Field Notes
Destinations
Where to fish across the country — trips, waters, and what to expect.
Westport, WA
Fishing Westport: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
Westport is Washington's premier offshore fishing port — salmon, halibut, albacore tuna, lingcod, and rockfish all run through here. The charter fleet is big, experienced, and ready to put you on fish.
West Yellowstone, MT
Heading to West Yellowstone? Here's Your Fishing Guide
West Yellowstone is the gateway to some of the most unique fly fishing water on earth — from the thermally heated Firehole to the legendary Madison and the gulper fishing on Hebgen Lake.
Virginia Beach, VA
Virginia Beach Fishing: One City, Two Oceans — The Bay Side and the Atlantic Side
Virginia Beach straddles the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The Bay side holds red drum, cobia, and flounder. The ocean side runs offshore to the Gulf Stream. Same city, different fisheries.
Venice, LA
Venice, Louisiana: Where the Mississippi Meets the Gulf and the Fishing Defies Logic
Venice sits at the end of the road — literally, where the Mississippi River Delta meets the Gulf of Mexico. The river's nutrient load creates the richest water in the Gulf, and yellowfin tuna swim as close as five miles from the marina.
Valdez, AK
Valdez Fishing: The Pink Salmon Tsunami, Silver Salmon, and Prince William Sound Halibut
Valdez sits at the head of Prince William Sound, where the largest pink salmon run in Alaska turns the harbor silver every July — and the silvers and halibut that follow make the fishing last all summer.
Traverse City, MI
Traverse City Fishing: Where Grand Traverse Bay, the Rivers, and Lake Michigan Converge
Traverse City sits where Grand Traverse Bay meets the rivers of northern Michigan — smallmouth bass in the bay, steelhead in the tributaries, and salmon and lake trout on Lake Michigan charters.
Tampa, FL
Tampa Bay Fishing: It All Comes Down to the Tide
Tampa Bay covers 400 square miles of shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico, and every fish in it moves with the water. Understanding the tides is the difference between a great day and a slow one.
Tahoe City, CA
Lake Tahoe Fishing: Mackinaw in the Deep, Kokanee on the Troll, and the Truckee River Below
Lake Tahoe is the deepest lake in the Sierra Nevada — 1,645 feet of crystal-clear water holding mackinaw lake trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, and kokanee salmon. The Truckee River below adds a blue-ribbon trout stream to the package.
Sun Valley, ID
Sun Valley Fishing: Silver Creek, Big Wood River, and the Spring Creek That Changed Fly Fishing
Sun Valley is a ski town with three world-class trout fisheries within 30 minutes — including Silver Creek, the spring creek that helped define modern dry-fly fishing in America.
Stuart, FL
Stuart Fishing: The Sailfish Capital, the Mullet Run, and the Indian River Lagoon
Stuart calls itself the Sailfish Capital of the World, but the fishing runs deeper than billfish — the fall mullet run triggers a feeding frenzy that turns every predator in the Indian River Lagoon inside out.
Steamboat Springs, CO
Steamboat Springs Fishing: Wild Rivers, Stocked Lakes, and a State-Record Pike
Steamboat sits where the Yampa tailwater meets genuine backcountry — wild cutthroat in the Elk River, arctic grayling at Pearl Lake, and northern pike that grow as big as anywhere in Colorado.
South Padre Island, TX
South Padre Island Fishing: What You Can Catch Here That You Can't Catch Anywhere Else in Texas
South Padre Island sits on the Lower Laguna Madre — one of six hypersaline lagoons on the planet — with the only fishable snook population outside Florida and tarpon rolling through Brazos Santiago Pass.
Sitka, AK
Sitka Fishing: The Highest King Salmon Catch Rate in Alaska and the Sound That Makes It Happen
Sitka sits on the outer coast of Southeast Alaska, facing the open Pacific. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game rates Sitka Sound as the #1 place to catch king salmon in the state — and the fishing doesn't stop at kings.
