To you, what is the ideal fishing experience? I am curious what other people on here like as far as species, water, location, fishing type, and anything else in a day of fishing. To me its like this: middle of the day, midsummer wet wading a small shallow stream, at 8000 feet, with no one around but whoever I chose to bring with me, with a fly rod in my hand, watching brook trout smash the biggest, ugliest combination of foam and rubber legs in my fly box. Sure there's bigger fish out there, but none have the same reckless commitment to a fly almost half their size, or skin painted in a prettier way. Why rip your hair out trying to catch a trout with a size 24 nymph in a hole that 4 other guys are casting to when there are brookies to be caught in a stream those other guys don't even  know about?

Top water fishing for smallmouth in a northern mountain lake on a dead calm foggy morning.

I'd say my ideal day has already happened numerous times.  It consists of schlepping into a stand of flooded cattails, anchoring, and proceeding to fan cast a plastic worm or crawdad.  What a wonderful sensation to feel that "tap tap" and then rearing back and setting the hook on something with some heft to it!

 

But fishing in a prestine mountain stream sounds mighty nice also.

My favorite is fishing the surf with a healthy groundswell coming in.  Groundswells are more like a tsunami, calm water with big breakers, 10 mph wind from ne, even 10 pounders are a tough battle. 

 

Offshore 3-5 waves, the rougher the water the better the bite, usually.  Fish about 600' for dolphin.

 

SIghtcasing in the backcountry in the keys, pretty good stuff.

Stalking small river steelhead using spinners/flies. Chucking spoons off piers on cool summer/fall nights for chrome King Salmon. Catching Bowfin, Carp, Bass and Pike all in one day right in the middle of the city, all on the fly. So freaking fun...