Local Guides
Where to fish from the nearest big town, and what is worth the drive.
Fly Fishing in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic
Limestone creeks, cold tailwaters and mountain brook trout streams, with a look further afield at Connecticut and Maine.
What is fishing well: local guides
Fly Fishing in Poland and the Czech Republic
Where the nymphing method grew up, which rivers to pick, and when to go.
Šumava rivers and the Teplá Vltava, Bohemian trout water, Dunajec and Tatra streams, Carpathian rivers and Pomerania's grayling rivers. Best in spring and autumn; check local rules, permits and closed seasons.
Fly Fishing in Washington and Oregon
A practical guide to the steelhead rivers and trout waters of the Pacific Northwest, from the Olympic Peninsula to the Oregon high desert.
Steelhead: Olympic Peninsula, Skagit, Sandy, Deschutes, North Umpqua, Rogue. Trout: Yakima, Crooked, Owyhee, Metolius, McKenzie. Check regulations and closures first.
Great Lakes Steelhead and Driftless Trout
Salmon and steelhead on the lake tributaries, Lake Superior spring runs, and Driftless spring creeks that fish all year.
Salmon in autumn. Steelhead through winter. Spring runs in April. Driftless all year.
Fly Fishing in Bavaria and the Black Forest
Limestone grayling rivers below the Alps, clear mountain lakes and small wild-trout streams in the Black Forest, with the access questions answered first.
Traun, Isar, Loisach, Lech, Wiesent and Upper Danube for trout and grayling; Förchensee, Eibsee, Walchensee and Schluchsee for lakes; Gutach, Große Wiese and Wutach in the Black Forest. Fishing rights are local and licensing is by Land.
Fly Fishing in British Columbia
Kamloops stillwaters after ice-off, Elk River cutthroat, Island and Fraser Valley winter rivers, and autumn steelhead on the Skeena system.
Lakes in spring. Cutthroat in summer. Steelhead in autumn. Island rivers in winter.
Fly Fishing Near Calgary
A world-class wild trout river through the city, native cutthroat in the foothills, and autumn brown trout on the Red Deer.
Bow for the big wild fish. Foothills for native cutthroat. Red Deer for autumn browns.
Chalk, grit and city commutes: from London to Newcastle.
Trout Near London
Stillwaters within an hour, wild trout on the Wandle in your lunch break — closer than you think.
Fly Fishing Near Bristol
Chew and Blagdon for serious reservoir trout, the Usk for wild brown trout, the Upper Wye for grayling, and Manningford for the clear-water alternative.
Chew and Blagdon for the reservoir day. Usk for wild trout. Upper Wye for grayling.
Fly Fishing Near Manchester
The Peak District for trout and grayling on the Derbyshire Wye, Derwent and Dove, the Dane for wild browns on the Cheshire edge, the Ribble and Hodder to the north, and a couple of stocked stillwaters for the days when the rivers will not behave.
Derbyshire Wye for the headline day. Dane for wild browns. Ribble for grayling. Pennine for the short notice.
Fly Fishing Near Birmingham
Draycote and Blithfield for the immediate reservoir fix, Pitsford, Rutland and Grafham for the big-day upgrade, the River Teme to the west for grayling and mixed river fishing, and the Dove and Derbyshire Wye for anglers willing to commit to the Peak District drive.
Draycote for the day. Blithfield for the north. Teme for grayling. Derbyshire Wye for the limestone classic. Rutland for the occasion.
Fly Fishing Near Leeds
Wild trout and grayling on the River Wharfe at Ilkley and Bolton Abbey, reservoir trout at Fewston and Thruscross in the Washburn Valley, the River Nidd in Nidderdale for the quieter option, and limestone beck fishing in upper Wharfedale.
Wharfe at Ilkley for the easy day. Bolton Abbey for the prestige beat. Fewston when the river is off. Nidd for the quieter option. Kilnsey for the limestone day.
Fly Fishing Near Exeter
River Exe day tickets in the city, Dartmoor spate-river fishing on the Teign and Dart for salmon and sea trout, and Kennick and Fernworthy reservoirs for the stillwater fix — all within an hour of Exeter.
The Exe for the easy start. The Teign for the moorland spate-river day. The Dart for the expedition. Kennick and Fernworthy when the rivers are blown out.
Fly Fishing Near Southampton
Free River Itchen town water in Winchester, Test day tickets at Bossington and Broadlands, and Avington Trout Fishery for the easier day — access to two of the world's most famous chalk streams within half an hour of Southampton.
