Will Godfrey

Willard H. Godfrey, Jr. (b.1938)

Will’s lifelong commitment to angling is reflected in years of service, a significant impact in conservation of western rivers and a long list of awards, accomplishments and appointments.

Born in Salt Lake City, Will began fly fishing as a boy, when he and his dad floated dry flies in Colorado’s Gunnison River. In college, he started guiding for Bud Lilly, owner of the Trout Shop in West Yellowstone, Montana, where he concentrated on Idaho’s Henry’s Fork of the Snake River.

He earned a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in agriculture economics and started a career in academia. But he couldn’t shake the love of guiding and started a summer side hustle outfitting anglers on the Henry’s Fork. That soon grew into a full-time career with three fly shops and a far-flung outfitting business that catered to anglers across eastern Idaho and in faraway destinations like New Zealand, British Columbia, Canada and the Canadian Maritimes.

He was a charter member of the Federation of Fly Fishers, now Fly Fishers International (FFI), and helped start fly fishing clubs in Boise and other Idaho cities – Pocatello, Twin Falls and St. Anthony – while climbing the volunteer ranks of the organization. He eventually served as vice president of the group. Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus appointed Godfrey to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission in the 1970s where he and his fellow commissioners pushed against currents within the Idaho Fish and Game Department and designated several rivers like the Lochsa, Selway and Henry’s Fork of the Snake River as wild fish sanctuaries.

For the past 20 years he has worked to help the recovery of threatened and endangered anadromous fish in Idaho's Clearwater, Snake and Salmon Rivers. His work currently focuses on wild steelhead. Will has advocated for special steelhead regulations, improvements and protections of wild steelhead spawning habitat, and the elimination of gill nets in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.