This week, we stopped by Diamond State Fly Co. in Flippin, AR, to visit our good friend Ben Levin with goal:

Make a bucket list of underrated fish to chase with the fly rod this summer.

Ben makes a convincing case that the Ozarks' most overlooked fish are secretly its most fun and exactly how, where, and what to throw to catch all four.

In today’s edition:

4 Underrated Species Fly Fishermen Overlook
Why They’re Worth Chasing
How to Catch Them

Let’s get to it.

— Kyle

The Interview

0:00 – Recording at Diamond State Fly Co.
5:00 – Species #1: The Ozark Bass
20:00 – Species #2: Common Carp
34:00 – Species #3: Spotted Bass (Kentucky Bass)
45:00 – Species #4: Green Sunfish

🎧 If you like platforms other than YouTube, find The Ozark Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and the rest.

Four Overlooked Fish in the Ozarks (That Are Secretly Its Most Fun To Fish)

When people think of fly fishing in the Ozarks, they usually gravitate toward brown trout and smallmouth.

And there’s a reason those rise to the top. We’re spoiled with some of the best trout and smallmouth fishing streams in the country. Don’t take that for granted.

But we wanted something different. No glamour fish.

So we called our friend Ben Levin. He’s one of the region’s foremost fly fishing guides, having fished from Alaska to the Caribbean and guided in Arkansas for over 25 years. He helped us put together a “summer bucket list” of overlooked fish in the Ozarks that are actually a ton of fun to catch on the fly rod.

Here’s his list!

Ozark Bass

The Ozark bass (or in Latin, Amblyoplites constellatus, for the constellation-like spotting across its body) is endemic to the White River drainage.

You can only catch this fish here, in this region, nowhere else in the world.

It often gets misidentified as rock bass or shadow bass and lumped under the catch-all "goggle eye," but it's a regulated game fish with its own regs.

Where to find them: They're White River drainage only, so think Crooked Creek, the Buffalo River, and the Kings River for your best shot. They live in moving water around rocky habitat, ledges and rock piles, in medium-depth pools with a little current pushing through. Keep in mind: Missouri rivers that drain north are rock bass country; rivers that flow south into the White River are Ozark bass water.
How to catch them: Ben said if someone forced him to produce one on demand, he'd go to Crooked Creek, find a medium pool with clearly visible rock piles, and just work it with a crawfish pattern, or a small Gitzit or tube, crawled off the rocks and along the bottom.

Common Carp

Ben said this is as close as you'll get to saltwater flats fishing without leaving the Ozarks. Carp on the fly fish almost identically to redfish or bonefish, especially on reservoirs where they tail and mud in shallow water.

Where to find them: Look for warmer, more marginal water: Crooked Creek has a surprising number of them, and the reservoirs are good, especially in flat coves where the water goes still and shallow. Anything connected to the Arkansas River holds carp.
How to catch them: The key is finding fish that are actively feeding. Cloudy or murky water works in your favor. Drop a small crayfish pattern or large nymph within about a hula hoop's distance of the fish, let it sink, and give it a few short strips. Worth knowing: carp release a feeding pheromone when they eat that draws other fish in, and a different one that empties the flat when they're spooked.

Spotted Bass (Kentucky Bass)

People dismiss them, and Ben's never totally understood why. They fight harder than largemouth, they jump, they love topwater. They fill the thermal gap between smallmouth water and largemouth water, which means they show up in a lot of places most people aren't targeting them.

Where to find them: Look for the middle zone. Water that's slower and flatter than a stream but not quite a full lake. Table Rock is a legitimately good spotted bass fishery. In Arkansas, check the Mulberry River, Little Mulberry, and Piney.
How to catch them: Go gaudy. Ben's breakthrough came when nothing was working and he tied on a Fruit Cocktail: a bright red-orange popping bug. The fish annihilated it, and Ben said there's a largemouth-ish instinct in spotted bass that responds to things no self-respecting fish should eat. Start with topwater and see what happens.

Green Sunfish

Often misidentified as a bluegill, but they're their own species. They grow fast, they're everywhere, and when you actually stop and look at one, they're beautiful in a way that's almost tropical: electric blue on the cheek, orange on the belly, colors that look like they belong on a reef.

Where to find them: They're in every farm pond, every river, every drainage in Arkansas and Missouri. Look for the most classically fishy-looking spot: leafy, weedy, overhanging timber, the kind of place that's got 12 fishing lures hanging off the nearest tree so you know someone else has fished there.
How to catch them: It’s almost hard not to catch these guys since they’re so aggressive. Start with topwater small poppers and just go have fun.

Next week, we’ll be back with Ben on how to fish through a tough low-water summer. Lately, the water's been low and it's getting hot. Ben's going to walk through the keys to still putting fish in the boat when conditions are working against you.

By the way, members of The Holler get 10% OFF all in-store purchases @ Diamond State Fly Shop.

AND 10% OFF guided fishing trips with THE Ben Levin.

Get in here.

In addition to 10% Casting Lessons with Dan Roberts, members of The Holler save hundreds on outdoor gear from our partner outfitters. Including everyday discounts like: