Survey Says, “We’re Still Fishing” - The Fisherman

Survey Says, “We’re Still Fishing”

So how has COVID-19 affected angling participation? According to a recent email survey by The Fisherman Magazine, 16.5% of the 700 respondents said they actually fished more over the last three months during the pandemic, 41% saying they fished the same amount, and just 41% respondents stating they were not able to get away to go fishing during the pandemic. Consequently, 35% of respondents say their consumption of fishing related media has increased during that same time.

The same reader survey also found that 80.9% of those surveyed by The Fisherman feel it’s safe enough to fish aboard a headboat this season considering the social distancing precautions taken, while 85.7% feel the same way about fishing aboard a charter boat.  Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, only 17% of those surveyed feel that fishing aboard a headboat in 2020 is currently too risky, while just 12.4% believe that fishing aboard a charter boat is too risky.

Interestingly, those who responded to The Fisherman’s survey also showed a strong leaning towards the aspect of self-sustenance, a major consideration during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Of 10 other activities referenced in the survey, respondents revealed the top two options other than fishing were gardening (26.5%) and shooting sports (20.2%), followed very closely by traveling (20.1%).

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