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The Best Countries for Fishing in the World — Voted by Anglers

Ask ten anglers to name the best country for fishing and you will get ten passionate, contradictory answers. That is the fun of it. Here are the heavyweight contenders — with the signature species, best seasons and style of fishing for each — then cast your own vote below.

The heavyweights

Norway

For sheer scale, Norway is hard to beat. Its deep fjords and the cold, clean water off the Lofoten and Sørøya islands hold enormous cod, halibut, coalfish and wolffish. Shore anglers regularly tangle with fish that would be a trip-of-a-lifetime elsewhere, and the midnight sun means you can fish around the clock in summer.

Signature species: Atlantic cod, halibut, coalfish. Best season: the famous skrei cod run peaks January–April; summer (May–September) gives endless daylight and easier weather. Style: deep jigging and bait fishing from boat, plus serious shore fishing into deep fjord water. Why go: the most accessible big-fish destination in Europe.

Canada

Canada is a freshwater dream: countless lakes and wild rivers stuffed with pike, lake trout, walleye and trophy musky, plus world-class Pacific salmon and steelhead runs in British Columbia. The wilderness backdrop — and the genuine chance of a fish of a lifetime from water nobody else has cast to — is part of the catch.

Signature species: musky, lake trout, walleye, Pacific salmon. Best season: open-water fishing June–September; salmon runs late summer into autumn. Style: casting and trolling on vast lakes, fly fishing for steelhead. Why go: remote fly-in lodges and true wilderness on a huge scale.

Australia & New Zealand

Australia offers everything from barramundi in the tropical north to giant trevally on the reefs and southern bluefin tuna in the cool south. The run-off after the wet season in the Northern Territory is one of the great barra spectacles in angling. New Zealand, meanwhile, is widely regarded as the planet's finest sight-fishing destination for wild brown and rainbow trout in gin-clear rivers, where you spot the fish before you cast.

Signature species: barramundi, GT, southern bluefin (Australia); wild brown trout (New Zealand). Best season: barra run-off March–May; NZ trout season roughly October–April. Style: lure casting for barra, sight-fishing the fly for trout. Why go: two contrasting worlds — tropical power and alpine finesse.

Indonesia

Indonesia's vast archipelago is a saltwater playground — Papua black bass, barramundi, dogtooth tuna and reef-smashing GTs across thousands of islands. For variety and raw power on light tackle, few places compare, and the diversity of habitat from jungle estuary to coral atoll is unmatched.

Signature species: giant trevally, Papua black bass, dogtooth tuna. Best season: year-round, best weather in the dry season (April–October in most regions). Style: popping and jigging on the reefs, hard-lure casting in jungle rivers. Why go: arguably the most varied saltwater fishery on earth.

United States

The USA packs in extraordinary range: largemouth bass culture in the south, blue-ribbon trout streams in the Rockies, redfish and tarpon on the flats of Florida and the Gulf, and salmon and halibut in Alaska. Whatever the style — tournament bass, dry-fly trout, saltwater flats — there is a region built around it.

Signature species: largemouth bass, trout, redfish, tarpon. Best season: varies by region; spring and autumn are broadly strongest. Style: everything from finesse bass fishing to fly fishing the flats. Why go: the deepest range of fishing cultures in one country.

The wildcards

Beyond the obvious names, a handful of countries punch far above their weight and belong on any serious angler's list:

• Brazil — the Amazon basin and its legendary, hard-hitting peacock bass, best in the dry season (roughly September–March).
• Japan — the birthplace of finesse techniques, with superb seabass (suzuki), squid (eging) and a deeply respected angling culture.
• Thailand — surreal freshwater fisheries holding giant catfish, arapaima and Siamese carp, plus saltwater action in the Andaman Sea.
• South Africa — explosive shore-based game fishing and the famous winter sardine run along the east coast.
• Iceland — pristine rivers and some of the best wild Atlantic salmon and Arctic char fishing left on earth (summer season).
• Mexico — Baja's billfish and the dorado and roosterfish of the Sea of Cortez.
• Seychelles — the flats of the outer atolls for bonefish, GT and the prized milkfish on fly.

Europe on your doorstep

You do not need a long-haul flight for world-class fishing. Europe alone offers extraordinary variety within a short hop of most anglers:

• Ireland — wild brown trout on the great limestone loughs, pike, and superb shore fishing for bass and ray.
• France — record catfish in the Rhône and Garonne, bass on the Brittany coast, and trout in the Alps and Pyrenees.
• Spain — the Ebro river for giant catfish and carp, plus excellent Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.
• Sweden and Finland — endless lakes for pike and perch, and Baltic pike of genuinely huge size.
• Slovenia — the turquoise Soča river and its marble trout, a fly-fishing pilgrimage.

