Pick your state or country below. Each page gives you the top waters, best months, license rules, and the guides and lodges we vouch for.

Don't see your water? Through Frontiers International Travel we can plan trips to roughly 250 lodges worldwide. Tell us where you want to go.

Fly Fishing in the United States

Alaska and the Pacific Northwest

• Fly fishing Alaska: Bristol Bay salmon run timing, when trophy rainbows peak, and road-system versus fly-out lodges.
• Fly fishing the Naknek River: Salmon run timing, trophy rainbow rules and road-system access at King Salmon.
• Fly fishing Oregon: Deschutes redsides and steelhead, the Metolius, and Cascade Lakes stillwater near Bend.
• Fly fishing Idaho: Henry's Fork and South Fork Snake rules, Silver Creek access, Big Wood timing, and Clearwater steelhead.
• Fly fishing Washington: Yakima River trout, Olympic Peninsula steelhead, Skagit salmon, sea-run cutthroat and Columbia Basin lakes.

Rocky Mountain West

• Fly fishing Montana: Big Hole salmonflies, Twin Bridges and Livingston spring creeks, and hoot-owl closures.
• Montana fly fishing towns: Where to base a trip, from Bozeman, Livingston and Missoula to Ennis, Twin Bridges and Craig.
• Fly fishing the Big Hole River: Salmonfly and hopper timing, grayling and Dickie Bridge rules, and float limits.
• Fly fishing Wyoming: North Platte and Green River tailwaters, Yellowstone park rules, and stream access law.
• Fly fishing Colorado: Gold Medal Waters explained, South Platte to Gunnison regulations, and hatch timing.
• Colorado fly fishing towns: Where to base a trip, from Denver, Boulder and Estes Park to Silverthorne, Basalt and Gunnison.
• Fly fishing Utah: The Green River below Flaming Gorge, the Provo, Weber and Logan rivers, and stream access rules.
• Utah fly fishing towns: Where to base a trip, from Park City and Heber City to Dutch John, Provo, Logan and Torrey.
• Fly fishing New Mexico: San Juan Quality Waters, the Rio Grande Gorge, Cimarron, Red River, Valles Caldera and Gila trout.

Southwest, California and Hawaii

• Fly fishing California: The Lower Sacramento, McCloud, Hat Creek, Fall River, Truckee and Hot Creek.
• Fly fishing Arizona: Lees Ferry rules, Apache and Gila trout streams, and Silver Creek and Oak Creek.
• Fly fishing Nevada: Pyramid Lake cutthroat on a tribal permit, the Truckee and East Walker, Ruby Lake trout and Lake Mead stripers.
• Fly fishing Hawaii: Sight-fishing bonefish and ulua, Kokee trout dates, and Wahiawa peacock bass.

Great Plains and Texas

• Fly fishing Texas: Redfish flats on the Laguna Madre and at Port O'Connor, Guadalupe River trout, and Hill Country bass.
• Fly fishing Oklahoma: Lower Mountain Fork and Lower Illinois tailwater trout, Blue River winter stocking, and summer stripers.
• Fly fishing Kansas: Winter Trout Pit rainbows at Mined Land, Kansas River carp, and Cheney wipers.
• Fly fishing Nebraska: Snake River browns and rainbows, Niobrara smallmouth, and Pine Ridge brook trout.
• Fly fishing South Dakota: Rapid, Spearfish and Castle creeks, Pactola and Deerfield, and the felt ban.
• Fly fishing North Dakota: Garrison Tailrace trophy trout, Lake Sakakawea pike and walleye, and Devils Lake white bass.

Midwest and Great Lakes

• Fly fishing Michigan: Au Sable Holy Water and the Hex hatch, and Pere Marquette, Manistee and Muskegon steelhead.
• Fly fishing Wisconsin: Driftless spring creeks, Bois Brule steelhead, Lake Michigan tributaries, and Northwoods musky.
• Fly fishing Minnesota: Driftless spring creeks, North Shore steelhead, Mississippi and St. Croix smallmouth, and musky.
• Fly fishing Iowa: Driftless trout streams, Upper Iowa smallmouth, and trout fee rules.
• Fly fishing Missouri: The four trout parks, Lake Taneycomo, Blue Ribbon spring creeks, and Ozark smallmouth.
• Fly fishing Illinois: Kankakee and Fox River smallmouth, and stocked Apple River trout in the Driftless corner.
• Fly fishing Indiana: Skamania steelhead on the St. Joseph and Trail Creek, and Pigeon River trout and smallmouth.
• Fly fishing Ohio: Lake Erie steelhead in the Rocky, Chagrin and Grand, Mad River brown trout, and smallmouth rivers.

