By species
Pick a fish to explore its illustration, source-linked waters and destinations. Compare guide days and follow river links to the maps.
How to choose a target species
Start with the fish you want to catch, then check that it fits the month you can travel. Trout give the widest choice: 43 destinations list brown trout and 37 list rainbows, and most of them are rivers you can wade from public access without a guide. Steelhead, Atlantic salmon and the flats species have far fewer places and narrower seasons, so the month decides more than the river.
What each group needs
Trout rivers fish best when the water is cool and insects hatch: across our 44 trout destinations the months named most often are April, May, June and September. Tailwaters below dams stay cold and steady through summer; freestone rivers rise with snowmelt and rain, so check the live flow on each page. Steelhead come in runs, from fall through spring in the Great Lakes tributaries, and fresh fish follow rain. Saltwater flats depend on sun and wind more than on flows: our 4 flats destinations are at their best in March, April and May, and sight fishing needs light wind, so the wind forecast matters as much as the month.
How the price bands work
Prices are each outfitter's own published rate for a full guided day with two anglers sharing a guide, before tip; the cards show half of it as the price per angler. Each species page has bands for days under $500, $700 and $900, shown only when at least 5 destinations fit, so a band is never a near-empty list. Days cost least in the Northeast, around $475 for a typical day; flats run about $850, and the most expensive days are at River Spey, Skeena System and Iceland. Lodge-only places have no day rate and are listed without a price.
Brown troutWild and stocked brown trout, from Catskill freestones and Pennsylvania limestone creeks to Montana tailwaters and Patagonia.
Rainbow troutRainbows, including redbands, in tailwaters, freestone rivers and Alaska's salmon rivers.
Brook troutNative and stocked brook trout, from Appalachian headwaters to Maine's big wild brookies.
Cutthroat troutYellowstone, fine-spotted and sea-run cutthroat.
SteelheadGreat Lakes tributaries, Pacific Northwest winter runs and British Columbia's wild fish.
Atlantic salmonClassic Atlantic salmon rivers in New Brunswick, Iceland and Scotland.
Sea-run brown troutSea-run browns, the biggest trout most anglers will ever see.
BonefishSight fishing for bonefish on the flats of the Bahamas, Belize, Mexico and the Florida Keys.
PermitThe hardest fish on the flats: where your best shots at a permit are.
TarponBaby tarpon in the mangroves and migrating giants on the Keys' flats.
Striped bassStriper blitzes from Cape Cod to Montauk.
False albacoreThe fall albie run on the Northeast coast.
RedfishTailing redfish on Florida's lagoons.
Chinook salmonChinook salmon in Great Lakes tributaries, Alaska and British Columbia.
Coho salmonCoho salmon in Alaska, British Columbia and Great Lakes tributaries.
Arctic graylingArctic grayling in Alaska and the Yellowstone region.
Smallmouth bassRiver smallmouth bass alongside the Northeast’s trout fishing.
BluefishBluefish on the fly around Montauk and Cape Cod.
Sockeye salmonSummer sockeye runs in Alaska, from Bristol Bay to the Kenai.
Dolly VardenDolly Varden follow Alaska's salmon runs, feeding behind the spawning fish.
Arctic charArctic char in Iceland and the far north, often in the same water as brown trout and salmon.
Common snookSnook along mangrove shorelines, beaches and inlets, from Florida to Mexico's Yucatán coast.
Spotted seatroutSpotted seatrout over Florida's grass flats and lagoons, a steady target on a streamer or popper.
Black drumBig black drum tailing on Florida's lagoon flats, alongside the redfish.
Guadalupe bassTexas's native river bass, found in the Hill Country streams.
European graylingGrayling on English chalkstreams and Welsh rivers, the autumn and winter fish of trout country.
Atlantic bonitoFast bonito in the Northeast's late-summer and fall run, often ahead of the albies.
Pink salmonPink salmon run in big numbers through Alaska's rivers in midsummer.
Chum salmonBig, hard-pulling chum salmon in Alaska's summer runs.
Bull troutNative bull trout in the cold rivers of Montana and Idaho. Protected in most waters: check the rules before targeting them.
Lake troutLake trout in deep, cold lakes, within reach of a fly in spring and fall when they move shallow.
Mountain whitefishNative mountain whitefish in western trout rivers, a good winter nymphing fish.
Largemouth bassLargemouth on the fly in warm rivers, lakes and ponds, around weeds, wood and docks.
Artwork includes public-domain U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service paintings by Duane Raver and Timothy Knepp, alongside new AI-generated natural-history illustrations. Individual species pages include credits and source links.