The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) announced the results of the 2026 Special Report on Fishing. In total, 57 million Americans, roughly 18% of the U.S. population, went fishing in 2025. While up nearly 25% from a decade ago, ASA noted where total participation is down from 57.9 million in 2024, representing the first year-over-year decrease since the post-COVID season of 2021.
“In 2025, fishing continued to bring Americans together, connecting people to the outdoors, sustaining families and strengthening the communities and economies that depend on it,” said ASA President and CEO, Glenn Hughes, adding “While trendline data still shows growth in the past decade, keeping anglers engaged in fishing continues to be a struggle, with 19 million people dropping from the sport in 2025 – the highest rate of ‘churn’ on record.”
While overall numbers may be down, the ASA report shows that saltwater fishing’s steady growth continued in 2025 with participation reaching a record 15.5 million, up 400,000 from the year prior and the third consecutive record high. According to the report, the average number of outings per saltwater angler remained at 12, pushing total saltwater outings up 2% to 183 million.
Other key findings in the report:
- Total fishing outings grew by 3% to 918 million in 2025.
- 3 million Americans tried fishing for the first time in 2025, representing 11% of total participants, up from 9% in 2024.
- 6 million Americans ages 6 and over went freshwater fishing in 2025, holding steady for the fourth consecutive year.
- Fly fishing decreased slightly in 2025 to 7.9 million, still representing nearly 2 million more fly anglers vs. a decade earlier.
- Youth participation (ages 6-12) is down slightly in 2025, however participation among ages 13-17 rose from 5.2 million to 5.4 million, and the participation rate ticked up from 24% to 25%.
- Nearly 6 million Black Americans fished in 2025, the highest number since tracking began in 2007 and an increase of 400,000 from the prior year.
- Hispanic anglers doubled over the past decade, climbing from 3.4 million in 2015 to an all-time high of 6.9 million in 2025.
- Female participation dipped slightly in 2025 to 21.1 million, however the long-term trajectory remains strong as female anglers grew by 5.4 million (a 34% increase) over the past decade.
According to the report, catching fish was not the only reason Americans went fishing, citing the escape from everyday stress, enjoying nature, and time spent with family and friends as reasons to fish. Conversely, angler dissatisfaction stemmed from crowded fishing spots and the discomfort of being outdoors, not catching fish, unclean waters, and the cost of gear.
ASA partnered with the Outdoor Industry Association to produce this long-running Special Report on Fishing, calling it “the most comprehensive research on fishing participation.”
