Georgetown, SC

Several rivers converge at the Intercoastal Waterway in this city in the Carolina Lowcountry. Famed lakes Moultrie and Marion are a short drive to the west.

The Francis Marion National Forest provides more than a quarter million acres of public-land hunting for deer, turkeys, quail, and small game.

GET READY TO EMBRACE CARP FISHING'S NEW U.S.A. POWERHOUSE

Two prominent names working in both the fishing and hunting industry, Larysa Switlyk and Ken Keene will be pairing up this year to compete in the Austin Team Championship; one of North America's longest running carp fishing competitions located in Austin, Texas.

Hosted by the Carp Anglers Group, the Austin Team Championship has a rich history and over the years has produced many 30+ lb fish, several 40’s and countless personal bests by the competitors. There have also been captures of Smallmouth Buffalo exceeding 60 lbs which is another reason why Larysa and Ken are very excited to attend.

 Although it's officially their first event competing as a team, this carp angling duo have more than just "winning" on their minds while attending the Austin Team Championship. With a common goal of "raising carp fishing awareness" in North America and abroad, Larysa Switlyk and Ken Keene will be working in conjunction on different carp related projects to help further grow the sport. Having founded the world's largest FREE online carp fishing competition, Ken says, "We couldn't think of a better event to attend than the Austin Team Championship for helping launch our efforts promoting carp fishing worldwide."

 Establishing quite a name for herself within the outdoor industry, Larysa Switlyk has been hunting and fishing for several years now with many of her ventures taking place all over the world. Since accepting the North American ambassador role with the world's largest FREE online carp fishing competition(www.BigFourCarp.com), Larysa has big plans of introducing carp fishing to a much broader audience through her new and exciting network show entitled, "Larysa Unleashed" which debuts July 2013 on NBC Sports.

Grand Junction, CO

Magnificent mesas and endless elk—Grand Junction’s breathtaking scenery makes the perfect backdrop for chasing public-land bulls. Numerous alpine trout lakes keep local anglers busy.

Centerville, IA

They got the name right. Centerville is in the middle of a sportsman’s paradise. Epic whitetails get the headlines (the 307-inch Lovstuen Buck was killed just north of here), but south-central Iowa has plenty of four-season opportunity: abundant turkeys and waterfowl, plus great crappies, walleyes, and channel cats on Rathbun Lake north of town.

But it’s the human dimension of this place—the classic Midwestern courthouse square, the easy friendliness of its residents—that makes this a great town to call home. Plus, Centerville has some bona fide hunting pedigree: It’s the original home of groundbreaking Knight muzzleloading rifles.

Rapid City, SD

This gateway to the ruggedly beautiful Black Hills region of western South Dakota offers its 67,000 residents a wide variety of hunting and fishing opportunities. Mountain lakes and coldwater streams to the west of town are home to brook, brown, and rainbow trout. In the surrounding prairie, a constellation of reservoirs and stock dams hold largemouths, pike, and panfish.

Hunting opportunities are available nearly year-round. Whitetails, mule deer, elk, and Merriam’s turkeys prowl the mountains. A short drive will put you into pheasants, sharptails, and prairie chickens. Pronghorns, coyotes, and prairie dogs are plentiful in the grasslands.

Venice, LA

If you like your saltwater rimmed by white sand beaches, palm trees, and tiki bars, this is not the place for you. However, if you live to hunt and fish, and yearn to do it 24/7/365, then this tiny community at the mouth of the Mississippi River beckons.

Despite its infamy as the epicenter of both Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Venice remains arguably the greatest place in North America to fish and hunt waterfowl.

In 2011, Bassmaster Classic competitors ran down the Mississippi from New Orleans to Venice—more than two hours by boat—to fill their livewells with largemouths. However, it’s world-class redfish and speckled trout fishing that draw the recreational fishermen. You will catch fish here every day that you hit the water, and you can’t say that about very many other places in the country.

