where are the most famous place to fly fish?

[area57]

As I am a beginner, I need to start dreaming of my first trip. So where are the most famous places to fly fish in the US or Canada? I think Alaska is a given.

I will accept for an answer as specific or regional as you so choose. For example you could say the Yellowstone River for the 10 mile stretch between "town a" and "town b", central Montana, or Montana. Whatever you choose.

Off the top of my head the places that I think of as fly hotspots are:

Montana and the Yellowstone corner of,Idaho and Wyoming.

Colorado

Central Utah

Columbia River tributaries

And British Columbia

Oh, maybe upstate New York, but I don't know that much about it and can't imagine it possibly isn't overfished to death.

 

[bruce m]

I don't think it could be said any better Jerry, home waters it is for me, or more precisely wherever it is my fishing buddy(my son) wants to go with me.

 

[moucheur2003]

"Most famous" is not necessarily the same as "best fishing" or "most enjoyable". That said, in the west the upper Madison River would probably also have to be on the list. Also the Snake around Jackson Hole, the Missouri below Holter Dam, and the Bighorn below Yellowtail Dam. In the East, the list should probably include the Beaverkill and Willowemoc in NY, the Battenkill in VT and NY, and Letort Spring Run in PA. In the midwest there probably isn't a more famous river than the Au Sable.

In hindsight, I've come to realize that an angler's "home waters" often can be a "dream trip" of the best kind

Easy for you to say. You live on the banks of the Au Sable! Here in Boston the "home water" is the Charles.

 

[wolfglen]

I would say that if you're a dry fly fisherman the Catskill area would be your mecca. Home waters for Theodore Gordon, Ray Bergman, Art Flick, Harry and Elsie Darbee, Walt and Winnie Dette, Roy Steenrod, Rube Cross, and countless others.

Starting in Roscoe NY you could camp at the Famous Beaverkill Covered Bridge Campsite or stay at the Famed Red Rose Motel and fish the Beaverkill, Willowemoc, E and West Branch of the Delaware within less than an hour's drive. In addition in less than two hours drive is the Esopus and the E and W Branch of the Neversink, and one of my favorites the Little Mongaup.

In that area is the Amawalk which was the second fish for fun experimental project and only a few minutes drive of that is the e and w branch of the Croton River, all three are fish for fun with a limited kill.


From there it would be on to less than two hours to fish the Housatonic River and shoot north (doubling back a little) to the Battenkill and up to the upper Conneticut three lakes area.

There was an awful lot of Americas early fly fishing literature written about that area.

I was lucky enough to grow up there and fish with many of the legendary old timers.

Jack

 

[fredaevans]

Fun reads here (again!). You can't beat water for places, with an old dog, or in my case a Cat.

Then the damned Siamese Cat. 'Mz. 'Cat-Cat' was the worse 'critic.'

'Well, what do you think?' Holding a fly box under noses.

First of the Dog Snorts, YES! ..... Then the damned cat: 'Bad Choice.'

Dog(s) out of the car like a shot from a rifle. Sandy, my old Yellow Lab, was in the water as fast as she could run. Boggie, 'Husker's,' like 'Sheba,' took a more measured approach, but they were only going to feet wet.

'DOG SNORTS, tails wagging like windshield whippers, faces looking up; 'When do we get our treats?' Young kids 'fighting' over whose bed tonight.

"Cat-Cat" would roll up in a ball, take another nap. On my bed pillow; unless I was tieing flies. 15 pounds of fuzz ball, off the floor, in your lap, on the table, remarkable interest as she sorted out feather's etc.


Paw sorting out: 'Use this and that.' Damned Cat was usually right.

''We don't own Pets, they own us.'' So it would seem?

Your Dog/Cat is where? If you have kids, the answer is easy. At my age, the answer has not changed. "WOULD YOU PLEASE MOVE OVER!"

No.

fae

 

[mcnerney]

I'd like to add all the fabulous water in Yellowstone NP, the Henry's Fork, the Grey Reef section of the North Platte, the Green below Flaming Gorge.

 

[Monello]

It has to be the Kenai river at the confluence with the Russian river. Right near the sanctuary. Spend the day casting a line with hundreds of your new, closest friends.

 

[tbblom]

^^^
wow... kenai looks ridiculous, if I showed up and saw that I would try to leave and go somewhere else less 'famous'!

To the original poster, not sure where you are based.
If you get a chance to go to Colorado, I suggest the Roaring Fork Valley around Glenwood Springs. Access to the Colorado, Roaring Fork, Frying Pan, and Crystal Rivers all within a short drive.
Summit County is pretty good too, the Blue River is quite famous locally.

I recently made a trip to Asheville, NC. There are several rivers and creeks in the area. I had a great time considering I had never fished there before. Looking forward to exploring up there in the future.

I've been smitten with fishing in the Florida Keys and other saltwater flats destinations recently. Not exactly fly fishing hot spots, but an incredible place to fish.

IMO, the less famous the better Find a high altitude lake that not many are willing to hike to, and the fishing can be amazing.
TB

 

[duker]

Oh man. So much water, so little time. Based on my own limited fly fishing experience I'd offer the following:

--British Columbia, especially the Skeena River drainage (including the Bulkley, Kispiox, and Babine). If you want to swing flies for salmon and steelhead, this is the place to come. Obviously there are a lot of rivers and lakes in BC to fish but these might be some of the most "famous".

--Alaska: I fish for salmon in the Chilkat and Chilkoot rivers, but like BC, Alaska is a wilderness of water with lots of places to go. As other posters have pointed out, some of those rivers are packed a**hole to elbow with other anglers (those places maybe aren't so much famous as they are infamous). Our friendly moderator Ard Stetts (username Hardyreels) can tell you more about fishing Alaska than anyone.

