I’m going to make a bold statement here: California is one of the top fly-fishing states in the country. Right now, you’re probably thinking to yourself, of course a regional California publication would support a writer making this broad-stroke statement, but let’s dig into this argument. Yes, I admit I may be a bit biased as I was raised in California, but I think my vast knowledge and experience of fly fishing throughout this country allows me to be so bold. Everyone is going to have a large opinion on this subject, and while there are definitely other high-ranking states, California will stand up to them all due to its diversity of species and its year-round sunny, temperate weather.
First off, before we dive into the deep argumentative conversation about what state may be the best to live in as an angler, let me tell you about my background. I was raised in San Diego and grew up fly fishing both the nearshore and offshore saltwater environments of Southern California. After I graduated high school, I left San Diego to attend UC Davis. Going to college in Northern California helped grow my passion for fly fishing. I was fortunate to start working in a fly shop my sophomore year of college and I would ultimately start guiding a year later. I ended up guiding for 20 years all across Northern California as I pursued bass, salmon, steelhead, striper, and trout. I have run drift boats, jet boats, and have spent hundreds of days chasing pelagic species in the ocean. My knowledge of fly fishing in California is vast and I have a true understanding of the many hidden gems the state contains.
In order to go down this controversial path, I think we have to check some of our personal biases at the gate. Now, if you’re a pure trout angler, then yes, there are arguably better states to live in, like Colorado, Idaho, and Montana. If you’re a hard-core saltwater angler, then Florida is going to be hard to beat with the diversity of their bays, flats, and offshore species. There aren’t many places in this world where you can catch a bonefish, permit, tarpon, tuna, and marlin all in the same day. For those who love to swing flies, you might say the fishing in Oregon and Washington is superior to California due to better managed salmon and steelhead fisheries. So, in my opinion, to truly have an objective fly fishing conversation about California, you’ve got to set your personal fishing preferences aside and consider the state as a whole.
The beauty of being a fly angler in California is the vast options that we have for both fresh and saltwater fishing. Now, there are lots of places in this country that can boast of the same things. Yet, when you consider the quality of each of those fishing environments, California is the gold standard amongst them. Let’s take Florida, for example. Yes, their saltwater fishing is better than California. However, when you start thinking about freshwater, they’re limited to great bass fishing. California also has excellent saltwater fishing, but the freshwater options are far greater. I don’t know of anyone who travels to Florida to go chase salmon, steelhead, and trout. Plus, California’s bass fishing is pretty damn good as well. We might not have the famous Lake Okeechobee, but we have some incredible bass fishing in Castaic Lake, Clear Lake, and the Delta. Did you know the second largest largemouth caught in the United States was from Castaic, weighing in at 21 pounds 12 ounces? That’s only 8 ounces behind the world record 22-pound 4-ounce largemouth caught in Georgia by George Perry in 1932. I think it’s safe to say that California’s bass fishing is really good.
Well, let’s look further around this country to the famed northern boundary waters of Michigan. To be honest, they probably destroy California when it comes to freshwater fishing. The Great Lakes, acting like miniature oceans, really give the state an incredibly diverse and immense amount of freshwater fly-fishing opportunities. The amount of water found in Michigan from its lakes, rivers, streams, and mini oceans creates a lifetime of fly fishing opportunities. It’d be hard to get bored as an angler when you can fish for bass, musky, pike, salmon, steelhead, and trout. To me that sounds like a really intriguing place to live, but then again, I haven’t heard of too many dorado, tuna, or yellowtail being caught in those freshwater oceans. Definitely a top fly fishing area to call home, but it still doesn’t come close to California’s vastness of angling opportunities and a true ocean.
Let’s keep looking around the map here, what other states should be considered? Well, all you Midwesterners can just keep your mouth shut, your solid bass and carp fishing aren’t quite enough to speak up about. So just take a seat in the back and quiet down.
Alright Northeasterners, I see you hanging out way over there. Even though we aren’t talking about one state, you’re still the birthplace of North American fly fishing, so we have to give you an honorable mention. When you mention the name the Beaverkill River, every traditionalist fly fisher in the country has a deep sense of admiration for the river. This admiration is well-deserved as famous anglers, past presidents, authors, and photographers have recorded stories from its fabled waters. Plus, if Orvis names a reel after the river then it has to be meaningful, right? Yet, have you ever seen the trout primarily caught on the Beaverkill? Trust me, they aren’t impressive. I hate to break it to you, but an 18-inch trout isn’t big. The West as a whole, and especially trout fishing in California on the Fall, Lower Owens, Lower Sacramento, McCloud, or Pit Rivers, is far superior to that on the East Coast.
Now, if we are only talking about fishing for striped bass or bluefin tuna, then yes, the Northeast wins the crown. The best striped bass fishing on the entire planet takes place in the Northeast. In California, even though the striped bass fishing is really solid, many anglers consider a 20-pound striper a fish of a lifetime. However, stripers that size are commonplace in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Plus, there aren’t many places in the world where an angler can go to catch a 1,000 pound bluefin tuna. Yes, I know that you can’t catch that fish on your 12-weight fly rod! I understand how tuna fishing works, as I have landed lots of them off the Southern California coast. Don’t get your underwear in a bunch and stay the course with me. There is a reason Wicked Tuna is filmed in the Northeast and not off of San Diego. Even though San Diego has bluefin tuna pushing 400 pounds, they still don’t come close to the monsters of the Northeast.
The Northeast also has the only runs of wild Atlantic salmon left in this country. Atlantic salmon return annually to many rivers in the state of Maine. Even though California has salmon and steelhead, it has to be notable that the Northeast has now hit the mark for trout, saltwater, and swinging anglers. Let’s welcome the Northeast fly fishing region to the lower steps of the winners podium. However, even with all it has to offer, California is still staring down at the Northeast with its robust year-round fly fishing options. One of the best parts of being an angler in California is the ability to fish 12 months a year. Literally every month of the year there is an awesome opportunity to fish for something really cool. The Northeast can’t make that comment with the severe winters they endure.
Yes, Alaska will always be one of the top states. The vast amount of space, solidarity, and great fishing makes it a top destination in the United States. Five kinds of salmon, great steelheading, arctic char, and some of the largest trout in the country, make it arguably the best freshwater destination in the world. Yet, when was the last time you heard of an epic topwater bass bite in the Last Frontier? Actually, did you know there are no bass species native to the state of Alaska? Yep, California has those.
Now that we have bounced around the country thinking about and analyzing some of the top angling destinations in America, we have to bring our focus back to California. As a state, largely due to the long Pacific coastline, snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountain range, large bays, and temperate weather, anglers have been given a fly fishing Disneyland. Literally, the happiest place in America to be a fly fisher. California has such a vast diversity of fly fishing options and species to target that an angler could literally spend a lifetime in the state and be happy about it.
Trust me, I totally took it for granted. Now I live full time in Montana, and while we do have great trout fishing, I deeply miss running my jet boat chasing monster stripers in the rivers of Northern California. It’s great watching a brown trout explode on a grasshopper in the middle of summer, but it doesn’t come close to a drag-scorching run of an Eel River steelhead. Recently, I was talking to John Sherman, the California sales representative for Simms, Sage, RIO, and Hatch Reels, and he made a comment that made me reminisce. Even though I now live in the epicenter of trout fly fishing, John said, “I bet you miss the fishing in California.”
For those of you that live, fish, and frequent the waters of California: Enjoy them. Don’t take them for granted. California has the best mix of fresh and saltwater fishing found anywhere in the country. Make sure to care for those waters and protect them for future generations. Know that all of you are truly blessed to be a California fly fisher.
