Ben Levin used to be known as "The Kid" around the crusty older types here at the Ozark Fly Fisher, before the beard, but he's packed more fly fishing experience than most twice his age.
Getting Ben into the team here was a huge bonus. He's been a fishing buddy and worked with some of our guide team for years and we finally wore him down. You will really enjoy meeting him in the shop as well. We like to say he is the nice one.
Ben Levin was born and raised in Arkansas on the headwaters of the Mulberry River, and started chasing fish, crawdads, tadpoles, turtles, snakes, and all other manner of creatures in creeks and puddles since he was old enough to walk. He has been catching trout and smallmouth bass on fly rod in the Ozarks since age eleven. Having spent most of his childhood exploring every nook and cranny of Ozark creeks, rivers, tailwaters, and reservoirs, Ben has a special passion for his home waters. He has been guiding fly-fishermen on the White River system since age fifteen.
Between college semesters, Ben spent four seasons working and guiding for South Fork Outfitters on the Snake River, and Mike Lawson’s Henry’s Fork Anglers on the Henry’s Fork in Idaho, one of the most famous and challenging dry fly rivers in the west. He has also traveled all over the Rockies fishing in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. He was a member of the US Youth Fly-fishing Team in ’98 and ’99, and competed in Ireland and Wales. Ben has been longtime friends with local fishing expert and renowned artist Duane Hada, and the two often team up to float people down our smallmouth streams.
Since graduating in 2005 from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville with an honors degree in English, Ben has been guiding full time here in Arkansas on our local waters. He lives on Crooked Creek, our famous smallmouth fishery and major tributary of the White, where he fishes, writes, takes pictures, hunts critters, and spends time with his chocolate lab, Soco.
Ben will be doing both smallmouth and trout trips for us, whether it’s in a canoe on the creeks, or his jon boat or drift boat on the river. He’s also a heck of a fly tier and supplies several of our custom patterns. You'll enjoy meeting Ben and Soco.