Bucket List Fly Fishing Trips East of the Mississippi

[Integracingsr 383]

I saw this post on the TU forum recently but it was only limited to the lower 48 and most of the answers were out West and for good reason.. It’s beautiful, remote, and the trout fishing is excellent many places out there. With that said, I’m looking to do something closer to home this year that doesn’t require a flight and I’d like to utilize our already underutilized truck camper. We do Pulaski just about every year for salmon and steelhead in the fall and then again for steelhead in the February but I’m looking for something different for 2021.  So let’s hear it.. What are some of your bucket list fishing trips east of the Mississippi?  

[Big one 56]

A late spring tour of PA would be great...Broadhead, West Branch, Lehigh, Lackawanna, Fishing Creek, Spring, Penn’s, Little Juanita, Yellow Breeches,Letort, Tulpehocken.

This routing is easily doable and blue line streams can be mixed in to break up the mix.

Edited January 14 by Big one

[Buck154 13,279]

Bucks&Bows needs to reply here. He works on streams all over and is a Fly nut. He will give you some ideas.

[Jcol6268 219]

Agreed with Buck, Brian will have the answer. However I definitely enjoy the PA Wilds for some awesome Fly Fishing

[Hunter115522 3,659]

Head up to the Roscoe area 

[Bucksnbows 6,492]

For trout or for whatever?  The PA loop Big one lists is a great start fairly close to home and all those rivers have good camping/RV places nearby. 

[Bucksnbows 6,492]

Check out the South Holsten River in Tennessee.  The White River in Arkansas. Scads of native brook trout streams in the Shenandoah. The Upper Delaware is very close by and you have fabled freestones like the Beaverkill and Willowemoc to the tail waters of the East and West Branches and upper mainstem of the big D. So many possibilities depending on when and where you want to head. 

[Swamprat 2,979]

Not a fly fisherman or a trout guy for that matter but recently saw/read about an outfitter in Georgia that had some insane trout fishing. I guess I assumed trout wouldn't survive the heat down south but those mountain streams held giants. And the streams were only 20-30' wide.  I'll see what I can find....

[Bucksnbows 6,492]

14 minutes ago, Swamprat said:

Not a fly fisherman or a trout guy for that matter but recently saw/read about an outfitter in Georgia that had some insane trout fishing. I guess I assumed trout wouldn't survive the heat down south but those mountain streams held giants. And the streams were only 20-30' wide.  I'll see what I can find....

Georgia is the southernmost state for native brook trout of the 17 states they are native to.  You are correct, the mountains are high and hold great, cold brook trout habitat.  

[TroutandBucks 769]

The White River in Arkansas is currently a top of my list. Thats where one of the world record browns was caught close to 40 pounds 

[DonW 69]

I have been reading about the class A trout streams in Missouri, so this year I'm getting me a MO license and my son and I are going to give some of them a shot. And TroutandBucks, that is on the top of my list also!

[Tuck 1,470]

3 hours ago, DonW said:

I have been reading about the class A trout streams in Missouri, so this year I'm getting me a MO license and my son and I are going to give some of them a shot. And TroutandBucks, that is on the top of my list also!

If you are planning a Missouri trip and it happens to be from March 15-April 30 you must try spoonbill fishing.  They stock them like NJ stocks trout.  My son and I last year in April.  Heading out again this year early April.  I know it isn't east of Mississippi River but close enough!!!!

[DonW 69]

6 minutes ago, Tuck said:

If you are planning a Missouri trip and it happens to be from March 15-April 30 you must try spoonbill fishing.  They stock them like NJ stocks trout.  My son and I last year in April.  Heading out again this year early April.  I know it isn't east of Mississippi River but close enough!!!!

I have been wanting to do this for years now! If you make it out this way in April, let me know please. Those are some nice looking spoonbills!

[Mallard1100 1,212]

Rahway river. All you can catch mutant rainbows and suckers on rainbow glitter powerbait imitation eggs. Size 16 of course. It’s a dream come true every 2 weeks in April.   

[ithaca10 345]

1 hour ago, Mallard1100 said:

Rahway river. All you can catch mutant rainbows and suckers on rainbow glitter powerbait imitation eggs. Size 16 of course. It’s a dream come true every 2 weeks in April.   

Hey you did my spot burn.