Seward, AK
Seward Fishing: Resurrection Bay, Kenai Fjords, and the Silver Salmon Capital of the Kenai Peninsula
Seward sits at the head of Resurrection Bay — a deep, glacier-carved fjord on the Kenai Peninsula. The bay funnels silver salmon in numbers that rival any port in Alaska, and the Kenai Fjords beyond hold halibut and rockfish in genuinely wild water.
Seattle, WA
A Guide to Seattle Fishing: Species, Seasons, and Local Knowledge
Seattle sits on Puget Sound with access to salmon, lingcod, rockfish, and halibut — plus steelhead rivers within an hour's drive. Here's how to make sense of the seasons and get on the fish.
Savannah, GA
Savannah Fishing: Reading a Seven-Foot Tide in the Georgia Lowcountry
Savannah's marsh runs on a seven-foot tidal swing — the largest on the Southeast coast. When you understand how the tide moves the fish, the redfish, trout, and flounder follow a predictable script.
San Francisco, CA
The Angler's Guide to San Francisco Fishing
San Francisco Bay, the Pacific coast, the Farallon Islands, the Sacramento Delta — the fishing here is as varied as the city. Here's a species-by-species breakdown of what to target and where.
San Diego, CA
San Diego Fishing: Where to Go, When to Go, and What to Catch
San Diego has more sportfishing boats than any port on the Pacific coast. From half-day kelp bed trips to multi-day tuna expeditions into Mexican waters, here's how to pick the right one.
Rockport, TX
Rockport Fishing: The Redfish Capital of Texas and the Art of the Sight Cast
Rockport sits on the Texas coast where the shallow grass flats of Aransas Bay hold some of the highest redfish concentrations in the state. This is sight-fishing country — and the guides here have turned it into an art.
Put-in-Bay, OH
Put-in-Bay Fishing: The Walleye Capital of the World and the Reef System That Feeds It
Put-in-Bay sits in the western basin of Lake Erie — the shallowest, warmest, and most biologically productive section of the Great Lakes. The result is the best walleye fishing on the planet.
Portland, OR
Planning a Fishing Trip to Portland, Oregon? Read This First
Portland gives you four rivers, a dozen species, and fishing that runs twelve months a year. The trick is knowing which fishery to target and when — here's how to sort it out.
Port Aransas, TX
Port Aransas Fishing: The Fishing Capital of Texas, Explained
Port Aransas earned its title as the Fishing Capital of Texas for a reason — between the pier, the jetties, the surf, the bay, and the deep Gulf, there's a way to fish for every skill level and budget.
Panama City, FL
Fishing Panama City Beach: Jetties, Grass Flats, and 50 Miles of Artificial Reef
Panama City Beach sits where St. Andrew Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico, with jetty fishing, sight-casting on grass flats, and one of the largest artificial reef systems in the country right offshore.
Pagosa Springs, CO
Pagosa Springs Fishing: Hot Springs, Cold Rivers, and Trout Water Radiating in Every Direction
Pagosa Springs sits where the San Juan River flows through town past the world's deepest hot springs, and trout water radiates in every direction — the Piedra River, the East Fork, Williams Creek, and a hundred miles of high-country streams above 10,000 feet.
Outer Banks, NC
Outer Banks Fishing: What You Catch Depends on Where You Stand
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile ribbon of sand between the Atlantic Ocean and the largest sounds on the East Coast. Whether you're on a pier, in the surf, on the sound, or offshore, the fish are different.
Orange Beach, AL
Orange Beach Fishing: The Fleet, the Pass, and the Gulf Beyond
Orange Beach runs one of the largest charter fleets on the Gulf Coast, and Perdido Pass puts you on fish — inshore or offshore — faster than almost any port in Alabama.
Ocean City, MD
Ocean City Fishing: The White Marlin Capital and the Canyons That Made It Famous
Ocean City earned its White Marlin Capital nickname in 1939, and the offshore canyons that created that reputation still produce marlin, tuna, and swordfish alongside a back-bay flounder fishery that locals guard like a secret.
Oahu, HI
Oahu Fishing: Four Coasts, Four Fisheries, and Deep Water From Every Harbor
Oahu is the most accessible Hawaiian island for fishing — charter fleets run from Honolulu, Haleiwa, and the Waianae Coast, each accessing different water. Deep-water species are a short run from every harbor.
