Dialing in your final list of schools to apply to? Currently, trout-bumming your way through college? Recent grad or washed-up alumni? We’ve all got our opinions when it comes to talking college rankings, so we thought we’d complicate it even more by adding fly fishing to the mix. Our top fly fishing college town list consists of the 25 best schools we deem fit for true fly fishing enthusiasts.
Criteria
While some schools have excellent trout fishing, others may have diverse offerings of species and fisheries. To properly rank the “best fly fishing colleges,” we judged each school on four criteria: diversity of species, proximity to water, fishing quality, and student fly fishing/conservation organizations.
Fly Fishing Clubs
If you’re interested in fly fishing or are a die-hard angler, good student-led fly fishing clubs can make all the difference. They offer a chance to get involved and meet like-minded individuals. We considered traditional fly fishing clubs as well as TU Costa 5 Rivers clubs in our rankings, with 5 Rivers Clubs scores typically rating higher. This stems from the support from Trout Unlimited and Costa giving these clubs the opportunity to work with other schools, making this a countrywide community regardless of where you go to school.
Species Diversity
For some, a trout sipping a dry may be the epitome of fly fishing, but the sport as a whole offers anglers much more. From warm water fisheries to coastal fisheries and everything in between, we felt it was important to take this into account in our rankings. Sure, trout fishing is fun, but it doesn’t hurt to expand your skill set to other areas.
Access to Water
As a college student, close proximity to water is crucial. You may not have a car or easy access to consistent fishing otherwise. We took this into account in our rankings and made sure schools were within accessible range for fishing. Whether between classes or a weekend send, the schools that made our list offer accessible fishing opportunities.
Fishing Quality
The last criteria we rated schools on is the quality of fly fishing. While some schools may have an abundance of water nearby, we thought it was important to differentiate how good the fishing really is. Are there a bunch of stocked streams nearby, or do tailwaters with an abundance of big wild trout flow within driving distance? We considered the average size, abundance, and catchability of different species to rate fishing quality for each school
Final Rankings
After scoring the fly fishing clubs, species diversity, access to water, and overall fishing quality for each school, we summed up the scores to get our rankings for the top 20 best fly fishing colleges of 2026.
Pros
- Legendary fly fishing club and class
- Close proximity to fabled rivers
- Centrally located to an abundance of species and fisheries
Cons
- Local creeks can be technical
Pros
- Close proximity to many Western trout rivers
- Active club
- Exceptional trout fishing
Cons
- Limited mainly to trout
Pros
- Active 5 Rivers affiliated club
- Nearby access to the Gallatin, Madison, and Yellowstone Rivers
- Several excellent local fly shops
Cons
- Trout are the main species you'll be targeting here
Pros
- Nearby access to salmon and steelhead runs
- Active 5 Rivers Club
- Students can target warmwater species, trout, and coastal species
Cons
- Declining steelhead runs can make fishing tough
Pros
- Very active 5 Rivers club
- Good access to a variety of warmwater species
- Coastal fishing is doable for weekend trips
Cons
- Limited mainly to trout
Pros
- Engaged 5 Rivers Club
- Access to mountain streams and nearby tailwater fisheries
- Warmwater species like bass and musky are available
Cons
- The best tailwater fisheries require a trip to Tennessee
Pros
- Large fly fishing club
- Solid local fisheries and several world-class destinations within weekend distance
- Access to high country fisheries and traditional trout rivers
Cons
- Most fisheries require a vehicle to reach
Pros
- Very active 5 Rivers club
- Cache la Poudre River is nearby
- Centrally located to a number of Rocky Mountain tailwaters
Cons
- Local rivers can get a lot of pressure
Pros
- Strong 5 Rivers club
- Access to nearby Boulder Creek
- Short drive to Rocky Mountain National Park
Cons
- Requires decent travel to find unpressured water
Pros
- Excellent 5 Rivers club
- Diverse fishing options range from warmwater to trout
- Yearly club outings will get you on the water
Cons
- Most trout in this region are stocked
Pros
- Has a fishing club
- Walking distance to Miami's canal systems
- Anglers benefit from saltwater and freshwater fisheries