If you get bored in the marshes, big-game fishing opportunities—from marlin to tuna, sailfish to swords—are plentiful around the offshore gas and oil rigs.
September marks the beginning of teal season in this waterfowler’s paradise, with more than 14 percent of the country’s wetlands located in this region of southern Louisiana.

Salmon, ID

This town’s name should be your first clue as to why it attracts sportsmen the way a spawning run draws bears. Located right on the Salmon River—and bordering millions of acres of public hunting ground, including the largest wilderness area in the Lower 48 (the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness)—Salmon has, well, everything.

The Salmon and its tributaries offer world-class fishing for trout, steelhead, and other species year-round. On the crags and benches above the Salmon and other nearby rivers, wingshooters chase chukar and huns, while at higher elevations blue and spruce grouse predominate.

The big-game scene has changed in Salmon with the resurgence of wolves. But trophy elk, mule deer, and whitetails are still accessible, and the hunting for bears and mountain lions is second to none.

Appleton, WI

More than 170 years ago, trappers and fur traders chased the promise of lucrative beaver pelts up the Fox River and settled the town of Appleton. Today, enormous whitetail deer draw outdoorsmen and -women to the Fox River Valley. The Boone and Crockett Club recently anointed Wisconsin the number-one trophy whitetail state in the country, with Cheesehead hunters logging 383 B&C entries in the last five years. In the last three seasons, three different bucks killed within 50 miles of downtown Appleton have either broken or threatened Badger State records. But there’s a lot more to do in Appleton than sit in a treestand.

Nearby Lake Winnebago and the Fox River, which runs through town, are premier walleye fisheries. Green Bay, 30 minutes to the north, offers some of the best smallmouth bass and muskie fishing in the country. Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area sits 70 miles to the south and is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the country. Hundreds of thousands of geese migrate through the region each fall. Sixty miles to the north, the 661,000-acre Nicolet National Forest, home to deer, bears, and grouse, is one of the last true wild places in the northwoods.

The 35 Best Hunting and Fishing Towns in the US

Now in its fifth year, our annual “Best Towns for Sportsmen” feature is an OL institution. Readers love to argue the merits of their burgs based on our rankings; local newspapers crow about the inclusion of their town; and realtors call to ask for extra copies of the issue.

This year we’re forgetting all the socio-economic data and focusing on what matters most: hunting and fishing. In the next few pages, you’ll find the 35 towns in the U.S. where we would live right now, based solely on the outdoor opportunities there. Some boast bass and deer, others elk and trout or ducks and redfish. Regardless, each of these towns is an outdoors mecca in its own right, and from sea to shining sea, they offer the best hunting and fishing in America.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY

The Bays:
 Party boats are posting up some IMPRESSIVE striper counts with a few big halibut in the mix. On Saturday 6-16 Jim Smith on the Happy Hooker reported 50 stripers to 11 pounds adding 4 all 'toad" halibut to 23 pounds. Jim said they had one drift where they put in 20 fish in just ten minutes. Jim says with the big tides being on the right spot at the right time is key to success. With over 4 decades experience Jim is still learning new things each day.
 James Smith on the Cal Dawn reported 19 stripers to 20 pounds adding 7 halibut to 29.
 Jay on the Huck Finn out of Emeryville 33 stripers to 16 pounds adding 7 halibut to 24 pounds for 19 anglers. All three were working the usual haunts from Angel Islands to Alcatraz to Mel's Reef and the Berkeley flats. The Smith gang in Berkeley and the Emeryville sport center have lots of space available. While they are targeting bass and buuts in the bays now look for more boats to be running rockfish and ling trips. Emeryville is running salmon trips as well most days. Once school gets out those prime summer dates will book up quickly.

