River Ridge Inn Fly Fishing Lodge on the North Fork River Arkansas

Larry Babin

Growing up in the "Sportsmans Paradise" known as southern Louisiana I was surrounded by some of the best salt and fresh water fishing in the country. Reds and specs were my favorite but bass, crappie, and smallies were also readily available. Some of my best memories include fishing with my father out of his aluminum jon boats in the spillway for bass and fishing private marshes for delicious specs and reds.

My fly fishing adventure began in the mid-nineties when my father-in-law, Bob Cooke, purchased an Orvis endorsed fly fishing lodge in Hayward, WI which specialized in the hunt for the elusive Muskie. For the next ten years it was me and my nine weight fly rod traveling back and forth from the great north back to my home waters of Louisiana in the pursuit of Redfish.

In 2002 I attended the second ever Orvis Guide School at Hubbard's Yellowstone Lodge in Montana and knew I did not want to do anything else. At the time I had a young family to support and realized it would take time for me to reach my ultimate goal.

After being in professional sales for multiple building products companies out of north Texas, I was fortunate to have a territory which allowed me to "case" the tailwaters of Arkansas during sales trips and make the most of being on the road.

My wife Michelle, my son Tripp (8), and daughter Isabelle (4), would ultimately relocate to the most beautiful part of the country I've seen thus far.. Mountain Home. Here I manage the Blue Ribbon Fly Shop while my lovely wife operates Anglers Coffee Cafe directly attached to the fly shop.

My passion for fly fishing and teaching the sport to our next generation is ongoing. Fly fishing, similar to life itself, is a journey not a destination. Every day is a learning experience and inevitably something new to discover is usually right around the corner. When I'm not guiding you can still find me on the river doing what I love most learning and absorbing the complexity of this ever changing eco system. Life is good.

flieslarry@hotmail.com