Spring (March/April, dates TBA) · Baxter County Fairgrounds · Mountain Home, AR · About 20–25 minutes from Falling Stars
The Sowbug Roundup is one of the largest fly-tying events in the country — three days of demonstrations, gear vendors, seminars, and community, hosted by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers each spring. Fly tiers from across the U.S. show up. Falling Stars is 20–25 minutes from the fairgrounds and 25 minutes from the White River tailwater itself — where you can put everything you learned at the Roundup to work the same afternoon.
Basecamp for the Roundup weekend
- 20 minutes to the Roundup. Direct drive to the Baxter County Fairgrounds. Spend a full day at demos and vendors, come back to real quiet.
- 25 minutes to the White River. Tie a fly in the morning at the Roundup, fish it that afternoon on the Trout Capital of the USA. Rare to have both in the same weekend, in the same 30-minute radius.
- Space for the tying room. Six glamping domes sleeping 4–8 each. Set up a tying station on the table, spread out the materials, actually work through what you saw at the vendor booths.
- Real recovery. Private hot tub on every deck. After three days of standing in a vendor hall and casting on the river, that matters.
About the Sowbug Roundup
The Sowbug Roundup is hosted annually by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers at the Baxter County Fairgrounds in Mountain Home. Three days of fly-tying demonstrations, gear vendors, seminars, raffles, and casting demos. Named for the sowbug — a staple pattern on the White River. Confirm 2027 dates on northarkansasflyfishers.org.
Booking for Roundup weekend
Direct-book at Falling Stars. Arrive Thursday, catch the Roundup Friday through Sunday, fish the river between sessions or on the way home. Spring weekends on Bull Shoals fill early — especially when the Sowbug crowd is in town.
Falling Stars is independent lodging near Mountain Home, AR. We are not an official Sowbug Roundup or North Arkansas Fly Fishers partner or sponsor. Event dates and programming are confirmed on the organizer’s site.
