Approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water and of that oceans make up about 96.5% of all Earth’s water. That leaves about 3% for freshwater that exists in water vapor, rivers, streams, lakes, icecaps and glaciers. Only about .03% of earth’s freshwater is surface water like lakes, rivers, streams and marshes. That doesn’t seem like a lot of freshwater to explore and fish, but consider that more than 90% of the fly fishers in the world identify themselves at trout fishermen and trout live in freshwater and there are still rivers, streams, creeks and lakes out there that has never had a fly or lure casted into them.
Take the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia for example. Kamchatka is the mother of all wilderness freshwater fly fisheries with over 12,000 pristine spring creeks, rivers and streams, of which only about three dozen have ever been fished, let alone explored or navigated. That’s a lot of freshwater and one could speculate that the best rainbow trout, steelhead, salmon and char river in Kamchatka is still yet to be discovered. That’s hard to even fathom.
Now think about Alaska, it has about the same number of streams, rivers and creeks as Kamchatka, although just shy of 10,000 are officially named. Throw in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Iceland, Mongolia, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe and don’t forget South America and especially Brazil and the Amazon – well you are starting to get our point here.
Although the vast amount of water in the world is saltwater, there is a massive amount of freshwater to explore and fish with a fly rod in hand, some of which has yet to be discovered. Here at The Fly Shop® we couldn’t be more bullish on freshwater fly fishing and its future.
From the remote, hard-core, Kamchatka and Alaska bush camps to our luxurious Tierra del Fuego sea trout lodges, all these world-class fly fishing experiences share common threads that extend beyond great angling.
If you are looking for a specific lodge or camp please look through our complete list by going to our Lodges & Camps page.