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Fishing: A City Surrounded by Marsh, and Everything It Holds
New Orleans sits in the middle of the most productive marsh system in America — Barataria Bay, Delacroix, Biloxi Marsh, and Lake Pontchartrain all within an hour's drive. The redfish don't care what you ate for dinner.
Nashville, TN
Fishing in Nashville, TN: State-Record Catfish, World-Record Smallmouth, and Trophy Trout
Nashville has a 122-pound state-record blue catfish in the Cumberland, the world-record smallmouth bass at Dale Hollow, trophy tailwater trout on the Caney Fork, and 14,000 acres of bass and crappie water eight miles from Broadway.
Naples, FL
Naples Fishing: From Gordon Pass to the Edge of the Everglades
Naples sits where Southwest Florida's resort coast meets the Ten Thousand Islands — one of the last wild coastlines in the lower 48. The fishing gets wilder with every mile south.
Nantucket, MA
Nantucket Fishing: An Island Where Every Point and Beach Fishes Differently
Nantucket sits 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast, surrounded by rips, shoals, and sandbars that create distinct fisheries at every named point on the island. Here's what bites where.
Myrtle Beach, SC
Myrtle Beach Fishing: From the Pier Rail to the Gulf Stream in One Day
Myrtle Beach stretches 60 miles along the South Carolina coast with piers, inlets, nearshore wrecks, and the Gulf Stream close enough for a day trip. How far you go determines what you catch.
Mountain Home, AR
Mountain Home Fishing: The White River Tailwater and the World-Record Brown Trout Water
Mountain Home sits between two of the finest tailwater trout fisheries in the world — the White River below Bull Shoals Dam and the North Fork below Norfork Dam. The water that flows through here grew the former world-record brown trout.
Montauk, NY
Montauk Fishing: Everything Starts and Ends at the Point
Montauk Point is where the Atlantic Ocean meets Block Island Sound, and everything — striped bass, bluefin tuna, bluefish, fluke — revolves around the rips, rocks, and currents at the tip of Long Island.
Missoula, MT
Your Guide to Fishing in Missoula, MT
Three blue-ribbon trout rivers converge near Missoula — the Clark Fork, the Blackfoot, and the Bitterroot. Each one fishes differently, and knowing which is on any given day is half the game.
Miami, FL
Miami Fishing: Bonefishing at Breakfast, Sailfish by Lunch
Miami is the only major US city where you can sight-fish for bonefish on the flats in the morning and be hooked up to a sailfish in the Gulf Stream by early afternoon. Here's how the fishery works, from the shallows out.
Maui, HI
Maui Fishing: The Au'au Channel, Two Harbors, and the Water Between the Islands
Maui's fishing is defined by the Au'au Channel — the deep water between Maui and Lana'i that concentrates blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, and ono in a corridor that starts 10 minutes from the historic harbor at Lahaina.
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Your Beginner's Guide to Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, California
Mammoth Lakes is one of the best places in the West to pick up a rod for the first time — or to refine your fly fishing game on technical water that'll humble you. Here's how to choose your adventure.
Ludington, MI
Ludington Fishing: Following the Migration from Lake Michigan to the Pere Marquette
Ludington is Michigan's top salmon port — the fish spend summer fattening in Lake Michigan, then pour into the Pere Marquette River every fall. Here's how to fish both sides of the migration.
Lake Texoma, OK
Lake Texoma Fishing: The Only Lake Where Striped Bass Spawn on Their Own
Lake Texoma straddles the Oklahoma-Texas border and holds the only naturally reproducing landlocked striped bass population in the Southwest. The stripers don't need stocking — they spawn in the rivers that feed the lake.
Lake Placid, NY
Lake Placid Fishing: Brook Trout, Landlocked Salmon, and the Adirondack Tradition
Lake Placid sits in the heart of the Adirondacks, where cold mountain lakes hold landlocked salmon and lake trout, and the rivers still carry native brook trout in water that hasn't changed in centuries.
