Sport fishing
Prized by anglers. 36 fish on EveryFish so far.
Sport fishing, or recreational angling, is fishing for enjoyment rather than a living. Hundreds of millions of people fish this way, from children with a line in a pond to anglers who travel the world for marlin, tarpon or mahseer. Game fish are prized for their fight, size, wariness or the places they live. Catch and release, in which fish are returned alive, has become common for many species.
Game fish of India
The mahseers of the Himalaya and the Western Ghats are India's great game fish, known for their power in fast rivers. British anglers wrote about them from the 19th century, and camps on the Kaveri ran catch and release fishing for the hump-backed mahseer for decades. Trout introduced into Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the Nilgiris draw anglers to cold streams. Sea anglers fish for giant trevally, barracuda and sailfish off Goa, Karnataka and the Andaman Islands.
Rules and conservation
Recreational fishing is a large industry in North America, Europe and Australia, and it funds a good deal of fish conservation through licence fees. Anglers can also put real pressure on stocks, so many countries set seasons, bag limits and minimum sizes. The International Game Fish Association, founded in 1939, keeps world records and promotes ethical angling. Catch and release survival depends on careful handling, short fights and quick return.
Famous sport fishing fish
Still to be written: Tor remadeviae, Atlantic blue marlin, Atlantic tarpon, Brown trout, Giant trevally, Bonefish.
Further reading
WorldNile perch
Large freshwater predator native to Africa, now invasive in many lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreLongnose gar
A primitive ray-finned fish with a long snout and armored scales found in North America.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreGar
Ancient armored fish with lung-like swim bladders found in North American waters.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1758
🇧🇼 Botswana and 1 moreAfrican tigerfish
Predatory freshwater fish known for sharp teeth and leaping hunting behaviour.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1861
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreLargemouth bass
A large freshwater predator native to North America, prized by anglers and invasive in many regions.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1802
🇺🇸 United StatesSpotted bass
A North American freshwater fish known for dark spots below its lateral line.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United StatesGuadalupe bass
A rare Texas endemic black bass prized by anglers for its fighting spirit.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreMuskellunge
Large freshwater predatory fish native to North America and the largest member of the pike family.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United StatesWhite sucker
A common North American freshwater cypriniform fish with fleshy lips used for bottom feeding.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1803
🇧🇷 BrazilBanded leporinus
A striped freshwater fish from the Amazon kept in home tanks and occasionally caught by anglers.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreGoldeye
A silver freshwater fish known for its smoked culinary form.Other · Rivers and lakes
East AsiaAmur pike
A spotted freshwater pike native to east Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇷🇺 Russia and 3 moreBurbot
A coldwater freshwater fish with a chin whisker, native to the Northern Hemisphere.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758
🇺🇸 United StatesWhite bass
A silver-striped freshwater fish native to North American rivers and lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes
WorldOarfish
Extremely long pelagic fish known for their ribbon-like bodies and association with sea serpent myths.Other · Open ocean · 1772
🇦🇷 Argentina and 4 moreArgentinian silverside
A large, adaptable silverside native to South America.Other · Rivers and lakes
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Nile perch: Pavel Zuber, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Longnose gar: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain, source
- Gar: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- African tigerfish: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Largemouth bass: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Spotted bass: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Guadalupe bass: Nick Loveland, CC0, source
- Muskellunge: Engbretson, Eric / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, source
- White sucker: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, source
- Banded leporinus: Ltshears, Public domain, source
- Goldeye: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain, source
- Amur pike: Andshel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Burbot: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Golden mahseer: Khalid Mahmood, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- White bass: Nick Loveland, CC0, source
- Oarfish: Sandstein, CC BY 3.0, source
- Argentinian silverside: CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, source