Although trout often bite more actively in the spring and fall, few images capture the spirit of mountain summer more than fly fishing. Picture an angler wading knee-deep in a river, rod moving gracefully through the air, the line traveling in hairpin loops before the walls of a canyon rising in the background, a frame of raw granite and tenacious pines.
The cast, as Norman Maclean writes in A River Runs Through It, “is an art that is performed on a four-count rhythm between 10 and 2 o’clock.” It’s a technique designed to serve a nearly weightless hook wrapped in hair or feathers to species of fish that will only eat particular foods on any given day. Fly fishing takes place mostly in human silence, usually with only the sounds of moving water, irritated birds and wind. The angler becomes one with the river, with nature and with degrees of luck and patience, the fish, at once mindless carnivores and sentient, cunning creatures. It’s one of the best antidotes to online living, a digital detox and a form of spiritual connection. On the river, the fly fisher’s mind must slow, as in meditation. This surely is part of the reason why Maclean opened his novella by stating, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.”
A River Runs Through It turned 50 in April, and anniversary celebrations will continue throughout the year in Montana, where most of the story takes place. This September, Opera Montana will open a world premiere of an adaptation with compositions by Zach Redler.
If you missed the fly fishing surge that followed Robert Redford’s 1992 film starring Brad Pitt as Maclean’s troubled brother, now is a great time to explore or revisit the sport. The following properties can outfit everyone from beginners and experts with gear and guides in some of the world’s finest rivers.
Montage Big Sky, Big Sky, Montana
Driving from Bozeman to Big Sky, you’ll link up with the Gallatin River as the open valley gives way to the canyon of the same name. This is where Redford filmed the movie’s fishing scenes, and the rock where Pitt’s character catches a lunker of a trout stands less than 100 yards in from Route 191. Even in winter, you’ll see anglers ply the pools for rainbows and browns and the occasional westslope cutthroat. In June, the famous salmonfly hatch occurs, then later in the summer, the trout will rise for spruce moths.
Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Montage Big Sky partners with Gallatin River Guides, just a 20-minute drive north of the resort. But guests aren’t limited to just one river, as the Madison flows on the southwestern side of Lone Mountain. Gallatin River Guides can arrange wading or float trips in either. Guides know the hatches and whether the upper or lower parts of the river are more active. In general, however, the stretch of the Madison below Ennis Dam, where it flows into Beartrap Canyon, is the spot for trophy-sized browns. Be sure to look up occasionally: bald eagles are common, and you may spot a golden.
The Ranch at Rock Creek, Philipsburg, Montana
The Five-Star Ranch at Rock Creek removes you from the world. All-inclusive with five named mountain peaks, the 6,600-acre working cattle ranch is an immersive Western experience with activities that include hiking, cycling and horseback riding. For anglers, it’s special because the stretch of river here is private. Where some of Montana’s larger rivers can become crowded, you’ll feel like you have these waters to yourself.
Rock Creek is a Blue Ribbon Fishery, a rare designation based on factors such as water quality and fish quantity. Choose between wading or float trips, where up to two anglers drift the river with a guide. Outfitting takes place at the ranch’s Rod & Gun Club, and if you’re walking and wading along the property’s four miles of river, you can either go it alone or with a guide.
The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs
While the Five-Star Broadmoor is one of America’s most venerable resorts, nothing about its base in Colorado Springs points to fly fishing. But venture 75 miles into Pike National Forest, and the hotel’s Fly Fishing Camp provides five miles of private fishing on Tarryall Creek in Park County, known as the state’s “Trout Fishing Capital.” The lodge and cabins are constructed of logs and surrounded by aspens and pines, with a rustic feel and family-style dining. The river contains sections that flow through high alpine meadows and forested areas. It’s designated as “quality” water, but guides will also take you to the Gold Medal sections of the South Platte drainage. You’ll find mostly rainbows and browns, both wild and stocked.
The Broadmoor Fly Fishing Camp is Orvis-Endorsed, meaning that it has been vetted and that the guides have completed rigorous training. It also offers women’s-only immersive fly fishing experiences called “These Boots Are Made for Wading,” which will take place July 17 to 19, August 12 to 14, and September 14 to 16.
Sundance Mountain Resort, Utah
Sundance Mountain Resort’s 5,000-plus-acre ranch sits adjacent to the town made famous by the film festival that Robert Redford rebranded and popularized in 1985 (which ran in Park City through 2026). Most of the fishing takes place on the Provo and Weber rivers. The latter is a bit less known and has a more local feel with fewer guided trips overall. That said, it’s also a Blue Ribbon river with some of the best fishing in the West. It has three sections, like the Provo, with productive water year-round.
