Rivers are America’s aquatic highways, running through our most scenic and revered lands, across volcanic Texas canyons, below rustic New England bridges, along the foot of soaring Montana mountains, through labyrinthine Louisiana deltas and many points in between. They’re also pathways to our sporting pursuits.
We’re talking Titanic trout. Bass that explode onto surface lures like firecrackers. Salmon way too mean to manhandle. Canoeing and kayaking? As sure as the Mississippi cuts a broad swath across the middle of the nation, they’re there for you. So pack a tent, pitch it, and spend a spell exploring. There’s even the opportunity for rafting some of the quickest, trickiest rapids you’ll find anywhere in the world. In other words, fish them, float them, swim them or whatever. It’s summer, and now’s the time to go with the flow.
Bighorn River, Montana
Where the ‘Horn spills out of Afterbay Dam, the finest assets in troutdom – the thickest hatches and highest densities of 7,000 rainbows and browns per mile – converge to create a fishery beyond compare. The uppermost area, called A to Three (Afterbay to Three Mile Bridge), would be a short float trip were it not for a day’s worth of finned distractions that average 18 inches. Next up: Three to B (Three Mile to the Bighorn Access). Same story here, with hatches of everything from caddis flies to midges prompting big trout to bust the surface at every corner. But no shortage of fish equals no shortage of anglers, even in remote Montana. Which is why it would be worthwhile to try the stretch of river from Mallard’s to Two Leggings. True, there are fewer fish there than in the trout-thronged waters upstream, but it’s the smart destination should you find more solace in solitude.
For more information: Bighorn Angler, (406) 666-2233.
Green River, Utah
Between the redrock canyons below Flaming Gorge Dam, the Big West’s most scenic trout water sprints off on a 30-mile run. The Green, a year-round fishery, offers all sorts of opportunities for browns and rainbows that average more than 14 inches in three sections of river: the dam to Little Hole, Little Hole to Brown’s Park and Brown’s Park to Swallow Canyon. The real action occurs when fly fishing with terrestrials, those unfortunate land insects that touch water and get gobbled. Expect cicadas to produce in June and hoppers and flying ants in June and July. For a crack at Mr. Big, hurl a sculpin-imitating streamer of up to 8 inches – a serious mouthful made for Titanic trout.
For more information: Spinner Fall Fly Shop, (877) 811-FISH, (spinnerfall.com).
Housatonic River, Connecticut
For great fishing and floating two hours from Manhattan, the Housatonic is the place to be. It’s a spirited New England stream with smallmouths and trout, not to mention canoe and kayak water, in the splendid Litchfield Hills. If anything, the covered bridge in West Cornwall is the river’s nexus. From four miles above it to the concrete bridge below lies a trout-management area with eager rainbows. The smallmouths are always raring to go, too. To go it alone, rent a canoe from Clarke Outdoors and fish and float, looking for excellent action on bass with little crayfish crankbaits.
For more information: Clarke Outdoors, (860) 672-6365 or Housatonic River Outfitters, (860) 672-1010, (dryflies.com).
Jacks Fork and Current Rivers, Missouri
Like everything in the laid-back Ozarks, a duo of rivers in southeastern Missouri are downright mellow and relaxing. Jacks Fork, the 40-mile tributary to the Current, courses cool and clear and then keeps on going when it links up with the main branch for another 90 miles. On their way, the pair flows past limestone bluffs and dolomite cliffs at easygoing paces perfect for extended canoe outings. Camp on gravel islands between the outcroppings and explore sinkholes, springs and more than 300 recorded caves within the boundaries of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. More than 20 separate float trips stretching from two to 16 hours are offered to accommodate whatever your desires – tubing, canoeing, camping.
For more information: Ozark National Scenic Riverways Park, (573) 323-4236 (nps.gov/ozar/index.htm).
Mississippi River, Louisiana
At its great smashup with the Gulf of Mexico, the Big Muddy is an angler’s paradise. Slice a line into it, and you never know what’ll spill out next. On one cast it’s a redfish, the next a flounder, the one after that a largemouth bass or a sac de lait. A sac de lait? That’s Cajun French for a crappie, or “bag of milk,” for the fish’s tender white flesh. As many as 80 species cruise the maze of channels on high tide then slide deeper to mop up shrimp and baitfish that stream out when the water falls. You should be there, too.
Access to the continent’s largest warm water estuary is in Venice, about an hour and a half from the Big Easy and less than a mile from incredible fishing grounds. Anything goes en route to the catching, and popular offerings are lipless crankbaits, jigs and live shrimp. To go farther afield, book a charter with Capt. Peace Marvel, whose fleet chases tuna, wahoo and sailfish on the 100-fathom curve (600 feet), deep water a mere six miles from shore.
For more information: Venice Marina, (985) 534-9357 or Capt. Peace Marvel, (985) 534-2278 (reelpeace.com).
