The Heartland Fly Fishing Festival 2025
All fly fishing. All day.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025
The Heartland Fly Fishing Festival 2025
All fly fishing. All day.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025
Heartland Fly Fishing Festival 2025
The Heartland Fly Fishing Festival is a singular place to engage with great fly fishing guides, exhibitors, presenters, and fly fishing friends, try on and try out new gear for the upcoming season, enjoy demonstrations and seminars, study the techniques of acclaimed fly tyers, fly cast on an indoor casting pond, fly tying and fly casting for kids, and so much more.
These great fly fishers/speakers share their knowledge.
Kevin Feenstra
Owner, USCG Captain, Guide
Kevin Feenstra started Feenstra Guide Service LLC in 1997. He has spent countless hours on the Muskegon River, and still fishes the river system and surrounding waterways every chance he can. His passion is swinging flies for steelhead, but loves to fish for any predator fish that is willing to eat a fly. Year after year, Kevin guides the Muskegon River for hundreds of days and still loves it. He is a licensed USCG captain.
In addition to guiding, Kevin is an active writer and fly tier. His most recent project is a book, Matching Baitfish, which was published in November 2020. He has also published several fly fishing DVDS, including Searching for Steelhead, Striking Steel,and Big Appetite, Small mouth. Kevin has authored many magazine articles, and his flies are published in fly tying manuals and magazines. Kevin’s passion for outdoor photography captures the beauty and majesty of West Michigan both above and below the water.
Josh Miller
Josh Miller recently released his first book, a comprehensive volume titled, Euro Nymphing. Tips, Tactics and Techniques through Stackpole. He was a member of the Fly Fishing Team USA from 2016 through 2020, and as head coach of the USA Fly Fishing Youth Team as they won 2 consecutive team gold medals in the 2023 (Bosnia) and 2024 (Czechia) World YFF Championships. Miller is a full-time guide and traveling instructor and is a signature tier. He lives with his wife, Sarah, and son, Jonah, in western Pennsylvania. Josh is eager to share his experiences and knowledge gained while fishing with some of the world’s best anglers.
Josh Franklin
Josh guides and hosts for Knee Deep Expeditions with destinations in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. After a military career spanning the breadth of the globe from Afghanistan to Alaska, Josh loves putting clients on fish and filling memory banks with world-class adventures. As an FFI certified casting instructor (CI) he also enjoys teaching and sharing his passion of fly fishing with clients and friends.
Josh will talk about Chasing the Giants: Predator fishing tactics, equipment & destinations
Jeff Liskay
Great Lakes Fly Fishing is owned and operated by Captain Jeff Liskay, one of the fishiest, respected and likable anglers around. Jeff is a busy guy. In addition to being a family man; he is a hard working guide, instructor and Ambassador. When he's not taking someone fishing, you can find Jeff all over the Great Lakes devoting his time promoting the region, supporting its fly shops and working with the local fishing community. Jeff is also a passionate advocate for fish handling and Great Lakes preservation.When not guiding he is always pushing the boundaries of fly fishing by leading the charge with thinking outside the box techniques and flies to match. Jeff will be presenting again in 2025 at the Heartland Fly Fishing Festival.
Patrick Robinson
Patrick Robinson hails from Middlefield, Ohio in the heart of “Steelhead Alley.” His fly-fishing experiences have taken him coast-to-coast in pursuit of various warmwater, cold water, and saltwater species as well as to destinations abroad. He is an accomplished writer having been published in numerous US and European fly-fishing publications. He is also an accomplished photographer, public speaker, and fly tier with fly patterns commercially available through Fulling Mills / Orvis. Patrick founded Steelhead Alley Outfitters back in 2007 with partner Greg Senyo and currently serves as sole owner of the operation where he oversees the day-to-day activities of the company. In his free time, if he’s not fishing, he also loves to chase upland birds and waterfowl with his bird dog, Maverick.
Joe Clark
Joe Clark is a great fly fishing guide for Trout Yeah roster and is the northeast coach for the United States youth fly fishing team. His background is in competitive fly fishing and specializes in modern and Euro Nymphing techniques for trout. He is a structured fly casting instructor and enjoys teaching the sport. He has an easygoing nature and admittedly is genuinely "living the dream” traveling from stream to stream in a camper van truly immersing himself in the sport and lifestyle of fly fishing. Joe will be on the casting pond doing casting demos and instructing.
Speaker topics
speaker topics and schedule TBA
Engage with so many great fellow fly fishers.
Expect to interact with guides, exhibitors, clubs, pro tyers
Kevin Feenstra, FEENSTRA GUIDE SERVICE
Jeff Liskay, GREAT LAKES FLY FISHING
MOVING WATER OUTFITTERS, Mike Exl
BAMBOO RESTORATION, Ron Scott and Ned Newhardt
Patrick Robinson, STEELHEAD ALLEY OUTFITTERS
Josh Miller, TROUT YEAH!
Glen Blackwood, GREAT LAKES FLY FISHING COMPANY
FAR BANK, Ben Hunting (Midwest)
ORVIS, Jason Sandlewick and Eric Helton
KNEE DEEP EXPEDITIONS, Josh Franklin
Joe Clark, TROUT YEAH!
WALTON RODS, Brad Smith
DRIPFISH COFFEE
ALTAR FLY FISHING, Steve Ebling
TWO FORKS GUIDE SERVICE, Kyle Schmedake
DRIFTWOOD ANGLERS, Rob Peddie
INDEPENDENT ANGLER, Larry Eastwick (Boundary Waters)
INDIANA FLY FISHING GUIDES, Jeff Conrad,
PROJECT HEALING WATERS FLY FISHING, (USA)
CENTRAL INDIANA TROUT UNLIMITED
THREE RIVERS FLY FISHERS
INDIANAPOLIS FLY CASTERS
FLY FISHERS INTERNATIONAL
Mike Beachy, LITTLE ELKHART TROUT UNLIMITED
FRIENDS OF THE WHITE RIVER
CASTING FOR RECOVERY
KAYAK COFFEE
ANADROMOUS FLY COMPANY, Herb Theodore
INDIANA SMALLMOUTH ALLIANCE
FLY FISHING CLUBS and organizations from around the midwest.
SILENT AUCTION of float trips, fly fishing gear, art and swag.
PRO TYERS include Sgt. Bassfisher, Joe Jackson, Matt Zudweg, Jack Harford,
Amran Ahmad, Junior Burke and other midwest tyers.
Join Us Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025
Heartland Fly Fishing Festival Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds Lebanon, IN Witham Pavilion
Conveniently located just 15 minute north of Indianapolis off I-65
Ample parking and it's free.
Hours: 9:00 am- 5:00 pm
Hosted by Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing
Indianapolis Program
Heartland Fly Fishing Festival 2025
