Adventure Fishing in the U.S.

These are the top three adventure fishing spots in the United States.

Trinity River, Texas

Trinity River is known for its enormous alligator gar. The alligator gar earns its name from their long, toothy grin and heavy, reptilian scales.

Alligator gars average between 3 to 6 feet long, but they can grow over twelve feet long and they have two rows of teeth on each jaw. Fossils of gars date as far back as the Early Cretaceous Period, over 100 million years ago. These fearsome animals swam with the dinosaurs.

These living fossils have survived at the top of the food chain for millions of years, but they are facing a serious problem: humans. While alligator gar thrive in the Trinity River, they are threatened or endangered in many parts of the world, due to overfishing and habitat loss. Anglers at Trinity River and around the world are becoming some of the greatest advocates of alligator gar conservation.

Lake St. Clair, Michigan

Lake St. Clair is a 275,000-acre expanse turquoise-blue water, and it’s known for its muskies. Muskellunges, or muskies, are large, relatively rare freshwater fish that are native to North America. They are the largest species of pike. An adult muskie is usually two to four feet long, and they can weigh over 35 lbs. A St. Clair muskie can stretch up to six feet long, from head to tail, and it can weigh up to 50 lbs. Their flavor is often described as being similar to bass.

There are four types of muskies: barred, spotted, tiger, and clear. Muskies are native to the St. Lawrence River, Hudson Bay, Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River basins. St. Clair muskies have a voracious appetite, and they’ll eat anything from muskrats to snakes. If you’re looking for a good fight, then you won’t find a scrappier fish than a St. Clair muskie.

Lower Mississippi River

The southern part of the Mississippi River is teeming with catfish. For braver fishermen, you can catch a catfish with your bare hands. Noodling is the sport of sticking your arm into a hole in which a catfish is hiding, and hooking the fish in the mouth with your bare hands.

There are three types of catfish: channel, flathead, and blue. Channel catfish flesh is moist, mild, flaky, and firm, with a lightly sweet taste. Some people describe the flavor much like trout. Flatheads are described to have salty-sweet flesh, with a hint of ocean or seaweed. Blues are native to the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri river basins, and they are an invasive species in many areas, including Chesapeake Bay. But even if blues aren’t good for river ecosystems outside the Mississippi, they’re definitely good for eating! Their flavor is often compared to that of striped bass. Blues are a more fatty fish than channels, and some people like this quality about blues.

 Anglers debate endlessly on forums about whether channels, blues, or flatheads taste the best, but the biggest factors are the water quality, what the catfish is eating, and the age of the fish. In general, it’s better to eat smaller, younger catfish. Rivers and river deltas filter out a lot of toxins, and older fish accumulate more toxins in their meat than younger fish.