Lake of the Ozarks, MO
Lake of the Ozarks Fishing: 54,000 Acres, 1,150 Miles of Shoreline, and a Bass in Every Cove
Lake of the Ozarks is one of the largest reservoirs in the Midwest — 54,000 acres of coves, points, creek arms, and brush piles that hold largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish in numbers that match the size.
Lake Charles, LA
Lake Charles Fishing: Two Lakes, Trophy Trout, and the Creole Nature Trail
Lake Charles sits between Calcasieu Lake and Sabine Lake — two of the most productive estuary systems on the Gulf Coast. One grows gator trout, the other produces redfish in bulk. Here's how they differ.
Kona, HI
Kona Fishing: The Grander Capital of the World and Why the Marlin Come Here
Kona has produced more 1,000-pound blue marlin than any other fishery on Earth — and the deep water starts 10 minutes from the harbor. Here's what makes this coast unlike anywhere else.
Kodiak, AK
Kodiak Fishing: The Emerald Isle, the Bears, and Fish That Have Never Seen a Lure
Kodiak Island is the second-largest island in the United States — 100 miles of wild coastline, rivers full of salmon, bays holding halibut, and 3,500 brown bears sharing the water with you.
Key West, FL
Key West Fishing: Five Fisheries Stacked on Top of Each Other
Key West sits where the Atlantic meets the Gulf, with flats, backcountry, reef, wrecks, and blue water all within a 30-minute run. No other island in America puts this many fisheries this close.
Ketchikan, AK
Ketchikan Fishing: The Salmon Capital of the World and Five Species to Prove It
Ketchikan is the first Alaska port northbound cruise ships reach, and it earned its Salmon Capital title by processing more salmon than any city on Earth. All five species of Pacific salmon swim through these waters — and you can catch every one.
Kennebunkport, ME
Kennebunkport Fishing: Stripers, Tuna, and the Rocky Maine Coast
Kennebunkport is where New England vacation fishing meets the working Maine coast — striped bass in the river, bluefin tuna offshore, and a rocky shoreline that fishes unlike anything south of Cape Cod.
Kenai, AK
Kenai River Fishing: Five Salmon Species, Trophy Rainbows, and the Biggest Kings in Alaska
The Kenai River is the most famous salmon river in Alaska — it holds the world record king salmon, runs of a million-plus sockeye, and rainbow trout that reach 20 pounds. Here's how each run unfolds.
Kauai, HI
Kauai Fishing: Deep Water Close to Shore, Light Crowds, and the Na Pali Coast Below
Kauai is the oldest and most rugged Hawaiian island — deep water drops to 1,000 feet within a quarter mile of shore, the charter fleet is small, and every trip runs along one of the most dramatic coastlines on Earth.
Juneau, AK
Juneau Fishing: What the Cruise Brochure Doesn't Tell You
Juneau is Alaska's capital and the state's busiest cruise port. Most visitors spend six hours in town. Here's what you can actually catch, how the charters work, and why it's worth getting on the water.
Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Fishing: From the Gulf Stream Back to the River
Jacksonville is the rare city where you can chase wahoo in the Gulf Stream, redfish in the creeks, and largemouth bass on the St. Johns — all in the same week. Here's how the fishery unfolds from salt to fresh.
Jackson Hole, WY
Jackson Hole Fishing: Floating the Snake River Through the Tetons
Jackson Hole is where the Snake River flows through a valley framed by the most dramatic mountain range in the lower 48. The fishing is excellent. The scenery makes it transcendent.
Islamorada, FL
Islamorada: The Sportfishing Capital of the World and What That Actually Means
Islamorada has been the center of saltwater sportfishing since the 1940s — where backcountry guiding was invented, the Grand Slam was born, and the fishing hasn't slowed down since.
Homer, AK
Homer Fishing: The Halibut Capital of the World and the Spit That Makes It Work
Homer sits at the end of a four-mile gravel spit jutting into Kachemak Bay, and the halibut fishing from this little town has earned it a title that's hard to argue with.
