Proposed golf / fishing trip.

[Baitkiller]

My 17yo son and I are spit balling the idea of taking our stand bags and 5 weights somewhere in August where there is an abundance of good public golf and fishing.

Being from SW Florida we are looking for low temps / humidity and fish we don't see every day that eat flys.

If it matters he's a tourney proven 8, I'm a travelling 14 and we tie our own patterns. 

Plan is to choose activities based on daily weather and wing it.

Suggestions?

Edited June 18, 2021 by Baitkiller

[Baitkiller]

Tt

[JRSc]

1 hour ago, Baitkiller said:

My 17yo son and I are spit balling the idea of taking our stand bags and 5 weights somewhere in August where there is an abundance of good public golf and fishing.

Being from SW Florida we are looking for low temps / humidity and fish we don't see every day that eat flys.

If it matters he's a tourney proven 8, I'm a travelling 14 and we tie our own patterns. 

Plan is to choose activities based on daily weather and wing it.

Suggestions?

Greenbrier.. 

[tiderider]

i don't fish, and haven't been to vermont, but it's not crowded like montana/idaho/etc, probably isn't as expensive as a golf resort located in fishing country, & has a lot of nice, if not spectacular, courses ... some might be hidden gems since there's some geographical diversity there ...  and has a lot of fishing, which i'd think is what you want to err towards ... 

[pathguy]

Utah.  SLC is a hub, so easy flights.  Great golf within an hour of the airport.  Any moving water flowing out of the Wasatch or Uintas will have nice trout fishing.

[Hawkeye77]

Scroll down to U.S. here - Montana looks awesome. 
 

https://www.yellowdogflyfishing.com/blog/golfing-fly-fishing/
 

Jealous. 

Edited June 18, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[Eric267]

We have a good mix of both here in North Lake Tahoe, but August is the height of tourist season so not really the ideal time to come. I would look into something on the outskirts of  Bend, OR. Kind of a haul to get there from Fla maybe but world class fishing and good courses

[jkody]

Montana definitely fits the bill but you probably wouldn't be able to easily find lodging/rental cars for August at this point in the year.

[klebs01]

Wisconsin might be an option. Great golf and the driftless area (west of Madison around Viroqua) has some good trout fishing in the small spring creeks. 

[Baitkiller]

Leaning toward Wisconsin for sure. I hear muskie fishing is fun and there's a ton of golf. Any more tips?

[klebs01]

2 hours ago, Baitkiller said:

Leaning toward Wisconsin for sure. I hear muskie fishing is fun and there's a ton of golf. Any more tips?

there’s definitely some good musky fishing not too far from sand valley. Probably better off bringing your 10-12 wt rods for casting 12” articulated flies. 🤣

[smashdn]

Was going to suggest northeast area or Wisconsin.  

 

Trace Gordan MacQuarrie's footstep in the northern counties of Wisconsin.  Fly into Duluth if able maybe?

[Baitkiller]

Google has led me to Hayward which appears to be smack-dab in the middle of nowheresville USA.. Looks to be good drift boat fishing for very reasonable rates and how about Big Fish Golf Course? Its a friggn Pete Dye track for $25! I am so in.. LOL. So anyone familiar with this area? Is it hours and hours from an airport? Certainly looks remote. Ever played Big Fish? Recommend a charter or place to stay? Or is there someplace better i should be looking? 

[miss0033]

The Quarry, The Legend (both at Giants Ridge) and The Wilderness at Fortune Bay.  All in Northern MN.  Lake Vermillion (Wilderness has 3 holes on the lake) has world class fishing for Muskie, Walleye, Pike, etc.  Also has Bass, Crappie, and other things but is most known for the first 3 species I mentioned.

 

Courses aren't on the level of Sand Valley, but certainly VERY good courses, and you can play 36 at Quarry and Legend same day (including lunch) for cheaper than one round at Sand Valley if cost is a concern.  They are close to world-class fishing, and you'd have no problem renting a boat or finding a guide on Vermillion.  Could even make a recommendation on a guide if you decide to go there.

[Baitkiller]

Thanks. Ill look for stay and play options. Not looking to play world class courses. Overlooked local gems are more our style. Much more relaxed. 

 

[miss0033]

The Quarry is a highly rated course, but is far from a metro area so somewhat overlooked in that sense.  It is overlooked by people outside of MN in my humble opinion.  It is my favorite course in MN.  Most of the course you feel like you're by yourself, cannot really see other holes very often and there aren't homes on the course.  Holes 1, 2, 9 and 10 you can see the resort building, but that is about it.  The courses are pretty different in design and strategy, but both are great.  The Wilderness is my golf groups 3rd place course up there, but talk to a different group and they will have it as #1.  They are laid back, resort courses.  I think you'd enjoy the golf, and you cannot find much better fishing than Lake Vermillion (also my opinion).

