Innholdsfortegnelse for The Traveling Angler 2026 i Salt Water Sportsman

Over 60 million people living along the Mid-Atlantic coast are within a short drive of some of the country’s best fishing. From striped bass in New York and New Jersey to flounder in Maryland and Virginia, access is easy and the fishing is great. Starting at the eastern point of Long Island and driving over 500 miles to the eastern point of Chesapeake Bay, traveling anglers pass through some of the world’s biggest cities and best fishing destinations. 1. LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Fall, striped bass and Long Island are almost synonyms, but Jeff Lomonaco at White Water Outfitters in Montauk says not to miss out on false albacore. “It’s crazy the amount of drag they pull. Albacore are super fun to catch,” he says. Whether seeking information, bait and…

It’s the biggest state in the Lower 48 with the sixth longest coastline. At 367 miles, the Gulf Coast is easy to cover in a week on the road. Start in Galveston fishing the rock jetties, and then drive down Highway 35 to wade fish the flats around Corpus Christi. After a few days waist deep in the brine tangling with trophy speckled trout, ride the ribbon of highway south down 69 East to South Padre Island, where tarpon, king mackerel and bull redfish wait. Late summer, after the season’s worst heat subsides, is the best time to find the widest variety of target fish. In Texas, the cost of a fishing license is not covered when you charter a boat. Anglers older than 17 must purchase a license from…

The Gulf Coast is a big place. For this road trip, we cut off a little slice of it in the 270ish miles between Venice, Louisiana and Orange Beach, Alabama. There’s a lot of fishing to be done between the bayous of Cajun country, the Mississippi barrier islands and the inshore playground at Mobile Bay. Add to that the rig- and reef-littered open Gulf, and you’re going to have to make difficult choices about what you want to do and which species you want to target. Just be sure to put back some bait money if you decide to spend a night gambling at Beau Rivage, Harrah’s Gulf Coast or one of the other six casinos in Biloxi, Mississippi. If you'd rather do something other than fish, you should probably…

Road trippers, beware: driving from I-95 South to US 1 through South Miami will test your patience. All of it. But stay calm and drive on. Eventually the traffic congestion and looming condo and office towers give way to the epic expanses of the Everglades, and then finally… America’s fishiest archipelago. ¶ Stretching more than 120 miles and comprised of 800 islands, the Florida Keys is singular in terms of its diversity of habitats and game fish. And no matter which of the five districts you’re visiting, there is a long and well-established infrastructure of marinas, boat ramps, charter operations and lay day entertainment. The Florida Keys is home to more than two dozen gamefish species, and it’s a prolific playground for IGFA world records. 1. KEY LARGO It’s the…

Along the North Carolina coast, Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout and Cape Fear reach out into the Atlantic Ocean putting anglers closer to tuna, marlin and wahoo and creating massive bays and shallow marshes that host speckled trout, redfish and flounder. ¶ From north to south, a 287-mile fishing road trip should begin in fall with tuna off the northern Outer Banks, where the Gulf Stream swings to within 30 miles of shore. Then, drive down the famous NC Highway 12 for 100 miles with the ocean on the left and the sound on the right. Hop on a ferry at Ocracoke to Cedar Island and pick up the action chasing reds and specks in the marshes behind Atlantic Beach and Morehead City. ¶ A few more hours south, the Cape…

This stretch of road starts at Cape Canaveral and snakes south to Jupiter. It’s a 120-mile story that stars rocket scientists and astronauts, as well as modern-day pirates searching for gold doubloons scattered by sunken ships in 1715. A1A connects all the dots on this coastal road trip, and not even the locals can explain where the space ends and the treasure begins. Fret not: a wide range of fishing opportunities abound here, from tarpon and redfish in the Indian River Lagoon to bluewater exploits in the low-key port towns of Martin and St. Lucie counties. 1. PORT CANAVERAL Yes, it can get crowded with sunburnt cruise shippers, and yes, the waterfront restaurants Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill, Gator’s Portside and Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar are where many…

During a visit to Ketchikan a few years ago, we heard rumors of orcas huddled in a nearby cove, so we hopped in our rental car for some exploring. After searching the area for a half hour, a most peculiar thing happened: the two-lane asphalt road stopped, ending as suddenly as the Sopranos finale. Ahead was a steep wall of forest thicket and rock. A U-turn was the only move. ¶ Because of its uncompromising landscape, Alaska is not your traditional road trip destination, but from many of its charming, snow-globe towns, it’s just a float plane or ferry ride to world-renowned fishing for salmon, halibut, lingcod and rockfish. 1. KETCHIKAN Yes, it’s a sleepy cruise port with the requisite jewelry and trinket shops, but you’re a quick trip to…

While the rest of the country swelters through summer, New England enjoys cool sea breezes and hot fishing. The current ripping past the south tip of Cape Cod hosts schools of striped bass chasing migrating squid. In the deep water of Buzzards Bay, big sea bass and porgy are an easy target. Eight miles off the coast, Block Island, Rhode Island is surrounded by striper water. Cape Cod and the nearby islands stick out into the Atlantic and Long Island Sound to offer fantastic fishing by boat, headboat and from shore. Starting in Chatham and traveling by land and sea, anglers can cover the best fishing New England has to offer in a short distance. "We wait longer for the striper to arrive, but they stay around through the summer."—Capt.…

Mixing fishing with off-roading has gained popularity along a stretch of coast on Baja California Sur’s Sea of Cortez. On the East Cape, between the capital city of La Paz and the sport fishing mecca of Los Cabos, ATV rental companies are doing good business in quiet coastal towns peppered with resorts and vacation rentals. Imagine this: You’re tearing down a remote stretch of beach in a quad with rods arrayed on the roll bar. Eyes on the surf, nervous water beyond gentle breakers is run through with the seven-spined comb of a roosterfish. Slam on the brakes, bail out and run barefooted into the surf to cast. This is Bajastyle surf fishing. Of course, you’ll want to book a charter to chase the striped marlin this destination is known…

Stretching from Point Conception southward to the Mexican border with approximately 250 miles of coastline, Southern California is often equated with surfing culture. But it was ocean angling that preceded surfing as the top pursuit, attracting traveling anglers to this region of the Pacific. In fact, Southern California is the birthplace of big-game sportfishing, thanks to legendary anglers such as Charles Frederick Holder, founder of the iconic Tuna Club of Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. Established in 1898, it is the oldest fishing club in the United States. ¶ Steeped in history, SoCal’s sportfishery thrives today, particularly in late spring, summer and fall, when ocean temperatures climb and game species converge to gorge on schools of anchovies, shoals of red crabs, flying fish, skittering sauries and schools of squid. The…

Resorts are great. You show up in a shuttle van, drop your bags with the bellhop, and everything you’d ever want or need is right there around you. From dining, beaching and pool lounging to world-class fishing and lay-day activities, there’s no good reason to leave.¶ But what if you’re looking for a more authentic adventure, an expedition that puts you in contact with real local culture and forces you out of your comfort zone. At the risk of consuming some sketchy street food or losing your iPhone to a thieving whitefaced capuchin, consider a 240-mile road trip down the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. ¶ From the international airport in San José through three world-renowned upscale fishing resorts, this route takes you south on the coast road, Ruta Nacional…