The following information was obtained from the Outdoor Foundation and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation Executive Summary of their 2023 Special Report on Fishing. I thought you might be interested in the findings.

Executive Summary

In a year marked by inflationary pressures, war in Ukraine and political instability, Americans found solace and companionship in a much-loved and time-tested pursuit: recreational fishing. Fishing promotes wellness, fosters bonds with family and friends, and forges a deep connection with nature. Whether fishing on lakes, rivers, streams, or seas; from shorelines, boats, or embankments; millions of Americans were united in 2022 by the love of fishing. For the thirteenth consecutive year, the Outdoor Foundation (OF) and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) partnered to produce the Special Report on Fishing to provide a comprehensive review of fishing participation trends, including detailed information on specific fishing categories and audiences.

Insights include motivations, barriers, and preferences of key groups. Special sections are dedicated to youth, Hispanic Americans, and females—populations we must engage, activate, and retain to ensure future growth.

Overall Fishing Participation Trends

In 2022, 18 percent of the American population ages 6 and up went fishing at least once, up from 17 percent in 2021. Over 54.5 million Americans fished in 2022—2.1 million more than the prior year. Fishing’s participation rate, 18 percent, and the number of anglers were just slightly below all-time records set in 2020. Both, however, were higher in 2022 than in preCOVID 2019.

Nearly 7 in 10 participants fished 1 to 11 times in 2022—less than once a month. Participation among more frequent anglers, those fishing once per month or more, has gradually declined since participation tracking began in 2007. 17 percent fished once a month or more, down from 21 percent a decade ago.

The “leaky bucket” analysis measures the annual churn of fishing participants—those joining or rejoining the activity compared to those quitting. Following modest declines in 2021, there was a net gain of 2.1 million fishing participants. Nearly 14.2 million new or returning anglers fished, while over 12 million left the sport.

Fishing participants were less diverse than the U.S. population. 78 percent of participants in 2022 were White, versus approximately 6 in 10 nationally. Large gaps remained for Hispanics (9 percent of fishing participants versus 19 percent of the U.S. population), Black anglers (8 percent versus 13 percent) and Asian participants (3 percent versus 6 percent)

Fishing by Category

Freshwater remained fishing’s most popular style. In 2022, 61 percent of participants reported they only freshwater fished, 71 percent of fishing outings were freshwater trips, and 78 percent of first-timers freshwater fished. 2.6 million more Americans participated in 2022 than in 2019, solidifying freshwater’s post-COVID gains.

Nearly 42 million Americans ages 6 and over freshwater fished in 2022, representing 7 in 10 total fishing participants. Freshwater’s national participation rate rose to 14 percent, up from 13 percent in 2021. Average outings per freshwater angler held steady at 15 percent, while total outings increased 2 percent to 634 million.

Saltwater fishing rebounded in 2022, growing 4 percent to 14.3 million participants. Participant numbers approached 2020’s record of 14.5 million, and easily exceeded the 13.2 million seen in pre-COVID 2019. Encouragingly, there were over 2 million more participants in 2022 than a decade prior. Eight percent of saltwater anglers in 2022 were first-timers, down from 11 percent in 2020. Among the 1.1 million saltwater first-timers, 700,000 were male and 400,000 were female.

A 2 percent increase in both fly fishing participant numbers and the national participation rate followed 4 percent declines in 2021. Fly fishing recorded 100,000 more participants in 2022—and 600,000 more than in 2019. Year over year, average outings fell from 12 to 11, and total outings declined from 87 million to 82 million. Compared to other categories, fly fishing had a high level of first-time participants in 2022. 12 percent of total participants were first-timers, versus 8 percent in saltwater and 6 percent in freshwater. Fly fishing had 900,000 first-timers in 2022, not far from saltwater’s 1.1 million even though saltwater had nearly twice the number of total participants.

Youth Participation

After 2020’s COVID bump, fishing’s national participation rate among children ages 6 to 12 dipped 1 percentage point in 2021, then another point in 2022. On the brighter side, participant numbers grew by 3 percent to 12.7 million child and adolescent participants, nearly 2.5 million higher than a decade ago. Male participation grew slightly, while female participation fell. As with younger children, fishing’s national participation rate among children ages 13 to 17 fell a percentage point in 2022. Actual participant numbers increased slightly to 4.9 million but remained above the 2019 level of 4.3 million. This represented an average annual increase of 6 percent in adolescent participation between 2019 and 2022.

Adults with children in their households, particularly younger children, participated in fishing at much higher levels than adults without children. In 2022, 22 percent of U.S. households with children fished, while just 14 percent of households without children fished. These levels have remained stable since participation data collection began in 2007. Children consistently inspired participation growth. Over the past three years, the participation rate in households with children ages 6 to 12 and adolescents ages 13 to 17 reported annual growth averaging 6 percent and 5 percent, respectively. During the same period, participation in households with no children grew 3 percent.

Hispanic Participation

Fishing participation among Hispanics ages 6 and over has increased about 45 percent over the last decade. Participant numbers rose from 4.7 million in 2021 to 5.1 million in 2022. The participation rate jumped 6 percent year over year, up from 12.7 percent in 2021 to 13.4 percent in 2022.

Female Participation

Female fishing participation in 2022 approached its 2020 all-time high. Over the last decade, female participant numbers grew nearly 4 million, from 16 million in 2012 to 19.8 million in 2022. Females represented 36 percent of total anglers, 42 percent of first-time participants, and 46 percent of those considering fishing in 2022. 25 percent of participants were 55 or older, up from 19 percent a decade ago.

Profile of a Fishing Trip

Only 18 percent of anglers typically fished alone, reiterating that fishing remained a shared activity in 2022. Nearly 8 in 10 participants usually fished in groups of 2 to 5 anglers. Males were far more likely than females to fish alone, at 25 percent versus 8 percent, and females were more likely to fish in groups of 3 or more, at 53 percent to 35 percent. 3 in 4 participants ages 55 and older typically fished alone or with one companion.

Perceptions of Fishing

Fishing was generally seen as an easy, exciting, and intriguing way to spend times outdoors. Among first-time anglers, negative expectations of fishing—(that it’s only for “serious outdoor people,” was too time consuming, requires too much equipment, or was “not for someone like me”) were reported much less often than positive perceptions.

Future of Fishing

Data continues to underscore the critical importance of introducing fishing at a young age, as 86 percent of current fishing participants fished before the age of 12. Participation rates fall sharply after a child turns 18, making families with young children the key to growing future participation. By understanding the demographics, motivations and barriers of participants, the fishing industry can better reach America’s youngest citizens, nurture a new generation of fishing enthusiasts, and retain those new to the sport. Connecting youth to fishing will ensure that our nation’s waterways are protected, our communities are healthy, and our industry is thriving.

Sample Specification

During 2022, a total of 18,000 online interviews were carried out with a nationwide sample of individuals from U.S. proprietary online panels representative of the U.S. population of people ages six and older. Strict quotas associated with gender, age, income, region, and ethnicity were followed to ensure a balanced sample.

The 2022 participation survey sample size of 18,000 completed interviews provides a high degree of statistical accuracy. All surveys are subject to some level of standard error—that is, the degree to which the results might differ from those obtained by a complete census of every person in the U.S.

Now that we have learned all this information, I’m not sure what we can do with it – other than to dazzle our families and friends with our great knowledge.