[Baitkiller]

Thank you so much double O thirty three. Ill be sure to check it out!

[BirdieRoll]

Just to add on the Lake Vermilion theme - The Wilderness, The Quarry, and The Legend are all better than Big Fish. The Hayward area has great fishing as well but I think you'd get a better golf/fishing combination by staying in the Vermilion area. The lake itself is stunning.

 

I think you can fly in to Duluth via Chicago on American and/or United if you don't want to drive the four hours from the Mpls/St. Paul airport.

 

I wouldn't delay though - resorts and VRBOs are packed with reservations as are the golf courses but August weather up there should be some of the best in the country and definitely different than SW FL lol.

 

I'll also add that you'd be very close to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). Catching smallmouth bass on a fly from a canoe in the wilderness is a bucket list item to be sure. You can work with an outfitter if you want to go in to the BWCA for a couple of days for a true camping experience or you can just go in on a day trip, too.

 

Lastly, muskies are throughout Lake Vermilion, but if you want to catch smallmouth bass, you'll want to fish the east side of the lake (Tower, MN side) which is much rockier and holds more smallmouth than the west side (Cook, MN). (The lake is 40,000 acres big so few travel from one end to the other).

Edited June 18, 2021 by BirdieRoll

[Baitkiller]

Sounds incredible. 

[miss0033]

Sun Country flies non-stop to Duluth from Fort Myers, but not sure if it is daily. Delta goes to and from MSP and chicago to Duluth.  United to Duluth is from ORD I believe.

 

All good recommendations from BirdieRoll.

 

And yes, don't wait too long to book.  Travel demand is huge in that area (among many, many others) right now.

[Loomis13]

We just did the Lake Vermillion and Wilderness trip. Course was nice and the lake is beautiful!

[CDM]

10 hours ago, jkody said:

Montana definitely fits the bill but you probably wouldn't be able to easily find lodging/rental cars for August at this point in the year.

 

Hands down MT...!  Go to Whitefish Mt...!  Some of the best fly fishing in the country on the southfork and there is some excellent golf in the area.  If you lake fish Flathead Lake is excellent too.  Roughly 45 mins up the road from Whitefish is  https://www.wildernessclubmontana.com/resort-activities/golf   

* A course that is on my top 10 and I have played a number of courses.

 

I agree the way people are flocking to MT right now you could have an issue booking a place BUT you never know unless you try.

[bcski]

West Virginia and Virginia (along the Blue Ridge Parkway).

 

Great fly fishing and golf/ 

[Petethreeput]

I always think of the Midwest as having high humidity, probably less than FL though.

 

I don’t love Whitefish fishing, but they do have really good public golf. I think for trout fishing and golf the best landing spot would be Couer D’Alene, ID. You’ve got the CDA river, a couple of off the grid creeks which will remain unnamed, the CDA resort course, Circling Raven, Spokane has some very good publics as well.

 

As for the fishing, August is not a tremendous month to fish. Tricos early and then hoppers pretty much anywhere in MT unless it’s a tail water.

[ryder2015]

If you are looking at a stay and play option check out Sonnenalp in Vail Colorado. They have a decent course that is semi-private but the hotel has access and there are several fishing options, Upper and Lower Colorado or the Eagle River. Vail Valley Anglers does a great job with float trips. Floating through Glenwood canyon is amazing. 

[Rigby48]

Colorado Springs, the Broadmoor is a great base. 

[mallrat]

Someone above said Bend, Oregon which can’t be beat. Cutthroat trout is something you probably haven’t fished much of in Florida. 
 

Or Bandon, Oregon. Bandon Dunes or even Bandon Crossings offer outstanding golf. Throw in some good fly fishing or a trip down to the Rogue River and take a guided boat for some Chinook Salmon fishing. 

[jjr]

I can't believe people still call it fishing, my buddies and I call it catching! Bend and Bandon is a must.

[sailfishchris]

I can't believe no one has said Long Island...... Bethpage for golf and 20 minutes away is Connetqout State Park with it's Trout hatchery. If you want to go a little ( a lot) farther you could go out to Montauk and go after Striper's on the fly and play Montauk Downs. Travel a little north about two hours and you can fish Roscoe too and there's a few good courses up that way too.

[mallrat]

21 hours ago, jjr said:

I can't believe people still call it fishing, my buddies and I call it catching! Bend and Bandon is a must.

I don’t think people truly understand how good the fishing is out here. Especially on the Rogue when the salmon are running.