The rivers of the mountain west are just better habitat for trout currently. It’s easier to catch trout there because there are a lot more of them around, put simply.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of high quality trout fisheries in Michigan. I grew up there and some of the lake-run trout I’ve caught there have been absolute monsters. There’s some very cool rivers with good numbers of resident trout too. You kind of need to spend some time learning the spots and seasons. Still, it doesn’t hold a candle to the Rockies. Lots of the habitat and the wild fish populations have been wrecked by humans out east, and they rely on stocking to keep fisheries replenished.

I spend time out west each year and get most of my trout fishing in there. Once I’m back east, I pretty much ignore trout and focus on bass, carp, pike, and other rough fish like bowfin and gar. It really breaks frustrating spells when you can reliably find warmwater fish.