Hilton Head, SC
Hilton Head Fishing: A Month-by-Month Guide to What Shows Up and When
Hilton Head's fishing changes every month as species migrate through Port Royal Sound — from winter sheepshead to spring cobia to summer sharks and tarpon. Here's what to expect and when.
Hilo, HI
Hilo Fishing: The Big Island's Quiet Side, Where You're the Only Boat
Hilo sits on the Big Island's east coast — the rainy, lush, uncrowded side. The same species that draw anglers to Kona swim here too, but you'll fish them without the fleet.
Hayward, WI
Hayward Fishing: The Muskie Capital and the Flowage That Made It Famous
Hayward is the muskie capital of the world — home to the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, the Chippewa Flowage, and a guide tradition built around the most elusive freshwater predator.
Gunnison, CO
Gunnison Fishing: Following the River from Taylor Dam to the Black Canyon
Gunnison's fishery follows the river system from the trophy tailwater below Taylor Dam through the upper Gunnison, into Blue Mesa Reservoir, and down into the Gunnison Gorge — each section a different experience.
Gulf Shores, AL
Gulf Shores Fishing: 17,000 Artificial Reefs and What They've Built
Alabama has deployed more artificial reef material than any other state in the Gulf of Mexico. The result is an offshore fishery — red snapper, grouper, amberjack — that punches way above its small coastline's weight.
Green Bay, WI
Green Bay Fishing: The Fox River Walleye Run and the Bass Water That Stunned the Pros
Green Bay has two fisheries that rank among the best in the country: the spring walleye run on the Fox River — millions of fish in a few weeks — and the Sturgeon Bay smallmouth bass that topped national rankings.
Grand Lake, OK
Grand Lake Fishing: Tournament Bass, Crappie Culture, and Paddlefish You Won't Find Anywhere Else
Grand Lake of the Cherokees covers 46,500 acres of northeast Oklahoma and holds three fisheries in one: tournament-caliber bass, a deep crappie culture, and the world's largest paddlefish population.
Gloucester, MA
Gloucester Fishing: America's Oldest Seaport and the Tuna That Made It Famous Again
Gloucester has been a fishing town since 1623 — four centuries of cod, haddock, and working boats. Then the bluefin tuna showed up in numbers, and a TV show made the whole world pay attention.
Galveston, TX
Galveston Fishing: From Wading the Flats to Running Offshore
Galveston Bay is the most productive estuary on the Texas coast, and the fishing ranges from ankle-deep wade fishing to blue-water runs for tarpon and tuna. Here's how each style breaks down.
Fort Myers, FL
Fort Myers Fishing: Island by Island, Pass by Pass, Fish by Fish
Fort Myers sits where the Caloosahatchee River meets the Gulf, and the islands that fan out from the coast — Pine Island, Sanibel, Captiva, Boca Grande — each create their own fishery with their own signature species.
Erie, PA
Erie Fishing: Steelhead Alley and the Tributary Runs That Transform Small Creeks Into World-Class Water
Erie sits on the Lake Erie shore where a dozen small tributaries become Steelhead Alley every fall and spring — the most accessible steelhead fishery in the eastern United States.
Durango, CO
Durango Fishing: Gold Medal Water on the Animas, the San Juan Tailwater, and the Last Free-Flowing River in Colorado
Durango sits where the Animas River — one of the last free-flowing rivers in Colorado and the state's newest Gold Medal Water — meets the historic mining town that Ernest Hemingway once fished. The San Juan River's world-class tailwater is an hour south.
Duluth, MN
Duluth Fishing: The Fish Come to You — Steelhead, Salmon, and the Big Lake
Duluth sits where Lake Superior's North Shore tributaries pour into the largest freshwater lake on Earth. Twice a year, the fish run upstream — and the fishing is unlike anything else in the Midwest.
Door County, WI
Door County Fishing: One Peninsula, Two Great Lakes, and a Different Fishery on Each Side
Door County is a narrow peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. The bay side holds walleye and smallmouth. The lake side runs salmon and trout. The water you fish depends on which shore you're standing on.
Destin, FL
Destin Fishing: Matching the Trip Length to the Catch
Destin runs the largest fishing fleet in Florida and offers trips from four hours to three days. The species you target depends entirely on how far you're willing to go.
