The Mayan Riviera that stretches south from Cancun all the way to the Mexican border with Belize is one of the fishiest stretches of Caribbean coastline there is, but escaping the throngs of tourists can be a real challenge. A decade ago, a short drive to Tulum was all it took to get away from the craziness and into some really great fly fishing. These days, though, Tulum can be just as chaotic as Cancun and Playa del Carmen, and there are more and more anglers plying the green Caribbean waters for bonefish, permit and tarpon. It pays to venture even a bit further. 

If you could survey every fly angler for their bucket list of fly fishing trips, you’d end up with a cornucopia of diverse, coveted, fishy destinations. And, chances are, a small handful of locales would get scribbled down far more often than any others:  Alaska, Patagonia, and New Zealand. Each of these world-class destinations has undoubtedly earned their countless appearances in the restless dreams fly fishers.

Travel to the southern coast of Africa and craft a customized safari that will take you across the amazing country of Namibia. This choose-your-own adventure will take you to some of the finest lodges and within insanely close (yet very safe) proximity to fabled African wildlife. Watch prides of lions as they lounge in the sparse desert shade, or gaze in awe as herds of elephants, giraffes and zebras wander among the acacia trees and act as if you and your travel partners aren't even there.

Tim and Joanne Linehan have put together a unique operation in the wildest, least-understood corner of Montana, where inland redband trout launch themselves from the waters of the storied Kootenai and Yaak rivers, and where wild browns and brookies haunt fir- and spruce-lined creeks in the remote and pristine country known simply as “the Yaak.” Join Linehan Outfitting Co., either at the classically appointed Kootenai River Lodge in Libby, Mont., or in one of the outfit’s beautiful and remote cabins in the woods, for a choose-your-own-fly-fishing-adventure

For more than 30 years, Hardy Ruf has welcomed guests to his remote lodge on the shores of Dezadeash Lake. A Swiss ex-pat, Ruf spent years looking for the perfect place to launch his fishing and adventure lodge, and when he came to the Yukon, there was no doubt — this was it. The lodge complex is homey and comfortable with a touch of rustic, and guests can fish literally right out the back door, either on the lake or on a couple of streams on the property that are home to wonderfully accommodating Arctic grayling.