Winchester's free Itchen water for the no-cost start. Bossington for the real Test experience. And the mayfly, if you can get on the water for it, is worth planning a year around.
Fly Fishing Near Liverpool
The Welsh Dee at Llangollen for migratory fish and grayling, and the River Ribble at Ribchester and Clitheroe for day-ticket salmon and sea trout — the two best rivers within about an hour of Liverpool.
The Dee at Llangollen for migratory fish and famously good grayling. The Ribble at Ribchester or Clitheroe for one of England's best salmon and sea trout rivers.
Fly Fishing Near Carlisle
Wild brown trout and grayling on the River Eden through Appleby Angling Association, a back-end salmon run on the upper river, and the Annan and Border Esk over the Scottish border — all within reach of Carlisle.
The Eden for wild brown trout and grayling that rank among the best in England, with back-end salmon as the bonus, not the point.
Fly Fishing Near Nottingham
Rutland Water's genuinely open reservoir trout fishing, and the historic Derbyshire Wye and Dove — fished and written about by Izaak Walton — within an hour of Nottingham.
Rutland Water for the genuinely open, excellent day. The Wye or Dove, via a hotel stay, for fishing on water with real history behind it.
Fly Fishing Near York
The River Rye and North York Moors becks, through Ness Fly Fishers and Ryedale Anglers — York's own brown trout and grayling water, distinct from the Wharfe and Nidd covered in the Leeds guide.
The Rye for York's own quieter, moorland-edge water. The Wharfe and Nidd, in the Leeds guide, when the Dales side of the county is what's wanted.
Fly Fishing Near Newcastle
Salmon and sea trout on the River Tyne, wild brown trout and sea trout on the River Coquet, sea trout and grayling on the River Wear, and reservoir trout at Derwent, Fontburn, Kielder Water and Grassholme — all within 90 minutes of Newcastle.
Derwent for reliability. The Coquet for Northumberland character. The Tyne for the migratory game — earn it first. Fontburn when Derwent is busy. Kielder for the full day.
Fly Fishing Near Sheffield
Wild trout and grayling on the urban Don, Loxley, Rivelin and Sheaf; reliable stocked trout at Ladybower; wild river fishing on the Derwent below the dam; upland reservoir trout at Derwent and Howden; and the Derbyshire limestone rivers — Wye, Lathkill, Bradford — for the destination day.
Ladybower for the headline day. The urban Don for a quick session. The Derwent below the dam for wild fish. Scout Dike when you want something closer. The limestone dales when you want to ask harder questions.
Lochs, salmon rivers and the Tweed.
Fly Fishing Near Glasgow
Wild trout and grayling on the Clyde, salmon and sea trout on the Leven and Lomond, stocked rainbows half an hour from the city.
Fly Fishing Near Edinburgh
Pentland Hills trout reservoirs within half an hour, wild brown trout on the Tyne and the Esk, urban trout on the Water of Leith, and the River Tweed for brown trout, grayling, sea trout and salmon.
Harlaw and Threipmuir for the stocked day. Tyne for wild trout. Tweed for the flagship trip.
Fly Fishing Near Perth
River Tay and River Earn salmon and brown trout through Perth & District Anglers Association, plus boat-fished wild brown trout on Loch Leven — all within an hour of Perth.
The Tay for the big spring day. The Earn when the Tay is too much river. Loch Leven for boat-fished wild browns and a century of reputation behind them.
Fly Fishing Near Inverness
River Ness salmon fishing through Inverness Angling Club, the Beauly and Conon a short drive further, and the Findhorn and Spey within reach — one of the great concentrations of Highland salmon rivers anywhere.
The Ness for the in-city start. The Beauly and Conon for accessible club water a short drive further. The Findhorn and Spey for one of Scotland's truly great rivers.
Llyns, the Usk and the valleys.
Fly Fishing in North and Mid Wales
Spate rivers, a grayling Dee, big upland reservoirs and mountain llyns, with stillwaters for when the rivers rest. A year-round access guide to Snowdonia, Bala, Conwy, Clwyd and the Cambrian uplands.
Fly Fishing Near Swansea
Free River Tawe town water, club water for salmon, sewin and brown trout through Pontardawe and Swansea Angling Society and Tawe & Tributaries Angling Association, plus the wider Loughor, Afan, Neath and Amman cluster — all within half an hour of Swansea.
The free Tawe stretch for the no-permit start. Club water above it for the real river. The wider valleys cluster when you want to see what else is holding fish.
