To hear it from Eeland Stribling, there are many parallels between fly fishing and stand-up comedy. “You really don’t need either of them, but you can look at them interchangeably,” he says. While that might take some imagination for most people, for Stribling, the overlaps are crystal clear. They’re also what makes Stribling who he is.

Part stand-up comedian, part wildlife biologist, and part fly fisherman, the 27-year-old Denver-based Stribling uses the intersection of all three to educate the public on diversity and the outdoors. “My jokes are like flies, and my audiences are like the fish,” he says. “I could have the best flies, throw them into the water, and no one is going to laugh. Or I could have the best jokes, and the fish aren’t going to notice them.”

Stribling might stand apart in his ability to bring the outdoors and fly fishing on stage, but he’s used to that. “When I first started fly fishing, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me or who was from the area where I grew up,” he says. “Through social media, however, I learned there are other minorities out there working to make a change so that everyone can feel safe.”

That became Stribling’s mission, too, and through his profession, comedy, and volunteer efforts, he’s helped move the needle. When it comes to his love of the outdoors, Stribling was essentially born into it. “My grandfather was a wildlife biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife,” Stribling says. “As far back as I can remember, we were always reading nature books or watching nature documentaries.”

They also frequented parks, both within Denver, and beyond. “My grandfather is the reason I know and care about the outdoors,” Stribling says. It also informed his career choice, and while in school at Colorado State University, Stribling took an extra credit class in fly tying that met every Saturday for four weeks. He fell in love with the sport. “I watched the fish and tried to figure out how to catch them,” he says. “I bought a rod and reel, and before class, after class—any free time I had—I was on the water.” 

Around the same time, the fan of stand-up comedy decided to try an open mic night, knocking it out of the park on his first try. “The next three times, however, I maybe got one laugh,” he says. “I stuck with it and discovered comedy is one of those things you get better at with time.”

After securing his degree in conservation and wildlife biology, Stribling began tying together his various areas of interest. As the Colorado Council Outreach Team Lead at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Stribling partners with the Cottonwood Institute to connect underserved students to the outdoors. He also works as an outdoor educator with Rugged Research, Brown Folks Fishing, and Lincoln Hills Cares, whose mission is developing the next generation of young leaders giving back to the community and supporting the environment. 

In all these endeavors, Stribling leans into his comedic skills to engage students of all ages. “I make a lot of jokes with my students, and I work with different audiences and age groups,” he says. “One makes me better at the other. If you’ve had a drunk man yelling at you on stage, it makes it easier to deal with a kid who might be disrupting a lesson.”

As Stribling’s profile as a comedian and outdoors educator grew, brands and organizations began to take note. Corrine Doctor, co-owner of RepYourWater, a fly-fishing and outdoors apparel company, met Stribling at a story hour for a mutual conservation partner. “We stayed in touch and saw each other at events,” says Doctor. “We learned we shared the same values of conservation and making the outdoors a safe space for everyone, so we asked him to be an ambassador.”

Doctor has watched Stribling in action, teaching adults and kids to fly fish. “Having a young Black man talking about the sport is a breath of fresh air,” she says. “He volunteers a lot of his time, on his own dime, to introduce the sport to a demographic who otherwise wouldn’t learn about it.” 

While Stribling is a comedian, he has his serious side, too. On the Flylords webpage, he speaks on the short film, “All Jokes Aside,” about issues that matter to him. All water is important, says Stribling, but right now, Bristol Bay, in Alaska, is one of the most important bodies of water in the world and one of the most in need of protection. The parallel he sees here? “There’s no difference between this and Black Lives Matter,” he says. “Yes, all lives matter. But in this moment, Black Lives Matter. Right now, while they need protection, let’s protect Bristol Bay, and let’s protect Black lives.” 

Stribling, says Doctor, is a reliable friend, advocate, and angler. “He shows up,” she says, “which is why he’s made so many connections in the industry. People know he wants to contribute to the change and he’s doing just that.”