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River Guides

Honest write-ups on rivers worth fishing. Seasons, species, access, and patterns that work.

AK

  • Kenai River Kenai Peninsula, Southcentral Alaska · King salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden · Mid-June–September

AL

  • Sipsey Fork Northwest Alabama · Rainbow trout (stocked), bass, bream · Year-round; April and October are prime

AR

  • White River North-central Arkansas, below Bull Shoals Dam · Rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout · Year-round; late fall through early spring for large browns

AZ

  • Colorado River at Lee's Ferry Northern Arizona (below Glen Canyon Dam) · Rainbow trout, brown trout · March–May, October–November; fishable year-round

CA

  • Lower Sacramento River Northern California, Sacramento Valley (Redding to Red Bluff) · Rainbow trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon (seasonal), striped bass (lower river) · March–June and September–October for trout; fall–winter for steelhead and salmon

CO

CT

  • Farmington River Northwest Connecticut · Brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, smallmouth bass · April–October

DE

  • White Clay Creek Northern Delaware, near Newark · Rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout (stocked), smallmouth bass, sunfish · April–June, October–November

FL

GA

  • Chattahoochee River (Buford Dam) North metro Atlanta · Rainbow trout, brown trout, striped bass, carp, shoal bass · Year-round; winter–early spring strongest for trout

HI

  • Wailua River East Kauai · Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, tucunare (peacock bass), bluegill sunfish · Year-round

IA

  • Upper Iowa River Northeast Iowa Driftless · Smallmouth bass, walleye, brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout · May–June, September–October

ID

  • Henry's Fork Eastern Idaho, Island Park to St. Anthony · Rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout · Mid-May–October
  • South Fork of the Snake River Eastern Idaho / Snake River Plain · Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat, rainbow trout, brown trout · Prime fishing July–August (caddis and PMD hatches, cutthroat on dries). Box Canyon floats year-round below Palisades Dam except during high runoff (May–June). October for fall brown trout streamers.

IL

  • Kankakee River Northeastern Illinois, south of Chicago · Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, catfish, panfish · May–June, September–October

IN

  • St. Joseph River North-central Indiana (South Bend / Mishawaka) · Smallmouth bass, steelhead, salmon, pike, muskie, brown trout · May–October (smallmouth), late fall–early spring (steelhead)

KS

  • Arkansas River South-central Kansas · Carp, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, sunfish · Late May–early June, September

KY

LA

MA

  • Swift River Central Massachusetts (Belchertown) · Rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout · Year-round; late April–mid-May and late September–mid-October best

MD

  • Big Hunting Creek Catoctin Mountains, northern central Maryland · Brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout · April–May and September–October; shaded summer mornings fish well
  • Gunpowder Falls Central Maryland · brown trout · year-round

ME

  • West Branch Penobscot River North-central Maine, below Ripogenus Dam · Landlocked Atlantic salmon, brook trout · May–June, September–October

MI

  • Au Sable River Northern Lower Peninsula · Brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, steelhead, salmon · May–September for trout (Hex late June–early July); March–May and September–November for steelhead and salmon

MN

  • Root River Southeast Minnesota Driftless · Brown trout, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, brook trout (tributaries) · Late May–June, September–October

MO

  • Lake Taneycomo Southwest Missouri (Branson) · Rainbow trout, brown trout · October–May, with year-round fishing in the upper tailwater

Montana

  • Bighorn River South-Central Montana · ["brown trout","rainbow trout"] · ["spring","summer","fall","winter"]
  • Smith River Central Montana · ["brown trout","rainbow trout"] · ["spring","fall"]

MS

  • Mississippi Gulf Coast (Biloxi & Back Bay) Central Gulf Coast (Biloxi, Ocean Springs) · Redfish, spotted seatrout, flounder, sheepshead · April–October, with fall bringing consistent redfish activity on the flats