Cons
- Need access to a boat to explore the saltwater fisheries
Pros
- Strong 5 Rivers fly fishing club
- Excellent warmwater fishing opportunities
- Guadalupe bass are found nearby
Cons
- No local trout fishing options
Pros
- Has a fishing club, although not 5 Rivers
- Boise River is a short drive
- Good access to fly shops
Cons
- Limited mainly to trout
Pros
- Excellent saltwater fishing opportunities
- Active club
- Good mix of species to target
Cons
- Not strictly a fly fishing club
Pros
- Good bass, trout, and warmwater fishing
- Active 5 Rivers club
- The Chattahoochee is nearby
Cons
- Requires day trips for the best fisheries
Pros
- Nearby Clear Creek
- Active 5 Rivers club
- Great central access for other Colorado fisheries
Cons
- Need access to a vehicle for day and weekend trips
Pros
- Great 5 Rivers club
- Excellent species diversity
- Several premier tailwaters are nearby
Cons
- Tailwater fishing can be very technical
Pros
- Good smallmouth bass fishing
- Active 5 Rivers club
- Appalachian Mountains offer great brookie fishing
Cons
- Not a world-class fishing destination
Pros
- Great bass and warmwater fishing
- Active 5 Rivers fly fishing club
- Plenty of nearby water to explore
Cons
- Not many trout fishing offerings
#20
Idaho State University
Pros
- Has a fly fishing course for students
- Excellent access to world-class fisheries
- Anglers can encounter trophy-caliber trout
Cons
- No active fly fishing club bumps ISU down on the list
University of Vermont! Burlington, VT. We have wild brookies in the mountains, lake trout and lake salmon. And tons of rivers with browns and rainbows. Im shocked we didn’t make this list.
University of Virginia
Western Colorado should be in the top 10 at least!
Shhhh…. see if you can delete this.
You guys either are keeping it a secret or completely missed the boat. How can you not include Fort Lewis College in Durango? Out fishes every othe Colorado school listed
Great area but I’d take my Alma mater Colorado State over Durango. But Durango is tops for scenery and proximity to Mess Verde for non fishing day
My younger son went to Fort Lewis. My older son went to U of MT.
You put the University Of Georgia but you have to go to the University of North Georgia to get to any good fly fishing water
University of Wyoming. No school in Michigan???
ETSU – Johnson City, TN. The Watauga River is a classic southeastern trout fishery!
And the south Holston and not to mention all the creeks with native brooks!
Somewhere in the Driftless…maybe Luther College in Decorah IA or a UWisconsin school
University of Idaho but no mention of Washington State University. Come on. 8 miles apart. Most WSU fishermen fish Idaho, as well as northern Washington
They actually missed U of Idaho, Moscow as well as WSU, Pullman. Instead going for stuff around Boise.
Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, NC has a trout stream on campus.
Calif State University Chico, 3-4 hour drive to all the blue ribbon trout streams of Northern California 🤷
University of Wisconsin La Crosse and most the other campuses. On Mississippi and Black River plus hundreds of trout streams within 50 miles.
Bloomsburg university of PA. An hour from Penns and tons of other solid spots near there.
San Diego State?? Interested in your justification.
University of VT Burlington VT
Rolla, Missouri. Great trout and smallmouth fishing nearby. Don’t tell anyone.
One of my favorites is close by…shh
How can you not include UW-Lacrosse, so close to so many amazing driftless creeks
Western Carolina University? It has a trout stream through campus with a dorm on it. 4600 miles of trout streams within 30 miles- that’s a fact!
Used to do some work out there. Anglers in the stream all days of the week in the right season. All kinds of water meandering through the Nantahala National Forest.
Fort Lewis College in Durango, Co. come on now
Absolutely
Ferris State Unversity Big Ripids MI. Many great waters within a 1 hour.
CSU also has one of the top fisheries biology programs and one of the top river engineering programs in the country. You know, on the off chance you wanted to go to classes.
University Of South Alabama, all of coastal Alabama parts of western Florida, coastal Mississippi and Louisiana all just down the street. Reds, jacks, speckled trout, flounder and even off shore fish like bonita.
Appalachian State University… in the Appalachian mountains. Come on man
App State for sure!
For sure, the NC high country has a massive amount of fish able water and the Watauga and South Holstein right over the mountain.