Rio Grande, Texas
Through a border landscape, the Rio Grande winds its wild and scenic way between vertiginous canyons, mountains and the Chihuahua Desert. For 108 of its 1,000 miles, the Rio snakes through the sublime landscape of Big Bend National Park, named for the sudden change in direction from the southeast to northeast. All is fair game for rafting, paddling and overnighting next to volcanic rock formations and sheer cliffs as high as 1,500 feet. The first section, the Santa Elena, is accessible from a paved road and could be done in a day, but why not stake a tent and take your time? Know that the water might reach Class III-V, depending on rainfall and weather. The Mariscal, another day trip or overnighter, demands a four-wheel drive to reach a put-in at the end of a rocky road. The float, on the other hand, is rather tame with nothing more extreme than a Class II bottleneck. Big Bend wraps up with the Boquillas, a three-day, two-night journey through very doable water. Just be prepared for extreme heat during daytime and be sure to camp on the public U.S. side, not the private Mexico side. Oh, and one more thing: Don’t drink the water. It’s ill-advised, even if purified.
For more information: Big Bend National Park, (915) 477-2251, (nps.gov/bibe/index.htm).
Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
Mention Three Mile Island and smallmouth bass in the same breath and you’re bound to conjure images of glowing, three-eyed fish. Thank goodness we can say it ain’t so. Although the towers of the nation’s most notorious meltdown are in the middle of the Susquehanna, there’s nothing to fear but the fish themselves – monsters, at that – on one of the best bass waters anywhere. So pack your tackle for Middletown, Pa., and fish the shallow, rocky 60 miles upstream and the 20 miles downstream for up to 25 bass per day. Due to fluctuating flows, the best ways around are jet boats, canoes and your felt-soled footies. When water’s low, it’s possible to wade across the three-quarter-mile-wide river. On spinning rigs, try tube jigs, crayfish imitators and top-waters. On the fly, go the first two weeks of August, when the White Fly hatch inspires enormous bass of 4 and 6 pounds to slurp insects on the surface. And don’t be afraid to work close to the reactor’s towers. It’s just a tad spooky until the first smallmouth smacks your lure.
For information: Clouser’s Fly Shop, (717) 944-6541, (clouserflyfishing.com).
Umpqua River, Oregon
On the epic Umpqua, a watershed that embraces more than 900 river miles with its tributaries, a nonstop progression of fish advances upstream according to the season. Winter steelhead start running in January, striped bass in March, shad in May and June, and smallmouth bass in summer. Sturgeon pick up from January through October, chinook in spring and fall, and coho in October. The most curious of these creatures, the sturgeon, stretches to 9 feet, gobbling sand fleas and Dungeness crabs the size of 50-cent pieces. When hooked, one will leap time and again like a ballistic stream trout. For his trips, guide Terry Jarmain, ranges within 60 miles of Reedsport, near the Oregon coast, depending on the species du jour. In spring, salmon hole up in slack water, where Jarmain anchors at the bank and drops back anchovies, plugs and spinners. In fall, the action happens on 20-something-pound chinooks closer to the ocean on trolled cut bait. Populations of salmon and steelhead are at encouraging levels after about five years of high water – promising in times of wax-and-wane cycles for the Western river runners.
For more information: Terry Jarmain, (800) 635-5583 (umpqua-river-guide.com).
Yellowstone River, Montana/Wyoming
Sure, the Winnebago wagon train through the planet’s most popular park will stall when a moose or bear wanders near the road, but all you have to do is wheel off at a parking spur and hoof it 20 minutes to an hour to lose the crowd and find spectacular fishing. One such trouty pocket, Slough Creek, is a Yellowstone tributary that looks something like a series of puddles. But come August and September, when you cast a hopper into the middle of one – boom!
“The Yellowstone is a lot like the NASDAQ,” says Yellowstone guide Kim Leighton. “It’s very hard to predict.” With a little effort, however, more fish will be your reward.
For more information: Fish Hawk Outfitting, (406) 222-0551 (mcn.net/~fishhawk.com) or Yellowstone National Park, (307) 344-7381 (nps.gov/yell/index.htm).
Manistee River, Michigan
For 233 miles through northwestern lower Michigan, the Manistee is fed and refrigerated by currents that bubble out of the earth. “I think of it as one of America’s greatest spring creeks,” says inveterate Michigan trout angler Jerry Dennis, author of Canoeing Michigan Rivers. “It’s so consistent and steady, and it’s an excellent choice for longer canoe expeditions. You can float the river and camp for several days.”
The upper reaches between the Highway M-72 and CCC Bridges might not have the flair of the patron saint of Michigan rivers. But what presence the stretch lacks in the canon of angling lore, it more than makes up for with year-round, flies-only fishing. Down lower, beneath Tippy Dam, the river turns tailwater with runs of steelhead and salmon from Lake Michigan. Steelhead ascend starting in September, while thug-like chinook salmon enter as early as August and eat flies and bait through October. The early ones are the meanest.
“If we land one fish out of 10 in August and September, we feel pretty good,” said guide Russ Madden. “Sometimes you get flat-out busted. You can’t manhandle a 25-pound salmon.” Yeah, but it sure is fun trying.
For more information: The Troutsman, (800) 308-7688 (troutsman.com).