Striped bass fishing remained outstanding with Captain Joel Sinkay and his merry band of misfits going ‘balls out’ for 28 limits of striped bass and a halibut on the California Dawn on Tuesday. He said, “It was rough out there, and we stayed on the rockpiles throughout the day near Alcatraz for the stripers, but we didn’t hit any sandy areas for halibut throughout the day.” They were fishing off of Mel’s Reef and Blossom Rock for the majority of the day.
 Captain Jim Smith of the Happy Hooker worked hard to keep his charter focused on fishing on Monday 5-11, and they finally were able to come to and come through by the afternoon for 35 striped bass and 3 halibut. He said, “There were several times that we had four and five fish hanging to land one or two, and all of locations were holding fish.” The charter was composed of plumbers, and they displayed their manual dexterity by getting the feel for hooking up by the afternoon. Smith is looking for some excellent halibut scores over the next few days. They have open loads on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the coming weekend.
 The halibut bite has restarted in earnest, and Captain Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sport Fishing is focusing on the flatfish with 9 big halibut for 5 anglers on Tuesday 5-12.

Pat Weiss

Pat grew up in East Hickory, in northwestern Pennsylvania, and currently resides with his wife, Karen, in Centre Hall near the Keystone State’s wild trout havens of Penns, Fishing and Spring Creeks. He graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Environmental Resource Management with an emphasis on midge fishing at Fisherman’s Paradise. Pat is entering his fourth year of competitive fly-fishing and is addicted to the challenges it provides.

Devin Olsen

I started fly fishing at age 9. I will never forget my first day where I caught a beautiful cutthroat on an ant in the first meadow of the famed Slough Creek in Yellowstone. Though I’d been fishing with hardware since I was a toddler, that day started an addiction to fly fishing that only keeps getting stronger. When I fished against Lance Egan and Ryan Barnes in the former Outdoor Life Network’s Fly Fishing Master’s in 2004 I knew I had to find a way to compete in the sport I loved. It was serendipitous that I worked with both these anglers a year later after they had made Fly Fishing Team USA. I fished in my first regional and made the team myself in 2006. The ensuing years have been more educational than I could have ever imagined. I’ve since been fortunate enough to have a fair amount of success domestically which has provided me the wonderful opportunity to fish with my teammates in what will be my 6th consecutive World Fly Fishing Championship in the Czech Republic 2014. My greatest hope is to be on the podium with my teammates when we win our first World Championship medal.

Away from competitive fishing I am finishing my Master’s degree in Fisheries Science. I have a wonderful wife Julia of 8 years and a son who should be showing up any day now. Hopefully he’ll help field the next generation of Fly Fishing Team USA.

Russ Miller

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago I quickly found my escape from the urban landscape on the rivers and woods that were bike ride away from home. It was not until I attended the University of Colorado at Boulder did my fishing hobby become my focus and passion. Working as a guide through collage I quickly learned the waters of the front range and beyond. Finding solitude in the high country and honing technical skills on the South Platte river I chased wild trout across the west. Now living in Seattle, WA and married to my long time lover and biggest supporter Jessie, I is still find time to chase the dream.  Exploring the stillwaters and trout streams of the Northern Cascades. Not to mention figuring out all of the coastal salmon and steelhead fishing. With each move around the county I have been lucky enough to add to my arsenal of tricks and find new and fun ways to catch fish on a fly.  Working for Sage, RIO and Redington does not hurt the "cause" either!

"I could not be more proud and excited to represent the USA at the Boznia next summer.  I am always looking forward to seeing whats around the next bend in the river and sharing those experiences with close friends."

Norm Maktima

Growing up in northern New Mexico presented Norman Maktima with plenty of outdoor opportunities. His childhood was spent hunting, hiking, camping, and mostly fishing. At the age of seven he took to the fly rod and has fished his way across the world!

