What is Sport Fishing?

Sport fishing is increasingly becoming a more popular activity for anglers. Also known as recreational fishing, sport fishing is fishing for pleasure or competition. This is in contrast to commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit. Fish caught while sport fishing may not be bought, sold or bartered.

As sport fishing grows in popularity, people are becoming more aware that fishing is more than just a means to capturing fish for the purposes of eating them. The recreational component of sport fishing is appealing to many anglers, and as such, people are finding it not necessary to kill their catch. Sport fishermen will often "catch and release" their prey which is a technique of catching a fish, unhooking it, and returning it back into the water before any serious harm is done to the fish. This is far more complex than is sounds, and should be researched thoroughly before being done. If performed incorrectly, the fish will likely suffer and die despite being returned to its habitat.

Another technique used by sports fishermen is "tag and release". This is similar to "catch and release" with the exception that before anglers release their catch back into the water, they will mark the captured fish with some type of identity tag, as well as record data such as date, time, place, and type of fish to submit it to government agencies and conservation organizations.

Sport fishing offers a leisurely activity for many anglers, but for some, recreational fishing competitions are more in line with fulfilling their fishing goals and aspirations. These tournaments offer sport fishermen the chance to compete for prizes based on either the total weight of a given species of fish caught within a predetermined time or on length of the fish caught. Depending on the tournament, fishing may be done by land (usually an individual competition) or by boat (usually a team competition).

Regardless if you're spending a relaxing day at your local fishing hole or competing in an organized tournament, sport fishing offers anglers the opportunity to enjoy the act of fishing, as well as all the other benefits that come with it.