. Edwards talked about being an army veteran, a mother, a community builder, a generational curse breaker, and a fly angler. She founded the nonprofit Her Waters to empower and uplift underrepresented voices, particularly Black women, youth, veterans, and seniors, by creating accessible opportunities to engage with the outdoors through fishing, education, and connection. This heartfelt and inspiring conversation about fishing, healing, and representation brings, in Alicia’s words, “wisdom, tears, and joy.”
I'm doing what my mother did for me. I'm just doing it on a larger scale. And every time I do something, no matter if it was being in the military, buying a house, I'm doing things that my grandmother and my mother were not allowed to do. And now I look at myself as a generational curse breaker.
Yolanda learned to fish from her mother, who learned from her grandmother, a three-generation legacy of anglers. Growing up in Cleveland, Yolanda began her fishing outings with her mother by pouring soapy water over the ground to bring up the worms they would use as bait. Then it was early to bed and early to rise for a day on the water. Her mother packed good food and answered young Yolanda’s many questions about fishing and life. Throughout her life, including a career in the military that took her to the front lines of foreign conflict zones, Yolanda carried these special times with her mother along with the lessons she learned.
Approaching retirement from the military, Yolanda planned to get a boat and start fishing with her mother again. Sadly, her mother did not make it to Yolanda’s retirement. But Yolanda was determined to fish, although the fish kept taking her bait. “I just looked to heaven, and I was like, Mama, I’ don’t know what I’m doing…Can you just put a fish on?” That day, she caught a bass and has the photograph to prove it, which Yolanda saw as a sign to get more serious about fishing.
She watched YouTube videos to learn knot tying and how to catch blue gill and frequented the local reservoir trying to get someone with a boat to take her out on the water. Noticing her persistence, an angler said she was “really hooked.” “No, I’m miss hooked,” she said. Claiming the social media handle Mz. Hooked, she decided she was not going to be limited by waiting for someone to give her a ride on a boat to do what she wanted in the outdoors.
Though her fishing skills were improving, she missed the connection of fishing with others. Determined and capable, she created community by founding Hooked in the South, a Facebook group of people who come together to share time on the water, a passion for fishing, and knowledge of the sport. As of 2026, the group has grown to over 1,800 members.
Wanting to accomplish more, Yolanda founded her first nonprofit, Remain Hooked Outdoors, in 2017 to encourage Black kids, women, and men to get out of the house and enjoy nature. She initially intended to work closely with foster children and at risk girls and wanted to bring fishing programs into local schools but ran into barriers. Still, she continued to fish and taught her daughters to fish as well, passing down the family passion.
After experiencing a deep loneliness with the passing of her companion of many years, a military friend reached out and asked her if she’d ever heard of fly fishing. Her response: “Yeah, it is expensive.” That’s when her colleague told her about Veterans Fly Fishing, which provides equipment and guidance for free.
Though it took her a year to go, Yolanda’s first time on a river with a fly rod was life changing. Not only did she catch a trout on her first cast, her sore knees found relief in the cold water. She felt healed.
“It’s like when Christ calls you and you go into baptism. He said, come as you are. I did…and when I came out, I was a renewed woman.”
To Yolanda, fly fishing was amazing and she wanted everyone to have the experience. In January of 2026, less than a year after she discovered fly fishing, she renamed her organization Her Waters to reflect a deeper clarity and alignment with her mission, to show female veterans, Black women, and girls that fly fishing is for them, too, and to provide healing, empowerment, and representation, acronym “HER” on the water.
Since the founding of Her Waters, Yolanda has been contacted by women across the country, from Alaska to West Virginia, to be a part of and to support the organization. Women anglers and businesswomen including renowned guide and casting instructor Wanda Taylor and Kimberly Ranalla, owner and founder of Miss Mayfly, have offered mentorship, gear, and exposure. In March of 2026, Yolanda was invited by iFishiBelong to tell the Her Waters story at the DIY gathering in North Carolina.
About the Black women and girls that come together through Her Waters, Yolanda says “By doing this, they’ll take up a leadership role. But not only that, someone will take a legacy moment and share, and it’ll keep going, and I’ll be the catalyst that brought it.”
- Checkout Her Waters
- Donate to Her Waters
- Follow Yolanda on Instagram @mz.hookedonthefly
When asked what meaningful allyship looks like, especially for those who want to support women of color and veterans new to fishing and fly fishing, Yolanda said:
- Stand in the gap and say, “I got you. I’m with you. What do you need?”
- Reach out. Don’t be afraid to ask to join or to offer support.
- Really see people of color in leadership positions and in the fishing industry.
Yolanda gives the following advice to anyone who wants to start fishing and fly fishing but doesn’t feel like they belong:
- Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean you can’t learn.
- Take that first step into the water. The biggest step you could ever take is just showing up.
- You are going to mess up, don’t wait for perfection.
- Most importantly, you DO belong.
The 2026 iFishiBelong “Be What You Don’t See” campaign highlights leaders breaking barriers in the fishing industry. Each month, we will feature individuals who challenge conventions and inspire change with passion and resilience, motivating the next generation of anglers to create their paths and “be what they don’t see.” By highlighting these trailblazers, we aim to inspire broader participation and show that leadership roles in the fishing industry are accessible to everyone, creating a more inclusive vision of success.