--Belize: if you ever want to try saltwater fly fishing, I'd suggest a trip to Belize for bonefish and permit. Again, lots of places to go for saltwater fishing--Florida, Bahamas, Mexico--pretty much anywhere on the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean.

--Northwest Territories: these are my "home waters", and there are a lot of them. Like BC and Alaska, this is a big territory with a lot of water. For the fly fisher we've got grayling, whitefish, pike, and arctic char. Most of those fish have never seen an artificial fly or lure before.

There are obviously many others in North America and elsewhere-check out some of the regional forums on this site. Some of the places I dream of and would like to fish some day include Tierra del Fuego in Argentina (big sea-run brown trout), Scotland (Atlantic salmon, of course), Atlantic Canada (the Maritime provinces plus Newfoundland--Atlantic salmon, obviously, but brookies too), Iceland (same but also trout and char), Louisiana (my wife wants to see New Orleans; I want to go after some redfish), Bahamas (see above), and Christmas Island (bonefish and giant trevallay and others).

Finally, as Jerry has so eloquently explained, never underestimate your home waters. There are a lot of spots nearby that I love to fish, even though they don't have the fame of some of these other far-flung destinations. Catching a whitefish or grayling in some unnamed creek that you can only reach by canoe might not be as glamorous as hooking a bonefish in Belize, but it's a lot of fun and deeply satisfying.

Scott

 

[mikel]

Central Oregon, to include the N Umpqua, McKenzie, Metolius, Deschutes

 

[GrtLksMarlin]

Well, first off where are you located?

I'm all for travelling around and seeing new places, in fact I believe everyone should. Yet I bet there are places within an easy driving distance to you that if you ever took the time to fish them, anyone would be hard pressed to get you to fish anywhere else.

Your "dream trip" might just be a few miles down the road. I'd try a few of those first.

B.E.F.

 

[Unknownflyman]

For the record, nothing in Minnesota is famous and you don't want to fish there, we amuse ourselves with catching the occasional tiny brook trout.

 

[wolfglen]

It has to be the Kenai river at the confluence with the Russian river. Right near the sanctuary. Spend the day casting a line with hundreds of your new, closest friends.

Gee, that looks like NJ on opening day.

 

[Unknownflyman]

Gee, that looks like NJ on opening day.

I'd clear em out with my new Spey casting technique.

 

[lil_ol_angler_me]

I mean how much more famous can you get than the Las Vegas Strip???

The fountains at the Bellagio....

The Cove at TI with the Pirate Ship....(might catch a siren)

or the Water works at the Mirage with the Volcano

the canals at the Venetian...you could troll from a gondola!!!!

and I'm reasonably sure they have a cure for whatever you might catch...

Famous? I cut my teeth on The Beaverkill and then the Willowemoc...tough fishing now no doubt...but OH SO FAMOUS !!!

---------- Post added at 10:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:53 AM ----------

Gee, that looks like NJ on opening day.

NAW....no way....if that was NJ...they'd have the fish surrounded so they couldn't escape....I grew up in NJ I know what it was like 45 years ago and I bet it's worse now!!!

I used to live for April 1st when NY season opened and I could get away from the circle gangs

I even called in dead long distance collect one year when my boss told me to find another reason to call off work, because we got paid for our unused sick days, I told him I was allowed 3 days for a death in family so i was taking one of my three for my own death....he just paid me for being off and didn't charge it as a sick day....I think he just couldn't figure out how to submit it to the Payroll people...lol

 

[pa cope]

Everyone owes it to themselves to experience the Green Drake hatch on Penns Creek, Pa at least once in their lifetime. Tight Lines, Jeff.

 

[Ard]

I've been to famous places and in most cases the scenery was the best part. Generally speaking once a place becomes famous you may not have a very good time there due to crowding. I have spent my life trying to find places where there was no one fishing. Sometimes there were no fish and other times there were a lot of fish but the area just wasn't well known. You need to explore and find your own place, don't rely on the internet or any travel brochure to direct you to a good place. I know you're in a hurry, I was in a hurry too, but the world didn't end when I was between the age of 15 and 30, and I don't believe it'll end before another decade passes.

Maybe this will help explain why fame & fishing aren't a great match; Kiss & Tell

 

[tcorfey]

A good reference for you might be the Orvis Fishing reports websites which has fishing reports across North America including Canada and I believe some in Europe as well. The only states they don't have reports for are ND, SD, NE, KS IA, IL and MS. I think that these reports come in from the Orvis endorsed guides program so anywhere you find those guides you can get a report.

Fly Fishing Reports & Conditions for United States, Canada and Mexico

They probably have guides in the most famous areas you are asking about.

Regards,
Tim

 

[lkyboots]

I'd have to say the best fishing I've ever had was near Livingston Mont. on the small spring creeks.

 

[huntschool]

I have to agree with Wolfglen (since I am a born and raised Jersey boy) the Catskills and environs should be on your list. So much water and way so much history. Where you choose to go from there or before there is up to you. The Snake at Jackson Hole (if you can deal with the heavy use) the Green etc., etc. The Montana waters are something to behold, etc., etc.......

For me now, it’s the southern Missouri cold water streams and the Arkansas tail waters as well as the East Tennessee/Smokey Mtns stuff. Just a matter of where you are and what you want and think.

That being said what Hairwing wrote is the truth. Your must do fishing destination might just be down the street near home. Your decision....

Good luck.