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While Mountain Home’s next big fishing event is kicking off tomorrow morning, one event has officially wrapped up a successful year.
The North Arkansas Fly Fishers (NAFF) 2025 International Sowbug Roundup concluded Saturday after three days of demonstrations, classes and camaraderie at the Baxter County Fairgrounds, with organizers already planning improvements for next year’s event.
Tommy Hagan, a NAFF member, described the turnout as “fantastic” during an interview Friday morning. Though he hadn’t seen official attendance numbers, Hagan was impressed by the crowd visible from the stage.
“We’ve had a good time. We’ve got a seemingly good cast of featured speakers,” Hagan said.
The annual gathering, which ran March 27-29, has established itself as one of the nation’s premier fly fishing events, drawing visitors from all 50 states and several countries to the Ozarks.
Hagan noted that acclaimed local artist Duane Hada spent a good portion of the roundup creating a painting that would later be auctioned.
“Hada’s actually, right now, doing a painting that we’re going to auction off tomorrow,” Hagan said on Friday.
Hada, a renowned artist based in Mountain Home, is known for his artwork depicting Ozark landscapes and wildlife.
The Roundup serves as NAFF’s sole fundraiser, with proceeds supporting conservation, education and philanthropic activities, including $10,000 in scholarships for students majoring in conservation and fisheries careers.
This year’s event featured two distinguished special guests: Pat Dorsey, a master guide with over 30 years of experience from Colorado who co-owns the Blue Quill Angler Fly Shop in Evergreen, and Tim Flagler, owner of Tightline Productions from Califon, New Jersey.
Flagler has built a significant following through his fly tying instructional videos, amassing over 112,000 subscribers and 36 million views on YouTube. Fly Tyer magazine named Flagler their “Fly Tyer of the Year” in their Winter 2022 issue.
Additional expert tiers included Mike Morphew, Dutch Baughman, Davy Wotton, and Mike George, among others. The event also featured four Buz Buszek recipients: George, Al Ritt, Fred Dupre, and Baughman.
The event featured extensive auctions and raffles, including rod and reel sets, guided trips, and wildlife artwork. Two special raffles offered a Scadden Dagger Lo Pro inflatable watercraft and a Helios Euro nymphing rig from Orvis.
Attendees enjoyed concessions provided by the Clarkridge Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary throughout all three days, with menu options ranging from breakfast biscuits and sausage gravy to lunch selections like hamburger plates. A highlight was the selection of homemade fried pies in flavors including apple, apricot, blueberry, cherry, lemon, peach, strawberry, and strawberry/rhubarb.
The Roundup maintained its tradition of engaging young people in fly fishing, offering free fly tying classes for kids throughout the event, with every child receiving a prize in the special youth raffle.
Local families also had the opportunity to fish Dry Run Creek in a 16-and-under family event. The creek, located below the Norfork National Fish Hatchery, allowed youngsters to test flies they’d tied at the event while potentially landing trophy trout.
Looking ahead, Hagan revealed that planning for next year’s Roundup is already underway, describing how he was taking notes during this year’s roundup in preparation for NAFF’s meeting next month over next year’s event.
“I was sitting down there up there on the stage. It’s like I was writing down ideas that I’m thinking about that we need to get for next year,” Hagan explained.
One of his ideas included better signage.
“We need a sign above that door that says seminars,” Hagan said while pointing to an exit sign. “Because that’s where the seminars are, in there. And I have to say a million times, ‘Just go through the exit sign and take a left.'”
This year’s gathering featured 150 expert fly tyers demonstrating their craft throughout the three days, alongside more than 20 vendors offering the latest in fly fishing gear and materials. Educational opportunities included free seminars and casting lessons for beginners.
The annual Sowbug Roundup will return in the Spring of next year.
