What is the Most Popular Outdoor Activity in the US?

Before you leave, be sure to check below for the

"Take a Kid Fishing Challenge"

where you could be rewarded
with a free rod and reel combo!

Question:

How do you entertain 16 children with diverse backgrounds for 2 hours without a single complaint?  

Answer:

Take them fishing of course!

What a catch!  Me and my wife teaching kids how to fish.
Isn't she a good sport?  (Photo: Josh Raabe)

Fishing Rises in Popularity

Recreational fishing is currently the most popular outdoor activity in the country according to a recent report, even surpassing running, camping, hiking, and biking.  Despite being incredibly popular, a sharp decline was seen in the number of anglers in the US from 52 million (2007) to 45 million (2010), giving worry that declines would continue.  Thankfully, 2011 broke the downward trend with a rise to 46 million anglers, indicating that 16.2% of the population went fishing last year!

Apparently worms attract more than fish.
(Photo: Patrick Cooney)

Why the Previous Decline?

Previous declines in the number of anglers were attributed to urbanization, interest in other activities, and increased fishing costs.  With fishing's recent gain in popularity, it is important to understand what made 2011 different so that we can continue to maintain increased interest.

A recent fishing event where college students taught children how to fish.
(Photo: Josh Raabe)

Bucking the Downward Trend

To buck the downward trend in the number of anglers, fisheries professionals employed a lesson out of the Business Handbook: Recruit underrepresented groups.  Fishing demographics are dominated by Caucasian males, with only 3 of 10 anglers being female, and 2 out of 10 being non-Caucasian.  These underrepresented groups must be introduced to fishing if the activity is to ultimately rise in popularity.  Accordingly, the most recent cohort of new anglers demonstrated strong increases in women and non-Caucasian participation, contributing greatly to the overall increase in anglers for 2011.

Women and girls contributed greatly to the increase in anglers for 2011!
(Photo: Josh Raabe)

  

Contributing to the Popularity of Fishing

A local nature museum is contributing significantly to the rise in diversity of anglers.  They recently approached me asking if I would take a diverse group of 16 kids fishing.  I enjoy teaching people how to fish, but I worried that with the recent heat wave, the bite would be slow.  In my previous experiences, low catch rates have diminished my ability to convey to children that fishing is a great way to get outside and enjoy nature.  But, my drive to introduce kids to fishing far outweighed any worries.

Be part of the upward trend: give the gift of time and fishing.

The Reward

My worries of slow catch rates evaporated immediately as the fish cooperated and came over the rails so fast I could hardly keep up with baiting hooks and removing fish from lines.  Of the group, 25% had never fished before.  Providing a little more instruction and encouragement to these novices, combined with pairing them alongside more experienced children, yielded incredible results.  Every child caught multiple fish, leaving smiles on faces and confidence in their abilities.  The following quotes came from first time anglers confirming that although the effort was small, the reward was huge!

First fish ever! (Cooney)

Mission accomplished! (Cooney)

"This is way better than 

playing video games!"

"I normally get bored

 outside, but this is fun."

"I can't wait to tell 

my family about this!"

"I never thought I would 

ever touch a worm."

I can still remember this exact day of fishing from 25 years ago.
You too could be an integral part of a child's memory.  (Photo: Sue Cooney)

Take a Kid Fishing Challenge



Introducing kids to fishing gets them outside and active.  Further, they learn to enjoy and understand the value of nature, leading to more nature conscience and conservation minded adults.  We at The Fisheries Blog want you to help us make 2012 an even better fishing year for kids than 2011.  Please leave the following items in a comment below about a fishing trip that you took with a kid this year (2012):

   1.  A fun fishing quote you heard from a child (like those above)

   2.  The total number of children you took fishing (please be honest)
   3.  Your name
   4.  Your fishing location (any success?)

   5.  Send photos of the fun to thefisheriesblog@gmail.com (not mandatory)

We challenge our readers to collectively take at least 50 Kids Fishing by the end of the year!  If this goal is reached, The Fisheries Blog will reward one person (by random drawing of comments from those who took kids fishing) with a Shimano Zircos Rod and Reel Combo with a regular retail price of $80.  

Please check in weekly to The Fisheries Blog to keep track of the total and to see if you are the one to be rewarded, and feel free to pass this to your friends, post to Social Media, and share the word about taking kids fishing.

Leave a comment below about taking a kid fishing in 2012
and you could be rewarded with this Shimano
Rod and Reel Combo!

Watch a friend's kid catch his first fish ever.  Wait for the surprise ending!

-Patrick Cooney