BlogAugust 2022

The 6 Best End of Summer Fishing Trips

The 6 Best End of Summer Fishing Trips

By Jeff Bogle

Aug 11, 2022

Whether you want National Park splendor or a chance to fill up you fishing bucket list, here are the 6 best summer fish-ing trips you can take now before the summer ends.

Have you been on any summer fishing trips yet this year? Check out these 6 fishing experiences waiting for you all over the country, and then get the info you need to apply for your one day fishing licenses. Summer is almost over but there’s still time to add a fishing adventure on the calendar! Whether you want National Park splendor or the chance to catch 5-10 fish on your bucket list while visiting one of the best fishing destinations spanning two states, here are the 6 best summer fishing trips you can take right now!

1. Memorable Yellowstone National Park Fishing Experiences

As advertised, the Snake River snakes its way through the majestic Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, and it’s the site of some memorable trout fishing. You likely won’t pull any prize winning fish out of the waters here, but the vast wilderness, unspoiled scenery, and a strong sense of place that few places can match, add up to one of the best summer fishing trips in America.

2. A Salmon Fishing Adventure in Idaho

It’s the name of the charming city, the breathtaking river, and the actual fish you will be eager to catch, cook, and eat here: Salmon. Located near Boise, this picturesque location is home to a fishing adventure where you can pull the name-sake out of the water, as well as brook and rainbow trout. Fun fact: Idaho is one of the only inland states where you can fish for ocean-run salmon and steelhead trout.

3. Fresh and Saltwater Fishing in Venice

While they aren’t quite the canals of that *other* Venice, this waterfront town located 90 minutes down the Mississippi River from New Orleans is one of the most unique fishing destinations in the country thanks to it’s abundance of freshwater fish (bass, redfish, and speckled trout) and its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, for world class game fishing!

4. Great Fishing in the Lone Star State

Bass is literally the big fish for fresh water anglers, and some of the best summer fishing trips for fresh water bass in the whole of the U.S. is just 65 miles from Dallas, in Lake Fork. Fun to catch and delicious to eat large mouth bass and white bass will help to make this one of the greatest fishing experiences you’ll have this year.

5. Two States for the Price of One Makes for One of the Best Summer Fishing Trips

You want to cross a handful (or two) of fish off your angler bucket list? Head north to Lake Champlain for one of the best, and most efficient summer fishing trips on offer in America. Because of an agreement between New York and Vermont, the two states on either side of the lake, only one fishing license is required to catch any number of: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, chain pickerel, brown bullhead, channel catfish, yellow perch, lake trout, landlocked Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, brown trout, and rainbow smelt! Thanks to plenty of watersports and fun family activities on land on the Vermont side, this is one of the best fishing destinations for kids too!

6. Island Fishing Excursions in Virginia

Chincoteague Island is rife with tasty flounder that anglers will want to use a combination of bucktail jig lures and minnows to catch. During your fishing adventures on the northern Virginia coast in summertime, you will also find trout, sea bass, and croakers swimming with the flounder. For a fun and delicious bonus, head to Tom’s Cove to dig up some clams too!

Looking for more ideas on planning the best summer fishing trips? Check out these 5 summer fishing trips, from magical bass fishing in Walt Disney World to fly fishing in Colorado!

Jeff Bogle
Jeff Bogle
Jeff is a dad of teen daughters, avid traveler, photographer, and freelance writer. He’s penned stories on family travel, outdoor recreation, the environment, parenting, and more for Fodor’s, Reader’s Digest, Parents Magazine, Good Housekeeping, PBS, and Esquire, among other publications. Find him on his blog, OWTK.com and on Instagram @OWTK. Jeff is also the publisher of the quarterly literary zine, Stanchion