Are Women Fishing? You Better Believe It!

Think fishing is a gentleman’s sport? Think again! In the U.S. alone, there are close to 12 million women fishing. If those numbers don’t mean much to you, consider that there are more women fishing than women who jog! Ladies make up almost 30 percent of all anglers – and they spend more on fishing gear than you might imagine. Plus, the number of days that women devote to fishing each year has been steadily increasing over the past two decades.

But even with all of the numbers, you may still be surprised to learn that among women who love sports, fishing ranks as the 10^th most popular pastime. And the women fishing like a day out on the lake or bay as much as the guys do! Why? We think the better question is why not!

More women who try fishing for the first time or come back to fishing after not having hefted a pole since childhood are discovering that fishing is about more than just catching fish. There are plenty of opportunities to learn new skills, discover new places, and get to know the marine world – in just a single day on the boat! Most fishing doesn’t take a lot of strength (though it should be noted that women can reel in the big one as well as any guy) but the mental stamina needed can be pretty intense.

It’s been said that ladies actually make better anglers than gents because they’re naturally more in touch with Mother Nature. We can’t say whether or not that’s true but whenever we see women fishing, they do seem at home on the water. And at home with other anglers! Women fishing together is something you’ll see more and more of, we’ll wager, whether on chartered fishing trips or on the boats that women are buying for themselves.

And again, why not? Fishing makes for great bonding time because it takes you away from the day to day grind. Think of fishing as uninterrupted quality time, and the fact that women find this sport so appealing is suddenly a lot more obvious. Now that women are taking the fishing world by storm, can mother-daughter fishing trips – and the next generation of women fishing – be far behind?