The Best US State For Fishing Isn't Michigan Or Alaska

Alaska, known as "The Last Frontier," has a reputation as an excellent escape for anglers seeking great fishing and solitude in nature. In the Upper Midwest, Michigan is also famous for its fishing, with streams, lakes, and rivers spanning tens of thousands of miles. However, the best U.S. state for fishing could not be farther away from both of these destinations. In fact, it is on the exact opposite side of the country from Alaska.

According to the fishing trip booking site Fishing Booker, the top state for casting a line is Florida, situated on the southeastern tip of the continental U.S. To determine this, Fishing Booker utilized a rubric that measured each state's performance in four categories: anglers' interest, facilities, financial, and geography. Each category had several subcategories covering different aspects of the overall fishing experience. When the tabulations were complete, Florida narrowly edged out Maryland for the top spot. Michigan was ranked third, while Alaska didn't even crack the top 10.

While some may dispute Fishing Booker's crowning of the Sunshine State as the premier U.S. fishing destination based on their data, there are other factors that help back up this claim. To start with, Florida is one of the states with the most lakes in America, and has the second longest coastline of any state. It also sells more fishing licenses than most other states, an indication that it is, indeed, extremely popular among anglers.

Plenty of U.S. states offer incredible fishing, so what makes Florida stand out? Simply put, Florida has a unique combination of quality and diversity within its fisheries. The state is home to many different types of waterways, ranging from freshwater lakes and rivers to coastal canals. Coupled with the dizzying array of fish species to target, anglers often have a hard time narrowing down their choices.

But it's not just quantity and diversity that makes Florida stand out — the state is also known for quality. Florida may not have sought-after freshwater species such as steelhead, but it boasts high-quality fisheries for many of the nation's most popular gamefish. Bass is far and away the most popular freshwater gamefish in the U.S., and Florida is consistently rated one of the top states for bass fishing by magazines and experts. It has numerous lakes with high-quality freshwater fishing for both bass and crappie, which is the second most popular freshwater gamefish. Florida also has burgeoning list of exotic freshwater species anglers can target, including peacock bass.

On the saltwater side, Islamorada in the Florida Keys has long billed itself as the "Sportfishing Capital of the World." This is due to a combination of backcountry fishing opportunities for species such as bonefish and tarpon, as well as offshore angling for sailfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, and more. There are plenty of other tremendous inshore and offshore fisheries around the state, too. The Mosquito Lagoon on Florida's East Coast is recognized as one of the best places in the nation to catch redfish. South Florida is renowned for its snook fishing, and Palm Beach is rated among the top sailfish destinations in the world.