Fly-fishing favorites

SEATTLE -- We all have our favorite fly-fishing destinations, and recently Forbes Magazine touted its Top-10 Trout Fly Fishing Destinations in North America.

I looked over their top picks, which are arguably some mighty fine choices, but it crossed my mind that there could be so much debate by others as to where they enjoy casting a fly.

The Forbes list

1. West Yellowstone, Mont.

2. Missoula, Mont.

3. Roscoe, N.Y.

4. State College, Pa.

5. Grayling, Mich.

6. Calgary, Alberta

7. Glenwood Springs, Colo.

8. Mountain Home, Ark.

9. Redding, Calif.

10. Asheville, N.C.

I made some calls and interviews to fly-fishing fanatics, and here are their picks, although not all of them are trout-fishing destinations.

A hometown guy

"Maybe I'm being provincial, but I would have to put Seattle on my list of top choices to fly-fish," said Leland Miyawaki of Seattle, who works at the Orvis Store in Bellevue and has spent more than 30 years fly-fishing around the world. "We have so many places around here that we can fly-fish year-round."

Miyawaki's top picks: Terrace, B.C. (Bulkley and Skeena Rivers); Bend, Ore. (Deschutes River); Sun Valley, Idaho (Wood River and Silver Creek); Bridgeport, Calif. (Eastern Sierra Lakes, Owens River and East Walker River); Lewiston, Idaho (Grande Ronde, Snake and Clearwater Rivers); Fernie, Alberta (Elk and Old Man Rivers); Jackson Hole, Wyo. (Snake River); Farmington, N.M. (Green and San Juan River); Kamloops, B.C. (Kamloops Lakes); Dillon, Mont. (Beaverhead River); Seattle (Puget Sound and Skagit River).

A fly-fishing fan

Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu is a big fly-fishing fan. He took time off recently to hook a 17.2-pound hatchery king on a red and white clouser fly on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Wakamatsu's picks: Seattle (Puget Sound); Lyle, Wash. (Klickitat River); Provo, Utah (Provo River); Redding, Calif. (Pit River); Trinity, Calif. (Trinity River).

An avid fly-fisher

Former Seattle Seahawks player Matt LaBounty who now resides in Springfield, Ore., offered his choices.

LaBounty's picks: Glide, Ore. (North Fork of Umpqua River); Ellensburg, Wash. (Yakima River); Aniak, Alaska (Aniak River); McKenzie Bridge, Ore. (McKenzie River); Avery, Idaho (St. Joe River); Darrington, Wash. (Sauk River); Magdalena Bay, Mexico (San Carlos); Butte, Mont. (Big Hole River); Calgary, Alberta (Bow River); Maupin, Ore. (Deschutes River); Seattle (Puget Sound).

An expert

Keith Robbins, owner of A Spot Tail Salmon Guide in Seattle and a fly-fishing expert has a list that would make any fly-angler salivate.

Robbins' picks: Seattle (Puget Sound); Florida Keys, Fla. (Long Key); Alder, Mont. (Ruby, Beaverhead and Big Hole Rivers); Glide, Ore. (Umpqua River); Ellensburg, Wash. (Yakima River); Forks, Wash. (Hoh River); Vancouver Island, B.C. (Wakeman River); Cordova, Alaska (Anderson Island); Biloxi, Miss. (Chandeleur Islands); Vancouver Island, B.C. (Tofino).

A lifelong fan

R. Peter Van Gytenbeek, president of the Federation of Fly Fishers and former publisher of Fly Fishing in Saltwaters Magazine, has spent a lifetime preserving wild trout and their habitat.

Van Gytenbeek's picks: Kodiak Island, Alaska (Karluk River); Long Island, N.Y. (Montauk Point); Ennis, Mont. (Madison River); Boca Grande, Fla. (Charlotte Harbor); Green River, Wyo. (Green River below Flaming Gorge Reservoir); Erie, Pa. to Buffalo, N.Y. (Lake Erie, south side small streams); Lewiston, Idaho (Lower Snake River); Medford, Ore. (Rogue River); Grayling, Mich. (AuSable River, birthplace of Trout Unlimited); Islamorada, Fla. (Florida Keys).

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