We rent houseboat vacations at over 30 locations in North America. So which location is the best for some serious fishing? Well...take your pick! Fishing is great at each of our locations, but we've included a sample of what the top 10 fishing locations offer anglers of all ages and skill levels. Even though fishing is excellent throughout the year, fishing is generally better as the weather gets cooler. Typically, the best time of the year for fishing is in the Fall or Spring.
Imagine waking up with the sunrise over pristine and quiet water and dropping your fishing line from the comfort of your own houseboat deck or tag-a-long fishing boat. These memories and stories are sure to last a lifetime.
The Top Ten (in no particular order):
1. Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods (Minnesota/Ontario border)
- Walleye abound, sturgeon, trophy sized northern pike, crappie, and smallmouth bass.
- License Information: Ontario Fishing License, US Fishing Licenses, &Remote Area Border Crossing Permit (obtained through Canadian Customs.)
- Houseboating season ends after September, begins again in May.
2. Raystown Lake (Pennsylvania)
- Wealth of catfish, carp, bass (striped, largemouth, rock and smallmouth), walleye, trout (lake, brown and rainbow)
- Houseboating season ends mid-October, begins again mid-April.
3. Kentucky/Barkley Lakes (Kentucky)
- Bass (smallmouth and largemouth), black and white crappie, bluegill, white bass, channel catfish, sauger, and silver carp.
- Houseboating season ends after October, begins again in April.
4. Lake Shasta (California)
- One of the top 5 fishing locations in California! There are trout (brown and rainbow), chinook salmon, bass (largemouth, spotted and smallmouth), black crappie, bluegill, carp, sacramento sucker, sacramento squawfish, and white sturgeon.
- Year round location.
5. Lake Shuswap (British Columbia, Canada)
- One of the top 10 rainbow trout fishing lakes in North America. You can also find: steelhead, whitefish, kokanee, burbot, sturgeon, squawfish, carp and several salmon species (chinook, coho, pink and sockeye.)
- License Information: British Columbia Fishing License
- Houseboating season ends after September, begins again in mid-May.
6. Lake Billy Chinook (Oregon)
- Kokanee salmon, bull trout, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, and German browns. Occasionally atlantic salmon or catfish.
- Houseboating season ends after September, begins again in May.
7. Lake Mead (Nevada)
- Striped bass, bluebill, largemouth bass, crappie and channel catfish.
- Year round location.
8. Lake Powell (Utah/Arizona)
- Smallmouth bass, striped bass, walleye, catfish, crappie, bluegill, trout (rainbow and brown), and carp.
- License Information (you will need both Utah and Arizona licenses): Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Arizona Game and Fishing Department.
- Year round location.
9. Bull Shoals Lake (Arkansas)
- Bass (largemouth, spotted, smallmouth), rainbow trout, walleye, and several varieties of catfish.
- Houseboating season ends mid-November, begins again in mid-March.
10. Sutton Lake ( West Virginia)
- Known for spotted and largemouth bass - September tournaments
- Houseboating season ends mid-October, begins again mid-May.
Get your fishing license ahead of time! Visit the US Fishing Licenses website so you will have the proper documentation when you arrive. Visit the British Columbia Fishing License or Ontario Fishing License websites if you're planning to do some fishing at one of our locations in Canada. (See also O Canadian Houseboat Vacations for more information on what other documentation is needed.)