Here's Why Seeing More Anglers At Your Favorite Fishing Hole Is Actually A Good Thing

You've spooled your fishing reels with fresh line, rigged your rods, and collected all the best baits and lures. You've picked the ideal time to go fishing and are headed to your favorite spot. However, once you get there, you quickly notice that it has become overwhelmingly crowded. As rows of anglers are all casting their lines, you come to a devastating realization: your once-secret spot isn't a hidden gem anymore. Of course, this can be irritating and dejecting. I know all too well the feeling of arriving at a location I love, only to watch someone else catch a nice fish I thought would be on the end of my line. But, while such a scenario can be disheartening, here's why seeing more anglers at your favorite fishing hole is actually a good thing.

The situation described above is not uncommon, as crowds of fishermen at rivers, lakes, streams, and bays across the United States are becoming more and more routine. This is likely to happen even more often as the number of anglers in America is on the rise. In fact, according to Tackle Trade World, close to 58 million Americans went fishing in 2023 — the highest amount ever. While this inevitably leads to bigger crowds on waterways and more pressure on the resource, it also results in a variety of benefits to the fishery, greater lobbying power for the angling community, close to a million jobs, and a boost to the economy. 

More anglers mean more pressure on waterways, but they also bring significant benefits to the sport. These trends may seem contradictory, and in some ways, they are. Yet, they also have a reciprocal relationship, as this increased pressure means a heightened awareness of the challenges that come with fishing and the ecosystem itself. In today's world, that attention goes a long way. It's especially true when it comes to protecting a sport and resource that has provided Americans recreational opportunities for more than a century and given rise to an industry that generates billions of dollars for the U.S. economy. 

Many anglers think that additional fishing pressure is a negative. The common belief is that more fishermen means more pressure and stress, which will result in fewer fish. Although there have been some instances where localized fish stocks have dipped, overall, having more people fishing is actually a positive. So, how does having more fishing pressure help? That is an obvious question with perhaps a not-so-obvious answer. The simplest answer is money. Fishing license sales generate money for the state agencies which are charged with managing and protecting the resource. 

State agencies, in turn, use this funding not just to operate, but to fund a variety of projects and initiatives that benefit both fish and fishermen. Among the uses of these dollars is research, habitat restoration, and management, which includes fish stocking. Given that habitat loss is accelerating globally, preserving and restoring fish habitats is a crucial component to ensuring the sport is able to be enjoyed into the future. The same is true for the fish stocking programs that are in place to rebuild and maintain stocks of popular fish species in every state. These stocking programs are vital to supplement the naturally reproducing populations of a variety of fresh and saltwater sportfish species.

A portion of the money generated from license sales typically also goes towards other critical components, such as public access and education. Maintaining and increasing public access is an obvious benefit to fishermen. Although some anglers have private waters they can fish at, the vast majority of fishermen rely on public access, whether it be at one of the best national parks for freshwater fishing, a stretch of stream or beachfront, a boat ramp, lake, or other publicly owned and maintained water or access point. Additionally, educating anglers and the public at large on issues such as conservation, catch-and-release practices, habitat protection, and other issues, are vital to maintaining a healthy recreational fishery.

Like pretty much everything in the United States these days, recreational fisheries are subject to various state and federal laws. In order to protect the sport — and ensure it is allowed to continue into the future — a voice in the governmental process is needed. Without being adequately represented in this process, fishermen could easily find themselves unable to participate in the very sport they love, or, at least not in the way they've become accustomed to.

The growing number of recreational fishermen is a huge benefit, as it has helped increase the recreational fishing lobby. This lobby is constantly working to balance recreational fishing needs versus those of commercial fishing — which are often at odds. It also works to protect the sport against anti-fishing groups, as well as actively seeking funding and legislation that will help with habitat restoration, public access, management, research, and conservation.

Beyond legislative lobbying, the increase in anglers also leads to an increase in membership in various recreational fishing conservation organizations which, in turn, also advocate on behalf of sportfishermen. Groups such as the American Sportfishing Association, Trout Unlimited, and the Coastal Conservation Association, among others, work on a variety of projects that benefit fishermen and the fishery. Some of the projects backed by these groups are the building of artificial reefs, offering anglers increased access, habitat restoration, public education, and lobbying for funding and resource protection. To that end, increasing numbers of fishermen is a boon to these organizations.

In addition to national organizations, there are also a myriad of local, state, and regional groups and clubs that are active in efforts to improve fishing and fish habitat. However, regardless of whether they are local or national, these types of associations rely on the number of individual anglers in order to be effective. Increased numbers not only leads to more funding, but also a greater voting block and significant interest group. These efforts can only be successful by continually increasing the number of fishermen and people who have a vested interest in recreational fishing.

If you doubt the value of such organizations, consider the passage of the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act, also known as the Modern Fish Act. Passed in 2018 as a result of decades-long efforts by the Center for Sportfishing Policy and other stakeholder groups, this act denotes there are differences between commercial and recreational fishing interests and the two should be managed differently. As a result, those in charge of managing federal recreational fishing have been equipped with resources and tools that are more suitable for recreational as opposed to commercial fishing interests. 

Laws like the Modern Fish Act likely would not have been passed without a sufficient interest in recreational fishing, which, from a lawmaker's perspective, is best expressed by the number of people participating. So, in that regard, better management of the resource is actually a direct result of there being more fishermen. It's yet another reason why seeing more anglers at your favorite fishing hole is actually a good thing.