Since the early days of the internet, fishing forums have served anglers across the world. By joining any of these top 25 fishing forums, you’ll instantly gain access to fishing tips, gear reviews, ideas for your next fishing spot, and even life advice from fellow anglers.
Freshwater Fishing Forums
In any group of anglers, there’s always a trout nut. This aptly-named website is the best freshwater fishing forum for your resident trout fan. Trout Nut supplies a river of resources: read about trout streams and rivers, fly fishing, and even watch videos of streams and aquatic bugs that symbolize the beginning of trout season. Like most freshwater fishing forums, Trout Nut is also a place for socializing: the fly fishing forum includes trip reports, trout photography, and fly fishing techniques and gear that extend beyond simple discussions of the noble trout.
If you’re too cool for saltwater, head over to this small-but-mighty freshwater fishing forum. Community members regularly post fishing trip reports, fishing lake reviews, and highly specific questions about freshwater fish species that only lake locals know how to answer. If you need information about fish species, water depth, and other particulars before planning your next lake trip, you’re bound to find an angler with the answer on this freshwater fishing forum.
This freshwater fishing forum is conveniently divided by U.S. region: for the Chesapeake Bay Angler and the Virginia Angler, there are plenty of veteran anglers ready to answer the latest inquiry. Broader regional U.S. fishing forums serve anglers in the East Coast and the Gulf Coast. Tidal Fish also features specialty fishing forums that cover boat building, fishing tackle, and fishing lodge reviews. Throughout the tide of social media, Tidal Fish has maintained its status as a highly trusted - and ultra-organized! - freshwater fishing forum for anglers of all areas and abilities.
Fly Fishing Forums
The goal of Stripers Online is to help you catch more fish - and its forum does its best to help you meet this goal. Stripers Online members discuss rods, reels, fly lines, leaders, flies, travel destinations, guides, fishing charters and reports, casting, and anything else that occurs in the life of a fly fisherman. This fly fishing community is especially tight-knit: it includes a forum for buying, selling, and trading fly fishing gear with other online anglers, as well as the occasional tribute to honor the passing of a fishing forum member.
When we consider the variety of both saltwater and freshwater fishing, this fly fishing forum is proof that the West Coast may truly be the best coast. While many members lurk in the saltwater fishing forum for trip and gear recommendations, the WA Lakes forum is equally useful. Members discuss the nuances of Washington fly fishing, including Washington’s fishing conservation efforts and warm water fish species. If you’re feeling scholarly, there’s even a forum for arts and literature that celebrates the beauty of Washington fishing.
One of the earliest online forums for anglers, the Fly Fishing Forum has served fishing fanatics across the globe since 2005. The forum designates threads for different regions of the U.S. and Canada, as well as sub-forums to post specifically about salmon fishing, sea trout, and “fishing magic”: a place to share small victories, humorous fishing anecdotes, and general questions about coarse fishing, predator fishing, and other niche forms of fishing.
Saltwater Fishing Forums
Calling all New Jersey anglers: this all-inclusive fishing forum is the (online) place to be. For just one city, New Brunswick has lots to offer anglers. Members of its local fishing forum discuss local fishing in the news, saltwater species, lakes and ponds, and even the Atlantic Salmon Federation. They can also participate in an online fishing marketplace with both new and used gear, boat packages, and other angling commodities.
This saltwater fishing forum covers lots of ground: there's a Mid-Atlantic fishing forum, northeast fishing threads, South Atlantic fishing threads, and several other thoroughly-discussed topics. If you're daunted by this forum's old-fashioned webpage, don't fear: the moderators maintain a useful FAQ and encourage anglers to ask other forum members for both saltwater fishing advice and internet support.
Reddit is technically a social media platform, but the value of its fishing subreddit cannot be overlooked. The r/fishing subreddit serves an international community of anglers: regular posts include photos of anglers teaching others how to fish and personal stories categorized under “freshwater” or “saltwater” by the subreddit’s moderators. If you’re looking for general fishing news and personal stories from anglers across the world, r/fishing is the place for you. For specific advice on fishing gear, head to r/FishingGear after posting a photo of your latest catch on r/fishing!
Known for its Utah Fishing Forum and Freshwater Fishing Forum, members of Big Fish Tackle are united in their quest for big game fish. For saltwater anglers, there are active forums for trolling inshore/ offshore, as well as bottom fishing and bay fishing. This highly-organized fishing forum even covers float tube fishing - who knew? - and has a designated forum for lady anglers.
Ice Fishing Forums
While ice fishing might be seasonal, this ice fishing forum is active year-round. In-Depth Outdoors forum claims to be the largest online collection of angler-created information on ice fishing. Target species include walleye, bluegill, crappie, jumbo perch, sunfish, and others. Virtually any question about ice fishing can be answered by one of the forum’s ice anglers; and if you’re simply excited about your latest catch, you can upload a photo of today’s fish to the In-Depth Outdoors gallery.