Denver, CO
Denver Fishing: Tailwaters, Freestone, and Gold Medal Trout Within an Hour
Denver sits at the base of the Rocky Mountains with Gold Medal trout water in every direction — from the technical tailwaters of the South Platte to high-altitude reservoirs holding trophy pike and kokanee.
Cody, WY
Cody Fishing: Three Rivers, a Year-Round Tailwater, and the Gateway to Yellowstone
Cody sits where three very different rivers converge at the east entrance to Yellowstone — the North Fork Shoshone, the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone, and a warm-spring tailwater you can fish in January.
Charleston, SC
Charleston Fishing: Following the Creeks Through the Lowcountry Marsh
Charleston's fishing doesn't happen on open water — it happens in a labyrinth of tidal creeks, oyster bars, and Spartina marsh that holds redfish, trout, and flounder from the harbor to the ACE Basin.
Cape Cod, MA
Cape Cod Fishing: The Canal, the Flats, and the Tuna Grounds — Three Fisheries on One Peninsula
Cape Cod wraps around the elbow of Massachusetts with three distinct fisheries: the legendary Canal for striped bass, the Monomoy flats for sight-fishing, and the Stellwagen Bank for bluefin tuna.
Branson, MO
Branson Fishing: A Bass Lake and a Trout River Within Sight of Each Other
Branson sits between Table Rock Lake — one of the best bass lakes in the Midwest — and Lake Taneycomo, a cold-water tailwater holding rainbow and brown trout year-round. Two completely different fisheries, five minutes apart.
Brainerd, MN
Brainerd Lakes Fishing: Every Lake Has a Personality
The Brainerd Lakes Area has over 400 fishable lakes within an hour's drive, but the ones that matter most each have their own character — and their own fish. Here's how to pick the right water.
Bozeman, MT
Fishing in Bozeman, MT: What to Expect, Where to Go, and Who to Talk To
Bozeman sits at the crossroads of three legendary trout rivers — the Madison, the Gallatin, and the Yellowstone. Here's what you actually need to know before you fish them.
Block Island, RI
Block Island Fishing: Where the Rips, the Rocks, and the Currents Concentrate Everything
Block Island sits where Long Island Sound meets the open Atlantic, and the underwater ridges and rips that surround it create fish-concentrating structure that's been drawing anglers since before the lighthouse was built.
Biloxi, MS
Biloxi Fishing: The Chandeleur Islands and the Best Wade Fishing in the Gulf
Biloxi is the launch point for the Chandeleur Islands — 45 miles of barrier island surf, crystal-clear flats, and the best wade fishing for speckled trout and redfish in the Gulf of Mexico.
Bend, OR
Bend Fishing: 50 Fishable Waters Within 90 Minutes and a River That Runs Through Town
Bend sits in the geographic center of Oregon's best fishing water — the Deschutes River flows through downtown, the Crooked River tailwater is 30 minutes north, and Crane Prairie holds trout that grow to absurd sizes on damselflies and leeches.
Austin, TX
Austin Fishing: Four Waters, One City, and a State Fish You Should Know
Austin has largemouth bass in every direction, stripers ripping through open water, and the only place in the world where Guadalupe bass evolved. Here's where to fish and what to expect.
Astoria, OR
What to Expect Fishing in Astoria, Oregon
Astoria sits where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, and the Buoy 10 fishery here might be the largest salmon run on the continent. But salmon is just the beginning.
Apalachicola, FL
Apalachicola Fishing: Old Florida, World-Class Oysters, and Fish That Haven't Heard of Fishing Pressure
Apalachicola sits on Florida's Forgotten Coast — undeveloped, unhurried, and holding redfish and trout in water that most of the state's anglers drive right past.
Annapolis, MD
Annapolis Fishing: Rockfish, Bridge Pilings, and the Chesapeake Bay Playbook
Annapolis sits where the Severn River meets the Chesapeake Bay — the largest estuary in the country. The fishing revolves around structure: bridges, channel edges, oyster bars, and the Bay Bridge.