1998 was the first World Youth Fly Fishing Championships, which were held in Wales, UK. The US youth team fished well and finished with a Team silver medal! Norman, in his first year of competitive fly fishing won the individual Gold medal! Since then he has earned a spot on the adult Fly Fishing Team USA’s roster competing in Sweden, Slovakia, Italy, Slovenia, and Norway for the World Fly Fishing Championships. Slovenia has been his best finish since the Youth World championship, finishing in 6th out of 105 competitors. Along with World Championships, Norman has had two 3rd place finishes in the US National Fly Fishing Championships in 2009 (with a Team Silver) and 2011 (with a team Gold). He finished 2nd in the Canadian National Championships in 2008, with a Team Gold. Recently, in the 2013 America Cup, he and his teammates of Team Naranja took Gold. As a result of his competition experience, Norman has developed several flies as a signature tyer for Umpqua Feather Merchants.

Apart from guiding, Norman loves to teach aspects of fly fishing to those wanting to expand there skills and techniques. The knowledge he has gained from time on the water is passed on through clinics and classes, ranging from casting, rigging, euronymphing, standard techniques, loch style techniques, and fly tying. As well Norman has organized and hosted three Southwest Regional Qualifiers in New Mexico to give others an opportunity to compete and try to earn a spot on Fly Fishing Team USA. Norman’s belief is; what knowledge he has gained does no good if no-one else is able to benefit from it!

Josh Graffam

I grew up in southern NH and started fly fishing at the age of 9. While in college at the University of New Hampshire began guiding on the Delaware River for Al Caucci. Once completing my business degree I moved west where I guided for Western Rivers Fly shop(Dutch John, UT) in the spring and Jack Dennis Sports(Jackson, WY) during the summers. After 5 years of being a ski bum in the winter I decided to dedicate myself to trout fishing spending the next 3 winters on the south island of NZ.

After 7 years of living below the poverty line I was offered a job at The Ranch at Rock Creek as their head fishing guide. I spent one year there in Phillipsburg MT until returning to Wyoming to work as the activities director for Brush Creek Ranch. I now live in Saratoga WY year round and spend most of my time fishing the upper North Platte valley. I started competitive fly fishing in 2009 and qualified for Fly Fishing Team USA in the spring of 2011.  I competed in my first World Fly Fishing Championships in 2013 in Mosjoen Norway and will be competing in 2014 WFFC in the Czech Republic.

Lance Egan

Lance Egan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and has been fly fishing since age 12.  He now lives in Lehi, Utah where he is minutes away from many of Utah’s lakes and streams that Lance considers “home water”.  Lance has made a career of fly fishing and is currently employed at Cabelas in Lehi, Utah.

Lance comes from a family of non-anglers, yet fish have intrigued him since he was too young to talk.  Lance's parents claim to have caused his “fish frenzy”.  When he was a baby, and not sleeping through the night, Lance's parents would prop him up in front of a large aquarium where he would abruptly stop crying and watch the fish until falling back to sleep.  Now, Lance is a completely obsessed angler.

Lance is a pro staff member of Ross Reels, Scientific Anglers, Performance Flies, Flycraft and William Joseph as well as an Umpqua Feather Merchants Signature Fly Designer.  Lance also tests prototype fishing gear for Simms Fishing Products and Cabelas 

Seiad Valley

Our home base is Seiad Valley, located approximately midstream on the "Klamath River" in the State of California. Famous for being the Steelhead Capital of the World, this location enables our guides to access a large portion of the river with minimum driving time.

In addition to the Klamath River, we also fish the Eel, Chetco and Smith Rivers at the peak of their seasons for salmon and steelhead.  All our fishing trips are designed to be as productive and enjoyable as possible for our customers.  This is why we only fish the respective rivers at the peaks of the salmon and steelhead seasons.  We utilize Willie drift and jet boats furnished with some of the industries leading rods and tackle for all our fishing trips.

We are setup for fisherman ranging from the novice to the expert and whether you wish to utilize conventional gear or our favorite fly-fishing.  Whatever your desire Seiad Valley Guide Service will design a fishing adventure to address your desire and needs.

Caught Fish?

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