ne of life’s quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself and watch yourself softly becoming the author of something beautiful.” So writes Norman Maclean in A River Runs Through It, his seminal novella that celebrates a lifetime spent flyfishing the Blackfoot River in Montana. Maclean’s lyrical prose aptly describes the near-spiritual act of casting with a flyrod, which might explain why so many anglers dedicate themselves only to this method of fishing.
In their pursuit of rhythmic perfection, flyfishers become deeply connected to the natural world around them. And when a fish strikes, the thrill of battling it with a flyrod—stripping in the line or deftly letting it slide through the fingers when the fish tries to run—bonds anglers to their prey in a powerful, unique way.
Few places are better suited to this pursuit than the five properties featured here. Spread throughout North America and the Caribbean, these resorts, lodges, and private clubs deliver transformative experiences for those who appreciate the beauty of flyfishing.
Founded by the husband-and-wife duo of John and Krista Sampson, Madison Double R offers fishing along Montana’s Madison River, which flows right through the property. The relatively new lodge previously existed as a cattle ranch, and its location offers enticing proximity to two other waterways—the Jefferson River and the lower Big Hole, the latter of which is prized for its brown and rainbow trout—and lends itself to impressive wildlife sightings that can include eagles and moose.
The lodge features five secluded Creekside cabins that deliver picturesque views of a meadow framed by cottonwood trees, as well as two Mountainview cabins that comfortably accommodate eight guests and, as their name suggests, provide vistas of the Madison Range. The ranch-turned-lodge is also home to a handful of stocked ponds, where guests can fine-tune their casting skills. For those who wish to roam farther afield, the Sampsons can arrange flyfishing trips to high-mountain lakes and streams via horseback. madisonrr.com
More than 86,000 miles of rivers, streams, and creeks flow through Pennsylvania, almost 16,000 miles of which are designated as wild trout fisheries. Decades ago, those waterways inspired some of America’s foremost anglers and authors to declare the region “the epicenter of American flyfishing.” Homewaters Club, a members-only flyfishing haven rooted at the center of the Keystone State, leverages that location to deliver superlative fishing opportunities across 10 miles of private and protected creeks and streams. “That’s one of the biggest things we offer our members—the advantage to fish sections of streams that are not heavily pressured,” says Mike Harpster, the club’s director of membership. “It makes a world of difference in the quality of the fishing.”
Homewaters’ private fisheries are teeming with massive brown and rainbow trout, largely because the club makes sure its sections of rivers and streams are allowed to rest as many days as they’re fished. Many of the club’s members live within a half day’s drive of the club, and while most are avid anglers, the club is aptly suited to host novices, too. (It can provide rental equipment and guides to help beginners learn and succeed at the same time.) Regardless of ability, all Homewaters members share a privileged sense of exclusivity while wading through the club’s waterways. “Any day that a member goes out to fish,” Harpster says, “they feel like they own the river that they’re fishing on.”
A two-hour drive southeast from Homewaters Club leads to Allenbery Resort, where the Yellow Breeches Creek flows right along the back of the property. Famous for its trout, the creek serves as an ideal flyfishing spot for newcomers, as well as anglers who appreciate the ability to cast flies just steps from their rooms. Two other limestone, spring-fed creeks—Big Spring and LeTort Spring Run—are a short drive from the resort. “LeTort Spring Creek has a reputation for being such a difficult fishery,” says Dusty Wissmath, a longtime guide who teaches flyfishing classes at the resort. “The water is gin clear and the fish are easily spooked, but the payoff can be quite large—literally—with some amazing trout.”
Anglers who stay at Allenberry can also fish with dry flies for smallmouth bass during the summer, using popping bugs, dragon fly, or damsel fly imitations. According to Wissmath, it’s a similar technique to how one would fish for trout on larger rivers. “People are expanding their horizons a little bit and discovering how much fun smallmouth bass fishing is [with a fly rod],” he says. “It’s a wonderful way to do it, and we’re very lucky that we can offer both types of experiences.” homewatersclub.com; allenberry.com
If you’ve ever traveled with Eleven, an adventure company with a portfolio of luxury lodges worldwide, you already know what sets its journeys apart. If you haven’t—and you’re a flyfishing enthusiast—make your way to Taylor River Lodge, located in the heart of the Gunnison Valley (main image) about four hours southwest of Denver.
Guests of the lodge’s six private cabins and two single-family homes can access hundreds of miles of fishable rivers and streams. Float trips down the Upper Gunnison River explore 26 miles of pristine, trout-filled waters, while more expansive, multiday journeys allow anglers to track the source of the Gunnison from its humble beginnings as a stream high in the mountains to its final form as a rushing waterway near the Taylor Park Reservoir dam. The ultimate flyfishing experience in the Gunnison Valley, the adventure begins with small creek and tailwater fishing and concludes aboard drift boats floating down the Gunnison River. elevenexperience.com
Maclean expounded on the merits of casting flies for freshwater trout, but the rewards—and the accomplishments—can be just as great when flyfishing along the shallow salt flats in the Bahamas. Bonefishing is what attracts the vast majority of guests at the Delphi Club, a luxuriously appointed boutique lodge located on the eastern shore of Great Abaco Island. “It’s the holy grail of flyfishing,” says Robert Ford, the Delphi Club’s general manager, who purchased the property with a small group of friends about five years ago, after experiencing the lodge as a guest years earlier.
Bolstered by a fleet of eight shallow-drawing skiffs, the Delphi Club’s guides are well equipped to traverse hard-to-access waters. While Great Abaco is famous for the Marls, a sprawling expanse of shallow water punctuated by wilderness flats and mangrove stands, Hurricane Dorian damaged the area in 2019. That doesn’t mean the Marls are off limits—Delphi Club guides will still bring guests there—but the lodge also taps into its network of more secretive fishing spots. “We have these little niche areas where not many people go, so they get less pressure,” Ford explains.
The sense of exclusivity extends to the Delphi Club itself, where a two-story main guest house sports an infinity pool and passage to a secluded white-sand beach. “It’s well-geared to relaxation,” Ford says of the club. “Our wives really love it, and there aren’t many bonefishing lodges that you can say that about.” delphi-bahamas.com
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