Matt grew up in a small town in southwest Arkansas, and with several lakes and the Ouachita National Forest just a few miles away, he spent a lot of his youth outdoors. He was introduced to fly fishing by his grandfather at a young age, and while he admits he may not recall much about those first instructions, the interest has never gone away. Matt enjoys spending his free time these days fly fishing on the Little Missouri River.

He hopes that through mentoring with TMP he will be able to spark an interest in young people in the same way. Matt is excited to help introduce them to something that will encourage them to get outdoors, explore, and enjoy all that spending time on the water has to offer.

Born and raised in Southwest Arkansas, Kim returned to this area after college. Kim’s father enjoyed bass fishing, and she spent lots of time with her father and brother on area lakes, ponds, and rivers while growing up.

She is a dental hygienist in Hope, Arkansas, and she enjoys helping others through different volunteer opportunities associated with her profession. But, when away from work, Kim enjoys being outdoors. She feels that being outside allows her time to clear her mind, refocus, and refuel herself. These reasons are exactly what made her decide to be a Mayfly Project Mentor.

“I want to be able to share the benefits of fly fishing with these kids. Hopefully they will find it as fun and relaxing as I do.” -Kim

Austin’s hometown of Trout is seated squarely in rural LaSalle Parish in central Louisiana, far from any actual trout. He was first introduced to fly fishing as a young boy by his father. He quickly became captivated with the sport. Spending many hours creekside and on pond banks he “honed” his skills on bream, white perch and bass. During his time at college he received an internship opportunity in Hope, Arkansas. Here Austin met Matt Bearden, a fellow Mayfly Mentor, who invited him to go fly fishing at the Little Missouri River. After a few not so productive trips, Austin finally caught his first trout in the Summer of 2017. Since then Austin has graduated and moved to Texarkana and is pursuing a career at the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

He now strives to learn everything he can about; trout, trout fishing, fly tying, conservation, and a continued respect for the trout and the beauty of The Natural State.  Austin is elated to have the opportunity to introduce other children to the joy that is fly fishing and to be able to positively impact a community that has welcomed him with open arms.

A southwest Arkansas native, Rustin was raised camping and fishing on De Queen and Gillham lake. He spent many vacations camping for weeks and spent many days and nights fishing on a boat with his dad and grandfather. He was able to learn the skills needed to catch nice fish. He also enjoys taking people new to outdoor experiences hunting, fishing, hiking, or anything they have not experienced. He has such a passion for being outdoors and likes to see others share in that passion. TMP is doing just that, by introducing these children to a new experience outdoors. He was given his first fly rod when he was 12 years old and has just recently picked up on it. As an adult, he is wanting to experience new things and show his kids there is more out there. After finding The Mayfly Project, Rustin has found more areas to fly fish and hopes to teach his kids more about it. He took great pride in seeing his 7-year-old daughter catch her first fish on a fly rod. He is excited to share that joy with the other children associated with The Mayfly Project. His parents helped raise foster children and he is glad to help give back to these children.

I was born here in Hope, Arkansas and raised pretty much everywhere, but in the teen years of life I grew up here in Hope spending most of my time in the outdoors playing sports hunting and fishing with my adoptive parents. As I become an adult and my high school sports career came to an end. I got into the sport of powerlifting and have reached the elite level in the sport, I own a gym called Chalk Zone Powerlifting, I’m also the youth leader at White Oak Grove missionary Baptist Church in DeAnn Arkansas. I believe in helping others who are less fortunate and giving a lending hand to all of those who need help. I hope my experience growing up and even having to go through the foster care system will allow me to relate with the kids, and even understand what they are going through. If I’m able to have a positive impact on just one child’s life all my efforts will be more than worth it. 

 “ Good better best never let it rest until you’re good as better and you’re better as best ”

Matt was born and raised in Georgia but recently transplanted to Louisiana, where he has been lucky enough to meet his wife and a great fishing community.

He has been fishing his whole life, the majority of which was on his hometown GA lakes and ponds where he fell in love with being outdoors and fishing largemouth bass, crappie and bream. He was first introduced to fly fishing by his aunt and uncle while in his twenties, and he was bitten instantly by the trout bug and life on the river.

Recently married, he put a strong focus on growing his relationship with his wife Catherine, his Christian faith and fly fishing. While listening to a recent fly fishing podcast and interview they had with MFP founder Jess Westbrook, he was introduced to the MFP and knew he wanted to be a part of such a great cause for foster children.

He was raised by a wonderful set of grandparents, and aunts and uncles that filled in other roles, but believes that if they had not been there, he may have also been a part of the foster system. That is why Matt is excited to share with the kids the experience of being outside and fly fishing so they too can have a lifetime of memories.

Jay grew up in west central Georgia where he spent lots of time hunting and fishing with his father and uncle in the foot hills of the Appalachian Mountains and the reservoirs of the Chattahoochee River . In the mid 1990s he and his wife Kathy were fortunate enough to move to Northwest Louisiana. With easy access to Arkansas he really is in the sportsman’s paradise. Since then he spends most of his free time in the Ouachita mountains, fishing and hunting. He enjoys his family, fishing, hunting and outdoor cooking. Throughout his life, he’s had many teachers and a few mentors he really enjoys teaching flyfishing to his children, grandchildren and anyone else who is interested.

Jake grew up just a few miles south of the Narrows Tail water on the Little Missouri River. He spent his childhood in various outdoor activities, but when he was 14 he found his great-grandfather’s old fly rod while helping him clean out his shop. From then on Jake spent most of his time fly fishing on ponds and creeks around Murfreesboro Arkansas, as well as in the Narrows Tailwater.

It wasn’t long after he was introduced to fly fishing, that Jake began to show interest in fly tying. One of Jake’s uncles was a professional saltwater fly tyer in Florida. One Christmas, he gifted Jake with his own starter kit and began to teach him how to tie.

In 2017, Jake was invited to be a guest fly tyer at the Little Missouri Fly Fishing Festival where he was introduced to Matt Bearden, head mentor of the Texarkana Project. Seeing an opportunity to give back in a meaningful way, Jake joined up with TMP that summer and has been a mentor ever since.

“Fly fishing played a prominent role in my youth, fostering a profound appreciation for our waterways and natural surroundings. Beyond its recreational aspect, it serves as a conduit for conservation and responsible stewardship. Engaging with the mentees at TMP and witnessing their growing regard for rivers, fish, and stream-side habitats through fly fishing is a rewarding experience.”