This wonderful and vast forum can seem overwhelming at first glance, but the moderators of this fishing community have pinned a useful series of reminders to guide new members. On this fishing forum, ice anglers can post pictures, ask and answer questions about ice safety, and become an Iceshanty Militia member to sell and purchase items. All members can enjoy the myriad benefits of this ice fishing forum, which includes plenty of ice fishing tips and the occasional gear giveaway.
Lake Link hosts a series of popular fishing forums, and its ice fishing forum is no exception. This forum is excellent for anglers hailing from all regions of the world: most posts are specific to ice fishing gear and product questions, so make your way to Lake Link if you can’t get the information you need from Amazon reviews. Like other fishing forums, this can also be a space to share personal wins - and to vent about the challenges of ice fishing, if you wish!
Bass Fishing Forums
Bass anglers are an especially tight-knit community, and their bass fishing forums certainly reflect this reality. Western Bass is a treasure trove of information: join today and gain access to lake reports, personalized bass fishing tips, a bass fishing tournament calendar, and even the digital version of the Western Bass Magazine, which releases a new edition every season.
It’s never a bad thing to have another bass fishing resource in your back pocket. Make your introduction and then dive into this comprehensive bass fishing forum, which features traditional threads for fishing reports as well as forums for smallmouth bass fishing, bass clubs, bass boats, and tackle-making, where newbies and veterans can exchange tips for lure or rod making. If you’re aiming to make it big as a professional bass angler, there’s even a forum to post your fishing resume for potential tournament sponsors to review.
Like the others, Ultimate Bass Fishing is another excellent place to both socialize and share life advice with other bass fishermen. This forum maintains an especially robust thread for bass boat electronics, boating safety, and specific bass boat brands - so if you’re a new boat owner or hope to acquire your first bass boat soon, this bass forum is a virtual gold mine.
Best Fishing Forums
US Fish Finder will help you find the nearest fishing community in your state. This handy fishing forum features state-specific websites for local fishermen across the U.S.: choose your state, then get instant access to GIS maps, topography, state fish species, and tide information, while enjoying the perks of swapping stories, photos, and lake directions with other anglers in your area.
No boat? No problem. Boatless Fishing is the fishing forum for the brave and boatless. This fishing forum community is committed to bypassing the struggles (and joys) of being a boat owner: instead, they write and share tips and tricks on how to fish without a boat. Get your questions about tackle, bait, fish species, rods, reels, and wraps answered on this friendly fishing forum. Florida anglers are especially well-represented, but all anglers are welcome to join.
This fishing forum is equal parts social and serious. Anglers willingly answer questions about trout and kokanee fishing, bass and panfish, and boat and motor tech; but they’re just as likely to share job opportunities or Mother’s Day gift ideas in the “Life in General” thread.
Celebrating women in fishing is a top priority. This fishing forum serves as an online space for the questions and achievements of women anglers: like any other fishing forum, the Women & Fishing forum provides a place to discuss fishing skills classes and lake fishing reports, as well as women’s fishing events and a photo thread to archive the group’s fishing accomplishments.
Another nationwide fishing forum, FishUSA stands out for its detailed discussions of fly fishing, fly tying, and center pin fishing. It’s particularly popular among Pennsylvania anglers, who can find a wealth of fishing information for all regions of PA. New York and Lake Erie are also covered in detail, making this one of the best fishing forums for anglers planning a summer fishing trip to the northeast U.S.
While anglers might be searching for localized fishing advice, any international fishing forum gives anglers a unique chance to connect with likeminded fishermen across the globe. Catered to the Australia fishing scene, Fishraider includes fishing reports and even a thread where anglers can ask for online friends to join them on real-world fishing trips. Fishraider’s freshwater and saltwater fishing forums are both popular, as is “The Bar:” a designated spot for non-fishing topics.
The Windy City is also a fishing city. Popular Illinois fishing spots include Axehead Lake, Beck Lake, Deep Lake, and of course, Lake Michigan: all of these and much more are discussed in the Windy City Fishing Forum. If you’re simply trying to enjoy more outdoor activities in and around Chicago - kayaking, photography, and even wilderness cooking - there’s threads for those topics, too.
Pennsylvania isn’t just Philadelphia: the Keystone State boasts plenty of outdoor opportunities for both sports anglers and newbies to fishing. This outdoorsy forum includes plenty of topics besides fishing, but navigate to the freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, or ice fishing forum for Pennsylvania fishing resources. Common posts include trout stocking schedules, fishing trip reports, and the always-popular fish photo.
In Minnesota, anglers claim to have more fun than anyone else. As a top ice fishing spot in the U.S., Minnesota anglers have plenty of fun during ice fishing season. While the forum tends to cover more practical topics such as water levels and boat and trailer registration, it’s also a prime spot to share personal fishing victories and lake bass photos.
Old fashioned fishing forums continue to offer quality advice and community for anglers of all kinds. Whether you’re looking for your state’s fishing community or a saltwater fishing forum, at least one of these 25 fishing forums is bound to become your go-to fishing handbook; and if you’re lucky, you’ll spawn friendships with anglers across the globe.
