Alabama’s Best Fly Fishing
Alabama is home to an unmatched biodiversity that is often referred to as America's Amazon. This translates into an abundant amount of fish diversity for fly anglers to pursue, in both fresh and salt water. Northeast Alabama contains the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and as you travel south the rocky hills transform into coastal plains and tea-colored bayous before reaching the sandy shores of the Gulf Coast. Each one of these unique areas creates a habitat that shapes the type of life found there. From smallmouth bass in the Tennessee Valley to redeye bass in the upland streams around Birmingham to the multiple large rivers and lakes with trophy bass fishing to redfish in the salty marsh around Grand Bay, the fly-fishing opportunities available in Alabama are endless.
Matthew Lewis is a geneticist who works in the field of fisheries conservation. He has written several articles and is the author of the book, Fly Fishing for Redeye Bass: An Adventure Across Southern Waters. He is on the national advisory board of the Native Fish Coalition, advisory council Coosa Riverkeeper, and regional fishing team for Jackson Kayak. Matt resides in Opelika, Alabama with his wife and two kids. He has recently been featured on Tom Rosenbauer’s Orvis podcast talking about different fly fishing possibilities in Alabama.