The resort leads half-day guided tours for beginners as well as group tours for six to 20 people, usually on the Provo. Float tours are also available, peaking from July through August. You can also visit Sundance’s fly shop — the only one on the Lower Provo. Or sign up for fly-tying lessons — these clinics cap class sizes at five people and run for about two hours.
The Little Nell, Aspen
The Five-Star Little Nell offers access to two of Colorado’s most famous rivers, the Roaring Fork and the Frying Pan. Both have earned Gold Medal status, an honor granted to rivers that consistently contain 60 pounds of fish per acre and that hold an average of at least 12 fish per acre that are a minimum of 14 inches long. While there are never any guarantees when it comes to fishing, the odds are in your favor, especially when you team up with one of The Little Nell’s expert guides.
For a more casual experience, visit one of Aspen’s oldest working ranches at Maroon Creek Valley, where you can fish from the banks of private ponds and kick back with a beer or glass of rosé. The Walk + Wade option takes place in the Roaring Fork Valley through a partnership with Aspen Fly Fishing. Half- or full-day trips are available, and the guides help identify the most productive river sections.
The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Collection, Wanship, Utah
On the western side of the Rockies, the Five-Star Lodge at Blue Sky grants access to some of the best Blue Ribbon fishing in Utah’s Uinta and Wasatch ranges. The resort sits within a 3,500-acre ranch inside a canyon about 18 miles outside Park City and has options for all levels of angler, including a private pond just 30 minutes away. The nearby Middle Provo River provides excellent fishing below Jordanelle Dam with an average of 3,500 brown trout per mile. Because the dam controls water flow, the fishing here is consistently good year-round, and The Lodge at Blue Sky organizes wade trips here and on the nearby Weber River.
Half- or full-day wade trips are available, as are float trips in drift boats for up to two people. Some of the longer excursions will take guests up to an hour from the resort. Another unique experience is the Alpine Lake Fly-Fishing Hike, which combines a tour of the high country trails with pristine lake fishing. You might hook a cutthroat, a tiger trout or an Arctic grayling in these clear, cold waters.
The American Club, Kohler, Wisconsin
Wisconsin has some of the best fly fishing in the U.S., and the Four-Star American Club provides access to one of the nicest sections of the Sheboygan River in Kohler. Water activities take place at River Wildlife, a members-only club that also welcomes guests from The American Club for a fee. The fishing there is self-guided, and you’ll need to bring your own gear.
Autumn is the best time for fishing in this part of the world, and if you time your visit right, you can try for a Sheboygan Grand Slam by catching one of each of the river’s main species of fish. In addition to the ubiquitous brown trout, the water around River Wildlife holds up to five strains of steelhead along with coho and king salmon.
The Chateau at Nemacolin, Farmington, Pennsylvania
Five-Star Chateau at Nemacolin pays homage to the Ritz Paris in its design. Nemacolin’s Fly-Fishing Lodge at the Rod & Range Club is Orvis-certified. Club manager Mike Steiner has been working these waters for nearly 20 years with Nemacolin. From 2007 to 2021, he served as the resort’s Orvis operations manager before moving into his position at Rod & Range Club. Steiner and his team of Orvis-trained guides and instructors make use of streams and rivers in Western Maryland and the Laurel Highlands. Anglers of all levels can enjoy the Casselman River, in Grantsville, Maryland, and the Youghiogheny River (or Yough) offers excellent tailwater fishing (downriver from a dam).
Nemacolin also owns and maintains a half-mile stretch of Meadow Run. The resort turned to Clearwater Restoration group of Jackson, Wyoming, to restore the stream here. By removing a dam, it improved the natural flow of water. It also removed silt build-up and created “mountain stream” topography on the Deadman’s Run, a tributary creek, by inserting logjams that encourage the proliferation of native brook trout. Lower down, Meadow Run is also stocked with fish.
Huka Lodge, Taupo, New Zealand
If you’re keen on escaping winter in the Northern Hemisphere, New Zealand offers some of the world’s best fly fishing in January and February. South Island is the destination for brown trout, but you’ll find more rainbow trout on North Island, where the Four-Star Huka Lodge is located. Huka opened in 1924 as a trout camp, and it has stayed true to its original purpose while also expanding its range of offerings to include such adventures as driving an Aston Martin on a local racecourse. Though its property spans 17 acres, much of which sits on the riverbank, the resort has only two cabins and 20 suites.
If you’re a beginner or looking to take your casting skills to the next level, Huka has you covered with its Angler’s Master Class, where instructors will teach technique and help you practice on the lawn before graduating to the stream. The lodge also offers traditional guided fly fishing outings that include licenses and four-wheel drive transfers to rivers such as the Tongariro or the Waitahanui. Early in the season, you’ll probably be nymphing (using sinking flies that mimic insects in their aquatic phase, prior to their hatch), but dry flies are preferred in the peak summer months.
