Arkansas Fly Fishers

10/15/2026

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10/15/2026

Our Final Casting Tune-Up of 2026 — With Special Guest Amanda Willshire!

Join us Monday, October 19, for our final drop-in fly casting tune-up of the year, led by AFF's Casting Program!

This month will be a little special! Amanda Willshire, our featured speaker for the evening's monthly meeting, will be joining our casting coaches to offer tips and hands-on instruction before presenting her program, Fly Fishing & Art, later that evening.

The session takes place from 4:00 to 5:30 PM, across the parking lot in front of Whole Hog Cafe, 2516 Cantrell Road, Little Rock.

Whether you're brand new to fly casting or looking to smooth out your loop and tighten your delivery, this informal session is a great opportunity to get personalized tips and hands-on feedback from experienced casters.

This is designed for all skill levels—from beginners learning the basics to seasoned anglers wanting help with a particular technique or refining their accuracy or distance.

Bring your own rod and reel if you have them; a limited number of loaner setups will be available. No RSVP required—just show up, cast a few lines, and sharpen your skills before the meeting begins.

Since this is outside, we will not hold the session in inclement weather.

10/08/2026

We’re excited to welcome Amanda Willshire to Arkansas Fly Fishers on Monday, October 19, for Fly Fishing & Art.

An Arkansas native now based in Denver, Amanda first learned to fly fish from her Pawpaw. Today, she is a metal sculptor (check out ), fly-fishing guide, world-traveling angler, and passionate supporter of both Casting for Recovery and The Mayfly Project. Her presentation will include stories and photos from her fishing travels, including tarpon and tournament fishing, along with her path from Arkansas to guiding Colorado’s Front Range.

Join us at 6:00 p.m. at Whole Hog Café for what should be a terrific evening of fishing, art, and fellowship. AFF members, guests and visitors are welcome. You don't have to be a member to attend.

09/30/2026

Fly of the Month for October is the Wooly Bu**er in any hook size.

In 1967, Pennsylvania fly tier Russell Blessing wanted to imitate a hellgrammite to catch smallmouth bass, so he modified an existing fly called the Woolly Worm by adding a flowing marabou tail to a chenille body and palmered hackle, and the Wooly Bu**er (named by his young daughter) was born.

Since then it's become perhaps the most widely known and widely fished fly in the world. It's also one a majority of tyers mention as the first fly they ever tied. It's popularity is due to the fact that it just flat-out works, representing an impressionistic, general food source for fish rather than a single specific insect.

When pulled through the water, the pulsing marabou tail and fuzzy body create lifelike movements that can look like many different aquatic creatures such as minnows, leeches, crayfish, and large nymphs.

You can find literally hundreds of variations of this fly on YouTube, with everyone claiming to have created 'The Better Bu**er'. So this month's tying challenge is just that, build a better bu**er to catch that elusive trophy fish.

We'll be tying the Wooly Bu**er at our next Sipping and Tying night on Tuesday, October 6. Gina Fulmer will be our featured tyer, leading us through all the steps to tie an olive variation of the pattern. As usual, we'll supply all the materials you'll need to tie two Wooly Bu**ers to add to your fly box, and all you have to bring are your tools and thread.

Come join us this coming Tuesday, October 6th, at the Draft+Table Restuarant, 301 N Main St, North Little Rock. The fun starts at 6:00.

Detailed instructions for tying an Olive Woolly Bu**er Fly.Recipe:...

09/06/2026

Reserve a copy of River to Ridge: Arkansas's Wildlife Management Areas to pick up at our September 21 monthly meeting.

Our featured speaker, Jeff Williams, is co-author of River to Ridge and a longtime Arkansas outdoorsman, writer, and conservation advocate with a deep knowledge of the state’s wildlife and public lands. He’ll be talking with AFF about Arkansas’s Wildlife Management Areas and the remarkable outdoor opportunities they provide.

