Wyoming

Wyoming stacks up a remarkable range of trout water for one state. Jackson Hole runs on the Snake River and its tributaries for fine-spotted cutthroat; the Green River Basin around Pinedale holds destination freestone water in the Upper Green and New Fork; Star Valley's Greys and Salt are low-pressure native-cutthroat gems; the Wind River drains central Wyoming out of Dubois; the North Platte tailwaters near Casper fish big year-round; the Bighorn Basin's Shoshone opens the Cody side; and Yellowstone National Park adds the thermal-influenced Firehole and its sisters. Each region asks different things — different timing, different flies, different access — and there's enough variety here to plan a week without repeating water.

The Jackson area runs cutthroat-dominated and float-friendly, with consistent flows from Jackson Lake releases through summer. The North Platte's Grey Reef and Miracle Mile sections fish big year-round, with sow bugs and scuds as the staple food and large fish that respond to it. The Firehole is unusual — geothermally heated water keeps it fishable when other Yellowstone rivers are too cold for trout, and the dry-fly fishing during low summer flows is technical and rewarding if you put in the time.

Flaming Gorge Reservoir reaches up from the Utah line into the southwest corner of the state, a big, deep lake known for lake trout, kokanee and smallmouth, and for the Green River tailwater below its dam.