Fly Fishing Near Cardiff
Winter grayling on the Taff inside the city, wild trout up the valleys, Llandegfedd for the stocked stillwater day, and the River Usk — the best wild-trout trip within reach of any Welsh city.
Taff for grayling all winter. Upper Taff for wild trout. Llandegfedd for the easy day. Usk when it matters most.
Dublin, Galway and Belfast.
Fly Fishing Near Dublin
Urban wild trout on the Dodder, the Liffey and the Boyne for the proper day, Annamoe and Courtlough for the easy one, and the Dargle for sea trout into the dusk.
Fly Fishing Near Galway
Galway Fishery salmon on the Corrib in the city, Lough Corrib wild brown trout and mayfly, and Connemara's Ballynahinch, Costello/Fermoyle and Screebe/Gowla systems for salmon and sea trout — all within an hour of Galway.
The Galway Fishery for salmon in the city itself. Lough Corrib for the mayfly. Ballynahinch and the Connemara systems for the full western Irish experience.
Fly Fishing Near Belfast
Wild brown trout on the Lagan inside the city, stocked rainbows at Hillsborough Lake and the DAERA reservoir belt, dollaghan and wild trout on the Six Mile Water, and the Lough Neagh tributary system for the dollaghan — a migratory brown trout endemic to Northern Ireland found nowhere else in the world.
Lagan for the local session. Hillsborough for the easy day. Six Mile Water for proper river fishing. Maine and Braid for dollaghan. Bush for salmon.
From Asturias and the Basque Country to Madrid and Catalonia.
Fly Fishing Near Madrid
Iberian brown trout on the Lozoya cotos, warmwater bass and barbel on the big reservoirs, and Gredos for the proper trout escape.
Fly Fishing Near Barcelona
The Ter around Anglès and La Cellera for the best day, the Cardener for the closest credible water, Malagarriga and the intensive cotos when the wild rivers are off, the upper Ter and upper Llobregat for Pyrenean character, plus an honest pass at sea bass on the Catalan coast.
Ter for the best day. Cardener for convenience. Upper Ter for Pyrenean character. Gencat licence + ZPC permit.
Fly Fishing Near Oviedo
River Nalón in the city, wild Atlantic salmon on the Río Narcea, and the coto sorteo permit system that governs Asturian salmon and trout rivers — plus the easier coto intensivo reservoirs near Oviedo.
Enter the September sorteo for a real shot at the Nalón or Narcea. The intensivo reservoirs for the day that doesn't depend on a lottery.
Fly Fishing Near Santander
Classic Cantabrian trout water on the Pas and Pisueña, and the Asón — one of the region's two best migratory-fish rivers — all within half an hour of Santander.
The Pas system for classic technical Cantabrian trout fishing. The Asón for one of the region's two best migratory-fish rivers.
Fly Fishing Near Pamplona
Río Arga trout fishing in the city, and the Río Irati — the finest trout river in the Navarrese Pyrenees — under the Gobierno de Navarra's licencia and coto permit system.
The Arga for the easy city-river start. The Irati, planned well ahead, for some of the finest wild trout fishing the Navarrese Pyrenees have to offer.
Fly Fishing Near Bilbao
Salmon and sea trout on the Artibai and Deba, Basque coastal rivers under a single fluvial fishing licence covering Álava, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia — within about 40 minutes of Bilbao.
The Artibai and Deba for a quieter, less internationally known slice of Basque coast salmon and sea trout fishing.
Paris and the Alps.
Alpine and Balkan water: Austria, Bavaria, Italy, Slovenia, Poland and Czechia.
Fly Fishing in Austria: Rivers, Lakes and the Alpine Year
A region-by-region guide to Austrian fly water, from Hohe Tauern glacier valleys to the Salzkammergut, with the seasons that shape it.
Fly Fishing in Bavaria and the Black Forest
Limestone grayling rivers below the Alps, clear mountain lakes and small wild-trout streams in the Black Forest, with the access questions answered first.
Traun, Isar, Loisach, Lech, Wiesent and Upper Danube for trout and grayling; Förchensee, Eibsee, Walchensee and Schluchsee for lakes; Gutach, Große Wiese and Wutach in the Black Forest. Fishing rights are local and licensing is by Land.
Fly Fishing in Northern Italy: A Year-Round Guide
Marble trout and grayling across Trentino, Alto Adige, Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli and Valle d'Aosta, from clear limestone rivers to glacial torrents, with the permits left to the valleys that issue them.
