To escape our daily drudgery, to relax, for the Zen of it, and for the joy of feeling a fiesty fish on the end of our line.

We also fish because we love the great outdoors, and wherever you find outstanding fly fishing, you also tend to find Mother Nature at her loveliest.

When's the last time you saw anyone waving a fly rod along New York City's East River?

But the nature of the scenery depends on the fish. Trout demand cold, clear, and clean water and thrive in mountains, meadows, valleys, forests, and canyons. Salmon and steelhead need big, burly water, and divide their time between rivers and the sea. Bonefish, tarpon, and permit are a different matter entirely, and prefer their water hot and salty. If Gauguin fly-fished, he would have been a flats fisherman, since it takes place on a tropical canvas of white sands, turquoise seas, and azure skies.

Pursuing the fish of our dreams lets us escape into another world, a watery paradise devoid of computers, telephones, television, traffic jams, and all the other unnatural distractions that waste so much of our precious fishing time.

Here are GORP's picks for the top ten global fly-fishing spots. Click on your favorite species and get ready to experience some of the best angling on earth.

Choose Your Fish: Trout | Salmon | Flats Fish

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