MT

  • Beaverhead River Southwest Montana · Brown trout, rainbow trout · June–August; late June–early July prime
  • Gallatin River Rocky Mountains · ["rainbow trout","brown trout","cutthroat trout","brook trout"] · [{"season":"spring","best_months":"March-April","notes":"Last low-water window before runoff; BWO hatches on warm afternoons"},{"season":"summer","best_months":"Late June-August","notes":"Golden stones late June, caddis through summer, hoppers in August"},{"season":"fall","best_months":"September-October","notes":"BWO hatches, pre-spawn browns, least crowded quality fishing"},{"season":"winter","best_months":"December-February","notes":"Select sections open; midges; check FWP closures"}]
  • Madison River Greater Yellowstone · Rainbow trout, brown trout, mountain whitefish · Year-round below Hebgen; salmonfly hatch late June–early July; best dry fishing September–October.
  • Missouri River Rocky Mountains · ["brown trout","rainbow trout"] · [{"season":"spring","best_months":"March-May","notes":"BWO hatches, rising water, fewer crowds"},{"season":"summer","best_months":"June-August","notes":"PMD and Trico hatches, technical dry fly fishing"},{"season":"fall","best_months":"September-October","notes":"Streamers, fall BWOs, brown trout pre-spawn aggression"},{"season":"winter","best_months":"November-February","notes":"Midges, open year-round, lowest pressure"}]
  • Yellowstone River Paradise Valley / Greater Yellowstone · Rainbow trout, brown trout · Prime wading April–May (pre-runoff BWOs) and September–October (fall browns, streamers). Hopper-dropper from mid-July through August. Open year-round below Gardiner.

NC

  • Davidson River Western North Carolina · Rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout · April–June, September–November

ND

NE

  • Niobrara River Northern Nebraska · Smallmouth bass, brown trout, rainbow trout, northern pike, largemouth bass, panfish · March–June, July–August

NH

NJ

  • South Branch Raritan River Central New Jersey (Hunterdon County) · Rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout · April–June, September–October

NM

NV

  • Truckee River Western Nevada · Rainbow trout, brown trout, Lahontan cutthroat trout · May–June, September–October

NY

  • Upper Delaware River Catskills / NY-PA Border · Wild brown trout, wild rainbow trout · April–May for Hendrickson hatch; late May–June for Sulphurs and Green Drakes; September–October for fall BWOs and brown trout streamers. Summer low-water period (July–August) requires selective presentation and early-morning Trico spinner fishing.
  • West Branch Delaware River Catskills / Southern Tier · Wild brown trout, wild rainbow trout · May–June, September–October

OH

  • Mad River West-central Ohio · Brown trout, rainbow trout · March–June, October–December

OK

  • Lower Mountain Fork River Southeastern Oklahoma (Ouachita Mountains) · Rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, sunfish · October–April for the strongest trout fishing; year-round tailwater

OR

  • Deschutes River (Lower) North-central Oregon · Redband rainbow trout, summer steelhead, whitefish · April–June, July–September, September–November

PA

  • Penns Creek Central Pennsylvania · Brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout · April–June, September–November

RI

  • Wood River South-central Rhode Island, Arcadia Management Area · Rainbow trout, brown trout, wild brook trout, smallmouth bass, panfish · April–June, September–October

SC

  • Chattooga River Northwestern South Carolina (Blue Ridge foothills) · Rainbow trout, brown trout · March–May, September–November

SD

  • Rapid Creek Black Hills · Rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout · April–October, with year-round midge fishing

TN

  • South Holston River Northeast Tennessee (Bristol) · Brown trout, rainbow trout · May–August, fishable year-round

TX

  • Guadalupe River Central Texas Hill Country, below Canyon Dam · Rainbow trout, brown trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, Guadalupe bass · Late November–February (trout); spring and fall (bass)

UT

VA

  • Mossy Creek Shenandoah Valley · Brown trout · March–June, October–early December

VT

  • Battenkill River Southwestern Vermont · Brown trout, brook trout · Mid-April–October; mid-May–mid-June prime

WA

  • Yakima River Central Washington, Cle Elum to the Columbia · Wild rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish, smallmouth bass · March–June, September–October; year-round in the blue-ribbon reach

WI

  • Bois Brule River Northern Wisconsin (Lake Superior drainage) · Brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, steelhead, lake-run brown trout, coho salmon · April–June, September–November

WV

  • Elk River Central West Virginia · Brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout · April–June, September–November

WY