SUNY Oswego in Oswego, NY – the fall salmon run up the river from Lake Ontario is legendary
Skidmore College for sure! The Ausable, the Saranac, the Delaware, and the Salmon River! Can’t forget about Lake Trout in a bunch of the local lakes too.
University Of Nevada, Reno. You have the truckee river walking distance from campus, truckee is 30 minutes away with tons of other rivers. Then the famous Pyramid Lake right next door as well.
Surprised Paul Smiths College in the Adirondacks didn’t make the list.
Western Carolina and App State
Use to work at Binghamton University. Professor friends and I fished the Delaware river all of the time. Caught lots of fat trout there. The fly fishing museum is only an hour or two from there as well.
How does UNC Chapel Hill make it in over UNC Asheville? PR contest?
Fort Lewis College in Durango Colorado.
Utah State! We’ve got 3 blue ribbon fisheries within 20 minutes. Native bear river cutties and big ole browns that don’t get taken care of. If you’re willing to fight off the rattlesnakes and hawethorne there’s plenty of native beauty’s waiting
Drop those UNC kids and put NC State University on the list – NCSU has lots of access around it and actually a fisheries program!!!
Brevard College, UNC Asheville, Western Carolina, Clemson, Warren Wilson.
Fort Lewis College in Durango! Gold medal water on the Animas just minutes from campus. Countless option nearby including San Juan River, Rio Grande river, countless creeks and alpine lakes.
I don’t know or understand how you all left University WI, Madison off this list. TONS of fly fishing — from Black Earth creek 30 mins north to the driftless area starting 20-25 minutes south and west, there is AMAZING fly fishing around Dane Co and points west.
The WI River is world-renowned for a smallmouth crash / blitz in the spring / fall.
Lake Wingra has a MASSIVE population of Muskie, and Lake Mendota has a 40” limit on pike. It’s a frickin trophy factory, and they are all fly-fishable.
Best College in Maine is Colby College. The Kennebec River runs through the city of Waterville. South of Waterville it fishes well for smallmouth. North it fishes for Landlocks and Brookies. When it reaches the ocean it’s great for Stripers and Blues
How do you put UNC Chapel Hill instead of Appalachian State in North Carolina? This makes zero sense.
You missed a good one .Gonzaga university in Spokane Washington nearby to several excellent rivers and streams. All within a 90 minute drive .Excellent academics and basketball team
Yeah, you missed Carroll College in Helena, Montana. Closer to the Mighty Mo and its 3 BIG lakes than Bozeman or Missoula.
Great comments from everyone. So glad I found this site. I have spent a great amount of time at Sewanee and I too think it is awesome. YSR!
Utah State University – Logan, Utah
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Close to San Juan, Jemez, Santo de Cristo, Rio Grande gorge, etc, etc
Michigan Tech University in Houghton in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Spent five years there on the trout streams with some fantastic fishing and beautiful country.
or
Appalachian State University where I taught my son and lifelong fishing partner to fly fish.
Many years ago I got PE credit for a class in fly casting/fishing at Michigan Tech University. The class probably doesn’t exist anymore, but it was a fun conversation piece when interviewers noticed it.
Montana Tech. Butte, Montana. Should be top five for sure.
Amazing that the University of TN is not top 10 here…
With Access to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in TN and NC.
Tailwaters galore outside the park in East TN and Western NC.
Colorado State University Pueblo, the Arkansas river tailwater is 15 minutes from campus. Gold medal water for browns and rainbow trout and not to mention Pueblo reservoir for good small mouth bass and other warm water species.
BYU – Provo river, Strawberry Reservoir, Green river, Weber river…the list goes on. Not to mention Fly fish food, only the largest fly fishing/tying shop.
Fresno State! Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are all within an hour away and there are literally thousands of streams and alpine lakes in those parks and the nearby Sierra National Forest, John Muir Wilderness, Amstel Adams Wilderness and Golden Trout Wilderness. The Blue Ribbon Kings River is a 20 minute drive from campus!
You forgot University of Wisconsin-Madison. Great College town with the Gateway to the Driftless Area trout streams of southwest Wisconsin starting within a 25 minute drive of campus(Black Earth Creek). Not to mention the warm water fisheries of Lakes Mendota, Monona, and Wingra a stone’s throw from campus. There’s even a chance to catch a Muskie a bike ride from the dorms.