Pandemic sparks US rush to boating, fishing

The report, released this week and titled Casting a wide net: Identifying new anglers and boaters and determining tactics for retention, was commissioned in the wake of the pandemic after the US-based Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation noticed a big spike in the number of people requesting boat and fishing licences.

The driving force behind the big spikes? According to the report, it was active social families seeking new experiences in the wake of widespread closures of other more traditional summer activities such as amusement parks, swimming pools, camps and public spaces such as museums.

According to the report, boating and fishing allowed these active social families to find a space to bond and connect with others, relax outdoors and make new memories – wetting a line or launching a boat was not the main motivation for most of this group.

Active social families accounted for 51 percent of the 9.7 million people new to fishing, and 49 percent of the 7.3 million people new to boating.

The survey also showed that reactivated boaters – those who had stepped away from the activity but returned to it in the wake of the pandemic lockdowns – were largely led by consumers who had the time to relax but weren’t necessarily people who enjoyed being outdoors.

Driving the US move to boating and fishing is the fact that people have found they have more time in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with working from home and the lack of other activities creating free time to turn to other means of socialising.

“In the [northern hemisphere] summer of 2020, fishing and boating became a new activity that families could do together in newly unoccupied time,” the report said. 

“For most, it also allowed them to follow through in doing something they had always wanted to but never got around to because of other priorities. 

“Social aspects, ‘disconnecting’ and making memories are core motivators to encourage future participation.”

Once latched onto an activity, newbies quickly became rusted on. Those engaging in fishing for the first time would wet a line about once a week compared with about once a month for more seasoned anglers, while new boaters would go out once a week compared with several times a month for the veterans.

Those experiences turned into sales, with two out of every five new boaters making the decision to own their own, and half of those happy to learn how to skipper their new ride. In contrast, old hands at boating returning to the water were more keen to either share a boat or rent one, and were much happier to be a passenger.

 One of the key points the survey highlighted was that many people did not want to have to buy a fishing licence, mainly because they didn’t feel it necessary or understand why they needed one.

The report also lists several ways that the US boating industry can keep these new anglers and boaters on board beyond the pandemic. They include:

The US has about 25.5 million active fishers and 19.5 million active boaters, the report said.