Jeff will bring copies of River to Ridge for purchase for $20 cash. Reserving a copy in advance will help make sure he brings enough books for everyone who would like one. Reserve here: https://arkansasflyfishers.com/collections/all

River to Ridge highlights the history, characteristics, and fascinating details of 118 of Arkansas’s 138 Wildlife Management Areas, offering a deeper appreciation for the public lands that make the Natural State such a special destination for anglers, hunters, paddlers, hikers, birders, and other outdoor enthusiasts.

08/27/2026

Fly of the Month for September is Davey Wotton's Threadfin Shad.

Every fisherman knows that big fish keep eating little fish, no matter where you are in the world, and master tyer Davy Wotton's Threadfin Shad imitation is a great pattern for one of the key forage species in lakes and rivers across the country. Trout, bass, and stripers all key in on these prolific small silvery fish, and it can be tied and colored to imitate many other species of baitfish as well.

If you don't have baitfish patterns in your flybox, you should. And if you haven't tied baitfish patterns before, this is a great one to start out with. It's not that difficult to tie, and as mentioned before, it can be tied with various materials and colored to imitate just about any other baitfish species, like golden shiners, for intance.

We'll be tying this Threadfin Shad pattern at our next Sipping and Tying night on Tuesday, September 1st. Terry Fulmer will be our featured tyer, leading us through all the steps to tie this very versatile pattern.

As usual, we'll supply all the materials you'll need to tie two of these baitfish patterns to add to your fly box, and all you have to bring are your tools and thread. 6/0 or 70 den. white thread works best for this pattern, but any lighter color can also be used. We'll also be using a small amount of UV resin to finish off the head, so please bring your UV light if you have one.

Come join us this coming Tuesday, September 1st, at the Draft+Table Restuarant, 301 N Main St, North Little Rock. The fun starts at 6:00.

Big fish keep eating little fish no matter where you are in the wor...

08/22/2026

Make plans to help give the Little Red some love on Saturday September 12. There will be a bunch of AFF folks there!

07/30/2026

Fly of the Month for August is the Last Chance Cripple - Size 14 or Smaller

The Last Chance Cripple was created by Rene Harrop and is considered one of the most iconic PMD cripple patterns. It primarily imitates crippled mayflies, or emergers that are stuck half in and half out of their nymphal shuck. This makes them vulnerable and easy prey for trout, especially during heavy mayfly hatches when fish ignore fully emerged duns and target struggling insects on the water surface.

This fly is most effective when fished dead drift in the film or just below the surface. Occasional slight twitches can simulate the struggling emergence behavior of the mayfly. Trout often barely break the surface when taking these flies, so careful observation is key.

We'll be tying the Last Chance Cripple at our next Sipping and Tying night on Tuesday, August 4th. John Pineda will be our featured tyer, leading us through all the steps to tie this iconic pattern.

As usual, we'll supply all the materials you'll need to tie two of these flies to add to your fly box, and all you have to bring are your tools and thread.

Come join us this coming Tuesday, August 4th, at the Draft+Table Restuarant, 301 N Main St, North Little Rock. The fun starts at 6:00.

Detailed instructions for tying a Last Chance Cripple Hendrickson....

07/25/2026

Arkansas Fly Fishers Presents: Dan Bowman's Proven Patterns for Monster Trout Tying Clinic

The Arkansas Fly Fishers invite you to a special fly tying clinic with Dan Bowman before he speaks at the August 17 monthly meeting. The clinic will be at the Whole Hog Cafe from 3:30 until about 5. Dan is one of the Southeast's premier fly fishing guides and he targets BIG trout. In this clinic he will lead folks through a couple of his go to flies that he uses day in and day out to put his clients on fish.

Participants are expected to bring a vise, basic tying tools, and appropriate thread (some like bringing a small light). AFF provides the other needed materials. Participants are able to see a live, magnified video of the instructor's fly throughout.

Don't have your own tying equipment but curious about tying? AFF has a limited number of high quality Regal vises and tying tools available. Reserve early to ensure access.

The cost is $15. Space is limited. Sign up at https://arkansasflyfishers.com/collections/all