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Fly Fishing by State

Where to fish in all fifty states: the rivers worth the drive, when they fish, and what the regulations look like. Each state guide links down to full river guides as we publish them.

  • Alabama Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River (Lewis Smith Dam tailwater) · Rainbow trout (stocked), redeye/spotted/largemouth bass, bream, redfish, speckled trout
  • Alaska Kenai River · All five Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic grayling, char, steelhead
  • Arizona Colorado River at Lee's Ferry · Rainbow and brown trout, native Apache trout, smallmouth and largemouth bass, carp
  • Arkansas White River below Bull Shoals Dam · Rainbow and brown trout; smallmouth bass in Ozark streams
  • California Lower Sacramento River · Rainbow and brown trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon, striped bass, carp
  • Colorado South Platte River (Cheesman Canyon, Deckers, Dream Stream) · Rainbow, brown, brook, and native cutthroat trout
  • Connecticut Farmington River · Brown, rainbow, and brook trout; smallmouth bass; striped bass
  • Delaware White Clay Creek · Stocked trout, smallmouth and largemouth bass, striped bass, bluefish, weakfish
  • Florida Florida Keys flats and backcountry · Tarpon, bonefish, permit, snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, largemouth bass
  • Georgia Chattahoochee River below Buford Dam · Rainbow and brown trout, wild brook trout, striped bass, redfish, smallmouth
  • Hawaii Kaneohe Bay flats (Windward Oahu) · Bonefish, bluefin and giant trevally, jacks, triggerfish, peacock bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass
  • Idaho Henry's Fork of the Snake River · Rainbow trout, brown trout, Yellowstone and Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat, westslope cutthroat, bull trout (protected)
  • Illinois Kankakee River · Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, carp, panfish; Lake Michigan steelhead, salmon, and brown trout; stocked trout
  • Indiana Sugar Creek · Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, carp, pike, panfish; rainbow and brown trout (Brookville Tailwater); steelhead and salmon (Lake Michigan tributaries)
  • Iowa Northeast Iowa's Driftless spring creeks (Bloody Run, Paint Creek) · Brown, brook, and rainbow trout; smallmouth bass, carp, pike, walleye, catfish
  • Kansas Kansas River · Smallmouth bass, white bass, wiper, carp, channel catfish, stocked rainbow trout
  • Kentucky Cumberland River tailwater below Wolf Creek Dam · Rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, muskellunge, panfish
  • Louisiana Mississippi River Delta marsh at Venice · Redfish, speckled trout, black drum, flounder, largemouth bass
  • Maine West Branch Penobscot River · Wild brook trout, landlocked salmon, brown trout, smallmouth bass, striped bass
  • Maryland Gunpowder Falls · Brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, striped bass
  • Massachusetts Swift River (trout); Cape Cod (saltwater) · Rainbow, brown, and brook trout; striped bass, bluefish, false albacore
  • Michigan Au Sable River ("Holy Waters") · Brown, brook, and rainbow trout; steelhead; chinook and coho salmon; smallmouth bass
  • Minnesota Root River and the Driftless spring creeks · Brown, rainbow, and brook trout; smallmouth bass; muskie; steelhead
  • Mississippi Mississippi Gulf Coast (Biloxi, Back Bay, and the marshes) · Redfish, speckled trout, flounder; largemouth bass, bream, crappie
  • Missouri Lake Taneycomo and the Current River · Rainbow and brown trout; smallmouth, spotted, and largemouth bass
  • Montana Missouri River (Holter tailwater) and the Madison · Brown trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish
  • Nebraska Lake Ogallala tailwater (below Lake McConaughy) · Rainbow and brown trout; walleye, white bass, wipers, smallmouth, catfish
  • Nevada Truckee River and Pyramid Lake · Rainbow trout, brown trout, Lahontan cutthroat trout
  • New Hampshire Upper Connecticut River "Trophy Stretch" at Pittsburg · Brook, brown, and rainbow trout; landlocked salmon; smallmouth; striped bass
  • New Jersey South Branch Raritan River — Ken Lockwood Gorge · Rainbow, brown, and brook trout; smallmouth; striped bass, bluefish, weakfish
  • New Mexico San Juan River below Navajo Dam · Rainbow trout, brown trout, Rio Grande cutthroat, Gila trout, smallmouth bass, carp, pike
  • New York West Branch Delaware River · Brown, rainbow, and brook trout; steelhead; Chinook and coho salmon
  • North Carolina Davidson River (Pisgah National Forest) · Rainbow, brown, and brook trout; smallmouth bass; muskellunge; redfish and speckled trout on the coast
  • North Dakota Missouri River system (Garrison Dam Tailrace and Lake Sakakawea) · Walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, channel catfish; rainbow and brown trout in the tailrace
  • Ohio Mad River · Steelhead, brown and rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, carp
  • Oklahoma Lower Mountain Fork River · Rainbow and brown trout, smallmouth bass, striped bass, sunfish
  • Oregon Deschutes River (Lower) · Redband rainbow trout, steelhead, brown and bull trout, Chinook and coho salmon
  • Pennsylvania Penns Creek · Wild brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, steelhead (Erie tributaries), smallmouth bass
  • Rhode Island South County salt ponds and surf (striped bass) · Striped bass, bluefish, false albacore, stocked trout, largemouth bass
  • South Carolina Chattooga River · Rainbow and brown trout, redfish, spotted seatrout, bass and bream
  • South Dakota Rapid Creek (Black Hills) · Rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout; walleye, smallmouth, pike, perch on the fly
  • Tennessee South Holston River · Brown, rainbow, and brook trout; smallmouth bass
  • Texas Guadalupe River (winter trout); Laguna Madre flats (redfish) · Guadalupe bass, largemouth and smallmouth bass, rainbow trout (winter), redfish, speckled trout
  • Utah Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam · Brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout; smallmouth and striped bass
  • Vermont Battenkill River · Brown, brook, and rainbow trout; landlocked salmon; smallmouth, pike, carp
  • Virginia Mossy Creek · Brown, rainbow, and brook trout; smallmouth bass; muskellunge
  • Washington Yakima River · Rainbow and cutthroat trout, steelhead, salmon, sea-run cutthroat, smallmouth bass
  • West Virginia Elk River · Brown, rainbow, and brook trout; smallmouth bass; muskellunge
  • Wisconsin Bois Brule River · Brown and brook trout, steelhead, lake-run browns, coho salmon, smallmouth bass
  • Wyoming North Platte River (Grey Reef) · Rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout — including Snake River fine-spotted and Yellowstone cutthroat