Sarca, Noce, Aurino, Adda, Piave, Tagliamento, Natisone, Dora Baltea, Lys
Fly Fishing in Slovenia: A Year-Round Guide
Marble trout in the Julian Alps, spring-fed karst streams within reach of Ljubljana, a glacial lake at Bohinj and winter huchen. Slovenia is compact, and it fishes in every season.
Soča, Tolminka, Idrijca, Bohinj, Ljubljanica, Sora, Kolpa
Fly Fishing in Poland and the Czech Republic
Where the nymphing method grew up, which rivers to pick, and when to go.
Šumava rivers and the Teplá Vltava, Bohemian trout water, Dunajec and Tatra streams, Carpathian rivers and Pomerania's grayling rivers. Best in spring and autumn; check local rules, permits and closed seasons.
Salmon, sea trout and char in the north.
Fly Fishing in Iceland: A Regional Guide
From Reykjavik to Mývatn: where the salmon, sea trout, char and brown trout are, and when to go.
Fly Fishing in Sweden
Spring salmon on the Mörrum, sea trout and salmon down the west coast, grayling in the middle and lakes close to Gothenburg and Stockholm.
Mörrumsån · Halland rivers · Emån · Ljusnan · Svartedalen lakes
Fly Fishing in Norway and Finland
Salmon rivers from fjord to Arctic border, inland grayling, Kuusamo forest rivers and big Finnish lakes.
Short summer seasons: salmon rivers June to August, grayling July to September, Kuusamo midsummer. Rules and quotas are river-specific.
Tailwaters, spring creeks and steelhead, coast to coast.
Fly Fishing in Northern California
Sacramento and Trinity tailwaters, Hat Creek and Fall River spring creeks, the Sierra and the coastal steelhead rivers — a year-round map.
Fly Fishing in Washington and Oregon
A practical guide to the steelhead rivers and trout waters of the Pacific Northwest, from the Olympic Peninsula to the Oregon high desert.
Steelhead: Olympic Peninsula, Skagit, Sandy, Deschutes, North Umpqua, Rogue. Trout: Yakima, Crooked, Owyhee, Metolius, McKenzie. Check regulations and closures first.
Fly Fishing in Montana
Missouri, Bighorn and Beaverhead tailwaters, the Madison, Gallatin and Yellowstone, the Paradise Valley spring creeks, and the Bitterroot in March.
Tailwaters for winter. Bitterroot for March. Freestones for the hatches.
Fly Fishing in Wyoming and Idaho
The other side of Greater Yellowstone: native cutthroat, flat-water dries and a park with its own rules.
Snake and South Fork for native cutthroat; Henrys Fork, Teton and Silver Creek for technical dries; Yellowstone under its own rules.
Fly Fishing in Utah: A Year-Round Guide
Tailwaters near Salt Lake City, limestone canyon streams to the north, and high lakes and red-rock rivers to the south, with the access questions that matter.
Middle and Lower Provo, Green River below Flaming Gorge, Strawberry, Weber, Logan, Uinta slope, Boulder Mountain.
Fly Fishing Near Denver
South Platte tailwaters, Front Range canyons and the Blue below Dillon — and the winter fishing that carries on when the high country closes.
Deckers for the easy day. Cheesman for the humbling one. Clear Creek for the weeknight.
Fly Fishing in Arkansas and the Ozarks
Cold tailwaters and cold springs that fish through the winter, in Arkansas and Missouri.
Tailwaters (White, Norfork, Little Red, Beaver, Taneycomo): check the dam release first. Spring rivers (Spring, Eleven Point, Current): steady and cold. Missouri trout parks: zones, tags and permits. Creeks: wild trout, a gentle touch.
Great Lakes Steelhead and Driftless Trout
Salmon and steelhead on the lake tributaries, Lake Superior spring runs, and Driftless spring creeks that fish all year.
Salmon in autumn. Steelhead through winter. Spring runs in April. Driftless all year.
Fly Fishing in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic
Limestone creeks, cold tailwaters and mountain brook trout streams, with a look further afield at Connecticut and Maine.
Limestone spring creeks and bigger limestone rivers in Pennsylvania; Gunpowder, Big Hunting and Savage in Maryland; Rapidan, Mossy Creek and the Smith in Virginia; Cranberry and Seneca in West Virginia; Farmington and Housatonic in Connecticut and Maine's dam-controlled rivers further afield. Check each state's agency for licenses and rules.
Fly Fishing Near New York City
Croton tailwaters, Long Island spring creeks, Hudson Valley and New Jersey streams, and the Catskills for the long day — with the cool-season fishing that keeps going after summer.
Croton for the short session. Long Island for spring creeks. Catskills for the long day.
