Best fly fishing locations

[Ggrove]

Just curious, what are the best places to fly fish in the world? In the United States?

I have heard White River, Arkansas is some of the best in the lower 48.

I would think Patagonia would be the best overall place in the world, along with New Zealand for bigger trout and some places in Canada for the hatch.

Going off of that, how is the fishing in Canada? I mostly am thinking of BC but I am sure it is great throughout the country. I am pretty unfamiliar and just looking for some info.

 

[dudemanspecial]

What species and what do you consider makes the best experience?

Big brook trout? Labrador
Hatches? Many places from PA to Colorado to Montana
Salmon? Alaska
Big browns you pretty much mentioned all the big places in your post.

 

[Ggrove]

What species and what do you consider makes the best experience?

Big brook trout? Labrador
Hatches? Many places from PA to Colorado to Montana
Salmon? Alaska
Big browns you pretty much mentioned all the big places in your post.

Big browns ideally. I would base it off of density of quality fish, hatch, and scenery.

 

[Broodstock]

Best is such a relative word, and the answers are as unique as we are. It depends on what you are looking for.

Big browns ideally. I would base it off of density of quality fish, hatch, and scenery.

If you are looking for this, Iceland and New Zealand

Iceland is a non-stop flight from PIT but their waters are almost all private and finding a place to fish is tough, DIY is not really easy there.

New Zealand is lots of DIY, and backcountry, but it is an investment.

There are big browns in places you might not think. They are not easy to catch, and big is also relative. There are probably more than 100 brown trout over 24" swimming around in PA as I type this.

 

[headhunting22]

Big browns ideally. I would base it off of density of quality fish, hatch, and scenery.

Hard to not mention places such as the middle/lower Henrys Fork and the Snake River during the salmonfly hatch. Many big fish in those systems and they're eager to eat those large bugs toward the start of the season. Even in the later season, it isn't quite a "hatch", but the grasshopper bite can bring some large fish up to the surface pretty consistently.

 

[Clams]

My son is a guide in Patagonia, on the Chilean side. I've been down there and fished with him. It's an incredible fishery (both numbers and size) with stunning scenery and super nice people. Hard to imagine it gets any better.

 

[caddisflyer]

Just curious, what are the best places to fly fish in the world? In the United States?

I have heard White River, Arkansas is some of the best in the lower 48.

I would think Patagonia would be the best overall place in the world, along with New Zealand for bigger trout and some places in Canada for the hatch.

Going off of that, how is the fishing in Canada? I mostly am thinking of BC but I am sure it is great throughout the country. I am pretty unfamiliar and just looking for some info.

White River is nothing I am interested in ever fishing again. All stocked fish. Sure, there are big ones and I got some but the whole scene felt phony to me. As a side note it is the only place I ever saw a nazi flag displayed in public, it was hanging in a yard next to a confederate flag. I drove by that every day on my way to fish. Not a good vibe at all.

 

[BrookieChaser]

The Florida Keys.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

Id say best place to fish is good ole right here in good ole pa. Lots of wild browns cc to be had and big ones also if you put in the time and effort you can pattern them and be succesful..no need to travel abroad and spend lots of money...stay close to home and you will be surprised

 

[tjsingle]

Depends what you want to catch, every place has its niche. Pennsylvania has great fishing, we are lucky to have so much variety of water in our backyard. We do have some awesome brown trout fishing here.

I personally love fishing up in Maine, something about brook trout, tannic water and pine trees.

I just got back from Montana, and I taken back by the shear scale of the place. The fishing was incredible too. That was my first time out that way, and it will not be my last.

 

[krayfish2]

Know 3 guys that have fished the white. All 3 said "never again".

I'll offer up my 2¢...
For beauty and quality trout, New Zealand would be hard to beat.

In Montana, you can fish a spring creek, a freestone and a tailwater back to back to back. Good hatches, good numbers of quality fish.

Pacific NW if you're into swingy dingy chrome dome action.

The keys offers a variety of saltwater angling.

Big brookies would have to be Labrador hands down.

What's disturbing is that nobody has mentioned Penns... yet

 

[Swattie87]

Penns. So under the radar right now.

Actual answer…I don’t really like to fly fish. I just like to be critical of how others like to fly fish on message boards. Sorry, I’m probably not much help on this one.

 

[krayfish2]

Penns. So under the radar right now.

Actual answer…I don’t really like to fly fish. I just like to be critical of how others like to fly fish on message boards. Sorry, I’m probably not much help on this one.

Excellent self awareness 😁

 

[keirns4]

Big browns ideally. I would base it off of density of quality fish, hatch,

Big browns ideally. I would base it off of density of quality fish, hatch, and scenery.

Smth River Wilderness float trip with Montana Angler. Big browns, rainbows, and if you are lucky like we were, a salmon fly hatch. It's a float/fish, camp overnight for 4 days thru the Montana mountains. Well worth it.

 

[tomgamber]

The ones with water.