Fishing in the West has blown up in recent years, particularly river fishing for trout—and for good reason. Western states hold some of the best trout waters in the world. But the rising popularity has led to significantly increased crowding and pressure on many waterways in the West, to the detriment of fisheries and anglers alike.
Thankfully, there are still plenty of underrated—and less trafficked—opportunities to catch fish out West, especially if you don’t mind using different tactics, targeting unexpected species, and fishing different types of waterbodies. This list is meant to inspire anglers to break away from the crowds and find new, underrated fishing opportunities. It’s broken into general regions and species to encourage exploration and avoid spot burning. Start here—and then go on your own epic Western fishing adventure.
Idaho Sturgeon
Idaho is known best for its steelhead fishing and backcountry trout streams, but don’t sleep on the chance to target huge white sturgeon in steep canyons hundreds of miles away from the Pacific Ocean. These slow-growing fish fight hard and live in some incredibly scenic, large rivers in the Gem State. They can grow to over 10 feet; keep in mind that catch-and-release is mandatory.
Washington Carp
Similar to Idaho, Washington is renowned for its anadromous fishing opportunities, many of which stem from the famed Columbia River Basin. That said, the healthy common carp populations in many of the Columbia River impoundments in Central Washington can make for exciting bait fishing or sight fishing “spot and stalk” opportunities in the shallows.
Montana Ice Fishing
Western Montana is a river fishing mecca, but too many anglers miss out on the lake fishing here, particularly on the hard water. I experienced some of the hardwater fishing for the first time last winter and had a blast: the trout fishing can be fast and furious, and the big trout that are difficult to catch during the summer will often bite readily during the less-pressured winter months.
Utah Channel Catfish
Other than the Flaming Gorge and Lake Powell, Utah isn’t particularly esteemed as a Western fishing destination, though there are plenty of lesser-known options for warm and cold water species. One of my favorites is targeting channel catfish in the Colorado River near Moab. The river holds plenty of good eaters—and a couple of sizeable specimens, too. If it were in the East, where catfishing is more popular, it would be substantially more well-known.
California Halibut
Anglers in the Golden State have had to contend with significantly tightened regulations on many saltwater and freshwater species in recent years, including the near-total closure of the salmon fishery and sturgeon being moved to catch-and-release only. However, for anglers looking for a Western saltwater fishing adventure, consider California halibut, which are fun to target while drifting bays in a boat or casting swimbaits from shore.
Colorado Lake Trout
If you want to catch a lunker lake trout, head to Colorado. Yes, Colorado. While Blue Mesa isn’t necessarily a hidden gem, considering the unofficial world record was caught and released there several years ago, it would be significantly more on the radar if it was somewhere lake trout fishing was more popular, like the Midwest. Targeting trophy lake trout here can be done both by jigging while ice fishing and trolling in open water. There are several other good, even lesser-known, laker reservoirs in the general vicinity of Blue Mesa, too.
Wyoming Pike
Warmwater species don’t typically spring to mind when it comes to the Cowboy State, but there are some good opportunities that get a fraction of the pressure of Wyoming’s freshwater fisheries. In particular, Wyoming can be a great place to target true trophy-sized pike. Keyhole Reservoir is the most well-established northern fishery here, but the predatory species can be found scattered in other lakes and rivers throughout the state.
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