For many anglers, the best "destination" trip is a weekend in a neighbouring country rather than a once-in-a-decade expedition — cheaper, easier, and often just as rewarding.

Freshwater giants or saltwater brawlers?

One useful way to narrow the world map is to decide which arena calls to you. The two offer completely different experiences.

Freshwater destinations

Rivers and lakes give you intimacy and variety — sight-fishing a wild trout in a clear New Zealand stream, casting for peacock bass in a flooded Amazon forest, or hunting record catfish in a European river. Freshwater trips are often more affordable, easier to reach, and forgiving for anglers who prefer to wade or fish from the bank. Canada, the United States, Brazil and much of Europe lead here.

Saltwater destinations

The sea is where raw power lives. Popping for giant trevally over Indonesian reefs, battling cod in a Norwegian fjord, or chasing billfish off Mexico are tests of tackle and stamina. Saltwater trips usually need a boat, heavier gear and a bigger budget, but the scale of the fish is on another level. Norway, Indonesia, the Seychelles and Australia are the standouts.

Bucket-list catches worth travelling for

If you are choosing a trip around a single dream fish, a few catches define the sport and pull anglers across the world:

• Giant trevally — the ultimate reef brawler, on a popper, in Indonesia or the Seychelles.
• Atlantic salmon — the fish of a thousand casts, on a fly, in Iceland or Scotland.
• Peacock bass — explosive and beautiful, in the Brazilian Amazon.
• Wild brown trout — sight-fished in the gin-clear rivers of New Zealand.
• Marlin — the billfish of dreams, off Mexico, Australia or Madeira.
• Wels catfish — Europe's freshwater giant, in the Ebro or the Po.

Preparing for an international fishing trip

A dream destination only delivers if you arrive ready. A few essentials make the difference between the trip of a lifetime and an expensive lesson:

• Book the right season. The single biggest factor. A fishery out of season can be lifeless — confirm the run or peak before you commit dates.
• Hire a guide for the first days. Local knowledge short-cuts weeks of trial and error and keeps you safe on unfamiliar water.
• Match your tackle to the target. A GT trip demands heavy popping gear and strong drags; a trout trip wants light, delicate rods. Travelling with the wrong kit wastes the whole trip.
• Sort licences and rules early. Permits, protected species and barbless-hook regulations vary widely. Check them before you fly.
• Respect the fishery. Many of these destinations stay great because anglers practise catch and release on big breeding fish. Handle them well and they will be there for the next visitor.

How to choose your destination

Before you book, weigh four things honestly against each other:

• Target species. Decide what fish you most want to catch — it narrows the map instantly.
• Style of fishing. Fly, lure or bait; shore or boat. A fly-only trout angler and a popping-rod GT hunter want opposite ends of the earth.
• Season and weather. The right fishery at the wrong time of year can be a write-off. Check the run, the wet/dry season and the prevailing winds.
• Access, cost and rules. Some of the best fishing needs a guide, a permit or a long journey. Factor in licences and protected seasons before you commit.

What "best" really means

The honest answer is that there is no single winner. "Best" depends on what you chase: a fly angler dreaming of wild trout will rank New Zealand and Iceland at the top, while a popper-throwing GT hunter will book a flight to Indonesia without a second thought. Accessibility, cost, season and species all shift the answer. A short, affordable trip to a well-run European fishery can also out-deliver an expensive long-haul expedition that is timed badly — so weigh effort and budget against the prize, not just the reputation of the destination.

So instead of one verdict, we asked the community. The results below are live and update with every vote — see where the angling world really stands.

A quick seasonal calendar

Timing matters as much as place. As a rough planner for the headline destinations:

• January–April: Norway's skrei cod run; New Zealand trout in full swing.
• March–May: Australia's barramundi run-off in the Northern Territory.
• May–September: Norway's settled summer; Iceland's salmon season; European catfish on the feed.
• September–March: the Amazon's dry season for peacock bass; South Africa's sardine run in winter.
• Year-round: Indonesia and the Seychelles fish all year, with the dry season offering the calmest seas.

Always confirm exact dates locally before booking — runs shift a little each year with the weather.

Plan your trip of a lifetime

Wherever you land on the map, the same fundamentals travel with you: fish moving water, watch the moon, and keep notes on what works. My Fish makes it easy to log every catch and build a record of your spots, anywhere on earth.