Southeast and Gulf Coast

• Fly fishing Florida: Keys tarpon, bonefish and permit, the 40-inch tarpon rule, and redfish on both coasts.
• Fly fishing the Florida Keys: When tarpon, bonefish and permit peak, and the no-fishing zones near Islamorada.
• Fly fishing Tampa Bay: Redfish, snook and tarpon, FWC slot and season rules, and Nature Coast tips.
• Fly fishing Arkansas: Reading White River dam generation, the 2026 trout rules, and caddis and shad kill timing.
• Fly fishing the White River: Trout limits, dam generation and wading tips below Bull Shoals Dam.
• Fly fishing the Norfork Tailwater: The catch-and-release area, Dry Run Creek and record trout below Norfork Dam.
• Fly fishing North Carolina: Davidson River and Pisgah trout, delayed harvest rules, and French Broad musky.
• Fly fishing South Carolina: Lowcountry flood tide redfish, Lake Murray stripers, and Lower Saluda and Chattooga trout.
• Fly fishing Louisiana: When redfish are shallow and bull redfish migrate, the 2024 slot limit, and Biloxi Marsh access.
• Fly fishing Tennessee: South Holston, Watauga, Clinch and Caney Fork tailwaters, Smokies brook trout, and smallmouth rivers.
• Fly fishing Kentucky: Cumberland River trout below Wolf Creek Dam, Hatchery Creek, smallmouth rivers, and Cave Run muskie.
• Fly fishing Georgia: Chattahoochee and Toccoa tailwater trout, Lake Lanier stripers, and coastal redfish.
• Fly fishing Alabama: Sipsey Fork rainbows, Mobile Bay redfish and speckled trout, and Tennessee River smallmouth.
• Fly fishing Mississippi: Gulf Coast redfish and speckled trout, the Pearl River, and Ross Barnett bass and bream.
• Fly fishing Virginia: Mossy Creek permits, Jackson and Smith River tailwater rules, Shenandoah brook trout, and smallmouth and musky.
• Fly fishing West Virginia: Native brook trout, Elk River sulfurs, and New River Gorge smallmouth.

Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

• Fly fishing Pennsylvania: Limestone spring creeks, year-round catch-and-release water, trout permit rules, and muskie on the fly.
• Fly fishing New York: The West Branch Delaware, Beaverkill, Salmon River steelhead and salmon, and the Adirondacks.
• Fly fishing New Jersey: Ken Lockwood Gorge, the Musconetcong, Flat Brook, the Delaware River, and Sandy Hook stripers.
• Fly fishing Delaware: White Clay Creek trout, and Delaware Bay and Indian River Inlet stripers.
• Fly fishing Maryland: Gunpowder and Savage River tailwater trout, and Chesapeake Bay rockfish.
• Fly fishing Connecticut: West Branch Farmington and Housatonic trout, and Long Island Sound stripers and albies.
• Fly fishing Rhode Island: Narragansett Bay and Block Island stripers, fall albies, and Wood River trout.
• Fly fishing Massachusetts: Cape Cod striped bass, albies, and Swift and Deerfield River trout.
• Fly fishing Vermont: Batten Kill catch-and-release rules, trophy trout streams, and Lake Champlain salmon.
• Fly fishing New Hampshire: Fly-only water on the Connecticut and Androscoggin, the Saco, Winnipesaukee salmon, and Seacoast stripers.
• Fly fishing Maine: Wild brook trout and landlocked salmon on the Kennebec, Rapid and Penobscot, and coastal stripers.

Fly Fishing Around the World

Central America and the Caribbean

• Fly fishing Belize: When bonefish, permit and tarpon peak, Ambergris Caye lodges, and catch-and-release law.
• Fly fishing Ambergris Caye: DIY flats by golf cart, the catch-and-release law, and lodges.
• Fly fishing the Bahamas: Andros, Abaco and Grand Bahama bonefish, peak months, and flats license fees.
• Fly fishing Costa Rica: Caribbean tarpon at Barra del Colorado and Parismina, jungle machaca, and Pacific roosterfish.
• Fly fishing Honduras: Guanaja permit and bonefish flats, do-it-yourself Utila lagoons, and the driest months.
• Fly fishing Cuba: Bonefish, permit, tarpon and snook in Zapata and Jardines de la Reina, and US travel rules.

Mexico

• Fly fishing Mexico: Ascension Bay permit and bonefish, tarpon season, Baja roosterfish, and the Sian Ka'an reserve fee.

South America

• Fly fishing Argentina: Patagonia trout by region and month, Río Grande sea-run browns, and golden dorado.
• Fly fishing Chile: Aysén, the Futaleufú and Tierra del Fuego, seasons, and license costs for visitors.
• Fly fishing Brazil: Amazon peacock bass on the Rio Negro, Agua Boa, Rio Marié and Iriri.
• Fly fishing Bolivia: Tsimane golden dorado at Secure, Pluma and Agua Negra, June to October.

Canada

• Fly fishing Canada: Skeena steelhead by month, Newfoundland Atlantic salmon, BC license stamps, and northern pike lodges.

Oceania

• Fly fishing New Zealand: South Island sight fishing seasons, non-resident licenses, the felt-sole ban, and kingfish flats.
• Fly fishing Australia: Tasmania's Central Highlands trout, Northern Territory barramundi, and Murray cod.

Europe and the North Atlantic

• Fly fishing Iceland: Atlantic salmon beats, Thingvallavatn brown trout and Arctic char, and the gear disinfection rule.
• Fly fishing Norway: Alta River salmon, the 2026 Gaula closure, season dates, and the national fishing fee.
• Fly fishing Scotland: Salmon, sea trout and trout on the Spey and Tweed, with permits and Sunday rules.
• Fly fishing Ireland: Lough Corrib duckfly and mayfly, River Moy salmon, and free trout loughs.

Africa and the Indian Ocean

• Fly fishing the Seychelles: Giant trevally, bonefish and bumphead parrotfish on Alphonse, Farquhar and Cosmoledo.

How Do You Choose Where to Fly Fish?

Choose by the cast you can make today and the fish you want most. Then check season, regulations and cost, in that order.

Are You a Guide, Lodge, Fly Tyer or Rod Builder?

Tight lines, everyone!

By Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. Updated November 2026.