Celebrate Fresh and Salt-Water Fishing

June 5-13 is National Fishing and Boating Week

Fishing is a big sport. 

As of 2018, 49.4 million Americans fished, spending 883 million days fishing. Freshwater fishing represents the largest segment, with 39 million participants. With some overlap, 12.8 million saltwater fish.

Anglers spend $49.8 billion on fishing trips, with the average cost per trip of $1,290 in 2016. The biggest segment costs are bait, boat rental or purchase, guide and land-use fees. That is more money than was spent on either birdwatching or hunting, which are also huge sports.

What do these anglers catch?

Top three freshwater fish caught: 

1. Trout
2. Catfish
3. Bass

The top three saltwater fish caught:

1. American red snapper
2. Mahi-mahi
3. Scamp grouper

Men, women and fishing

While fishing was once a male-dominated sport, about 45 percent of new anglers are female. Half of these are girls ages 6 to 12. When you look at the overall fishing population, women represent about 35 percent of the total.

When you ask a man why he fishes, he usually answers, “To catch fish.” When you ask a woman, she typically says, “To relax and unwind.”

While the differences and similarities are fascinating, two stand out: Considerably more men than women will ice fish; women get their fishing information from the newspaper and men watch fishing shows!

Much is behind the allure of fishing

Fishing is popular for different reasons, but all of them are compelling.

Fly fishing requires an intense concentration on currents, food sources and the technique of presenting the right fly at the right place at the right time. In these moments, while standing in a beautiful stream or lakeshore, you are immersed in nature and not thinking about the mundane and sometimes unpleasant realities of your job, mortgage or pressing home repairs. You have a simplified life.

Boat fishing attracts people who love to study where the fish hang out depending on currents, water temperature and bottom structures. Catching fish can be as simple as having a cane pole and bait, or as gear-intensive as having a motorboat with an outboard or inboard, a trolling motor, sonar, bait and fish wells, expensive rods and reels and GPS tracking. 

Fishing is a sport that attracts both introverts and extroverts. You can fish alone or make it a social outing. But in all cases, the goal is to be outside in nature and outsmart the fish, which are plenty smart themselves, and either catch and release or bring home a fresh fish dinner.

Some helpful fishing resources

Ready to wet a line? Here are resources to help you out:

Fishing tips for beginners
Saltwater fishing gear
Freshwater fishing tips for beginners
National Coast Guard Boat Safety Guide
Find places to fish or boat
Free fishing days 2021

Where—and What—to Fish This Winter

You might think the only fishing you can do in the winter is on the ice but think again. Just like the birds, you could head south somewhere like the Gulf of Mexico, which is also known as “the Mediterranean of the Americas.” Below are some of the best spots to drop a line this winter.

Where: Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama

Sugar-white sand, mild temps, and Southern charm make the 32-mile stretch of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach a prime winter destination. You can fish on the seawall boardwalk for no charge or head over to the Gulf State Park Pier, which extends a quarter-mile into the Gulf, for a $9.00 day pass. Whether you’re looking for inshore, beachside, or offshore fishing, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have it all.

Winter Catch: Black Drum, Sheepshead, Grouper

• Black drum:
  • Taste: similar to Red Snapper (mild, sweet flavor, large moist flakes)
  • Size: 20-25 pounds
  • Bait: quartered blue crabs, hermit crabs or bucktails
  • Best place and time to catch: running tides in late afternoon and evening
• Sheepshead:
  • Taste: sweet, shellfish flavor, firm, moist flesh
  • Size: 1-8 pounds (Sheepshead smaller than 12 inches are required to be released)
  • Bait: live shrimp, hermit, fiddler crabs
  • Best place and time to catch: Found where saltwater meets freshwater and in winter found near piers and jetties
• Grouper:
  • Taste: light, sweet and large, chunky, firm flakes similar to lobster or crab
  • Size: some varieties of grouper can grow up to seven-and-a-half feet long and weigh more than 440 pounds
  • Bait: squid, whole cigar minnows, live pinfish, white snapper, vermillion snapper (think big and bulky)
  • Best place to catch: deep water on natural rocks and live bottom reefs

Where: South Padre Island, Texas

Crystal-blue waters, white sand beaches, air and water temps in the 70s, and laid-back vibes give South Padre Island, Texas, it’s winter appeal. It’s also the longest barrier island in the world at 113 miles.

Winter Catch: Bull redfish, pompano, whiting/jacks

• Bull redfish:
  • Taste: mild, sweet flavor and moist white meat
  • Size: 20-40 inches
  • Bait: fresh bunker or blue crab
  • Best place to catch: Lower Laguna
• Pompano:
  • Taste: similar to mahi-mahi, mullet, and snapper (“fishy”)
  • Size: 2-5 pounds
  • Bait: Shrimp or small, live bait
  • Best place to catch: Surf and coastal bays on warmer days
• Whiting/jacks:
  • Taste: similar to cod, light, firm, lean, sweet
  • Size: 1-2 pounds
  • Bait: Live sand fleas or shrimp
  • Best place to catch: surf zone along the coast, just behind breaking waves

Where: Perdido Key, Florida

Spanish for “Lost Island,” Perdido Key sits near the border of Florida and Alabama on a narrow strip of land with the Emerald Coast to the south and lush wetlands and estuaries to the north. It’s a place fit for wildlife lovers and explorers. Possible sightings include loggerhead sea turtles, Perdido Key beach mouse, osprey, or blue heron.

Winter Catch: Speckled Sea Trout

• Taste: Similar to California White Bass, light, white flesh, flaky, moist
• Size: Around 10 pounds
• Bait: Live shrimp, croaker, and mullet
• Best place to catch: Perdido Bay and especially the heads of estuaries, rivers, and creeks

No matter where you boat or what you fish this winter, safely navigate the Gulf Coast with these NOAA charts.

 

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