Traverse City, Mich.
A Freshwater Wonderland

Between May and October, there is no consistently better place to be fishing in America than Traverse City, Mich. Diversity is the key: Lake Michi-gan with salmon and steelhead; Grand Traverse Bay with some of the best smallmouth pockets and carp flats in America; and more rivers and natural lakes filled with trout, bass, and panfish than you can begin to touch in one season. The calendar in Traverse City is honest-spectacular yellow birches in the falls, frosty white winters, damp misty springs, and radiant blue-green summers. The true outdoor aficionado finds solace (and opportunity) in every month here, be it fishing, hunting, cross-country skiing, or hiking. It's an affordable, yet polished, place to be. And the hometown culture is still a classic slice of Rockwell-esque Americana.

Photo courtesy of: Hawkins Outfitters