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Great city fishing adventures
Where to cast your line in and around U.S. cities
 | Get up close and personal with your prey in San Francisco during an afternoon of kayak fishing for halibut while enjoying a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge in between bites. |
Eric Risberg / AP Photo |
Mention 'trip of a lifetime' and many anglers will picture bonefishing on the virgin flats of Christmas Island or a fly-in trip to pluck grayling from Canadian waters. Unfortunately for most of us, other obligations in life force us to temper where we fish with a healthy dose of pragmatism.
Luckily, doing so doesn't mean settling for a sub-par angling experience. Thanks to vigorous environmental cleanup efforts, many urban watersheds now afford opportunities to sneak in a top-notch fishing trip in between that business trip or family reunion.
The restoration of America's urban fisheries has required conservationists to address the resultant tensions when man and nature abut. "In urban waterways, development—that is, people, cars, shopping malls and highways—place pressure on streams and rivers," says Trout Unlimited spokeswoman Erin Mooney.
"Storm water needs to be managed properly, plans for development must take into account the protection of local rivers and streams, and local residents must act as protectors and watchdogs. Local officials must recognize these waters as community assets and protect them as such."
An excellent example of the delicate balances that must be struck in urban watershed restoration and maintenance is Valley Creek, located just west of Philadelphia in historic Valley Forge. By the early 1990s, Valley Creek had rebounded from PCB contamination to become a Class A trout stream. However, Mooney says, the stream's health began to decline as development in the watershed increased and populations of trout and insects were depleted.
A partnership between the 700-member Valley Forge Trout Unlimited chapter and other community organizations, including colleges, conservation groups, and state agencies, responded to help restore the health of the fishery.
Working with a local quarry to create new methods of waste-water management, and helping rewrite local storm water ordinances, the groups' combined efforts have restored the stream's health, says Mooney. Valley Creek remains no-kill, and offers visitors to and residents of Philadelphia the chance to wet a line during a blue-winged olive hatch and hook into a 20-inch wild brown trout just half an hour from the city.
Massachusetts has a rich fishing heritage, so it should come as no surprise that visitors to Boston can pair the city’s rich historical and cultural offerings with a chance to have at a number of saltwater gamefish, including bluefin tuna.
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Says Captain John Mendelson, co-owner of Boston Fishstix Guides, “While not for the faint of heart, these magnificent gamefish are available on trips departing out of Boston from July through October, often within view of the city skyline.”
These tuna excursions more resemble a hunting trip than what some might associate with an afternoon of fishing. “The fishing is very active and we pursue the fish visually, searching for tuna feeding on the surface. The hookup is only half the battle as the fish fight incredibly hard, and weigh between 50-150 pounds,” says Mendelson.
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Brad Mitchell / Alamy Pack your rain gear, string up your rod, and hit the rivers surrounding Seattle for some great Pacific Northwest’s steelhead fishing. |
Mendelson points out that, much like Valley Creek, the fishing in and around Boston Harbor has benefited greatly in recent years from collusion between various public and private groups. He specifically cites a state-of-the-art, multi-billion dollar Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant for resuscitating the health of the fishery.
“The harbor is now a terrific nursery for juvenile fish, which attract many gamefish in the spring and fall,” says Mendelson. “A testament to the cleaner harbor waters was the arrival of a juvenile humpback whale a few years back, that spent the better part of April feeding on river herring and frolicking just feet off the runways of Logan Airport.”
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You don’t even have to be on a coast to find an abundance of great urban fishing opportunities. Visitors to land-bound Phoenix would be well advised to pack their rods as well as the golf clubs.
“Thirty minutes out of town is Lake Pleasant, a 10,000-acre desert lake, which is home to fantastic largemouth bass and striper fishing,” says Ben Koller, an owner and lead guide at The Hook Up Outfitters. “People come from around the world to fish Lake Pleasant.” Visitors to Phoenix also have a chance to pursue rainbow and brown trout on a fly rod in the high country streams running through the Sedona area 90 minutes outside of the city.
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