Home - North Arkansas Fly Fishers

North Arkansas Fly Fishers

and the Sowbug Roundup

Proudly Presents

A Day with an Expert

BEN LEVIN

Gaston’s Visitor Center

Bull Shoals State Park

Saturday, August 22, 2026

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

One Hour Lunch Break

Free Admittance to All!!

Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass in the Ozarks

Ben Levin was born and raised in rural Arkansas and grew up fishing every creek and tailwater in the Ozarks. He's spent his entire life in the fly-fishing industry guiding, traveling, instructing, photographing and sharing his passion for being immersed in the world of fishing. He has guided and fished from Idaho and Montana to Alaska, Patagonia, the Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean, just to name a few, Arkansas is his home base where he has a deep personal connection to the Ozark rivers and streams. He owns and operates Fly South Adventures, a full time guide service that specializes in guided trips for all species across the Ozarks and hosted travel to fly fishing destinations across the world. In his free time Ben enjoys chasing tarpon in Florida, permit in the Caribbean, and just about anything else that swims in saltwater. To learn more about Ben, please click this link -> Fly South Adventures

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the best in the world!

Registration is not required, but Requested, and it's FREE!

Please Register at the Following Link:

A Day With An Expert - Ben Levin - 8/22/2026

August Meeting

Tuesday, Aug. 18th, 2026

NOTE - NEW - Location

Elks Lodge

101 Elk Way

Mountain Home, AR

All Members wishing to eat or socialize are encouraged to arrive around 5:30pm.

If you plan to eat, please order your meal no later than 5:30pm

Presentation Starts around 6:00pm

Rainbow Trout Genetics

Joe Kaiser

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Trout Management Biologist

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Trout Management Biologist Joe Kaiser will discuss an upcoming study of Rainbow Trout genetics in the Bull Shoals Tailwater. Rainbow Trout have been stocked in the White River below Bull Shoals since 1952, but their genetics have varied considerably over the years. From 2018 through 2025 alone, approximately 60 different strains were stocked. The proposed study will examine how those genetics affect the quality of the fishery and seek to answer a basic question: Which strains are having the greatest impact on the Bull Shoals Rainbow Trout fishery today? Kaiser will also discuss how the study will be conducted and the need for partners to help fund genetic sample processing.

Joe joined the AGFC Trout Management Program in 2019. Originally from Minnesota, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Aquatic Biology from Bemidji State University and worked in fisheries positions in Montana, Idaho, and Illinois before earning his master’s degree in Fisheries Science from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He also comes to the subject as a fly fisherman: he learned to fly fish while working in Idaho, where his first fish on a fly was a Westslope Cutthroat Trout from the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

River Flow Data for the Fly Fisherman

Norfork Tailwater Flows

Bull Shoals Tailwater Flows

SWPA-Generation Schedule

AGFC Trout waters

AGFC Family & Community Stocked Fishing Ponds

How to Use This Water Flow Data

Gene's Resort North Fork River Cams

Fly Fishing Mentoring Program

If you are interested in learning to fly fish, and don’t know where to start, we offer a mentoring program. It is available to all skill levels. Whether you are new to the area and need to know where to fish, when, and with what, or wonder why you’re not as successful as you hope to be, this program can help. Click on the button below for additional information or to sign up for this program.

Mentoring Program

Fly Tying Classes

We offer two fly tying classes - a beginners fly tying class and intermediate fly tying class.

The beginner fly tying class is hosted through the ASU-MH Community Education Program - Click the button below to sign up for the class or for more information and schedules.

The intermediate fly tying class is hosted by NAFF and more information can be found by clicking the link below.

Fly Tying Classes