Sport fishing
Prized by anglers. 296 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
Golden mahseerThe golden mahseer of Himalayan rivers
Orange-finned mahseerThe hump-backed mahseer of the Kaveri
Atlantic blue marlinA giant billfish prized by sea anglers
Atlantic tarponA leaping fish of warm coasts
Largemouth bassAmerica's most popular sport fish
Brown troutStocked for anglers across the world
Giant trevallyA powerful reef predator
BonefishA fast fish of tropical flatsFurther reading
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreYellow perch
Freshwater fish native to North America with distinctive vertical bars.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1814
🇺🇸 United States and 2 morePumpkinseed
A small freshwater fish native to eastern North America, known for its bright colours and red ear flap.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1793
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreBlack crappie
A spotted freshwater sunfish native to North America, prized by anglers for its sport and table fare.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1856
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSauger
A freshwater perch species native to North American rivers.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1834
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreMandarin fish
Freshwater predatory perch native to East AsiaPerch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1855
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreBluegill
A common North American sunfish known for its blue gill covers and popularity with anglers.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1854
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreRock bass
A small, red-eyed freshwater sunfish native to North America.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United StatesCrappie
Two species of North American freshwater sunfish prized by anglers for sport and food.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United StatesRedear sunfish
Freshwater panfish known for crushing snail shells.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United StatesWhite crappie
North American freshwater fish with vertical body barsPerch-like · Rivers and lakes
🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreEuropean perch
A greenish freshwater predator native to Europe and North Asia.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1758
WorldTanganyika lates
Large predatory perch from Lake TanganyikaPerch-like · Rivers and lakes
WorldMangrove red snapper
Large Indo-Pacific snapper found in mangroves and reefsPerch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1775
🇹🇷 Turkey and 4 moreEuropean seabass
A slow-growing temperate bass native to European and African coasts.Perch-like · Coasts and shelves · 1758
🇦🇺 AustraliaMurray cod
Large Australian freshwater predator of the Murray-Darling basinPerch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1838
🇦🇺 AustraliaMary River cod
An endangered freshwater perch native to the Mary River system in Queensland, Australia.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreWalleye
A freshwater perch native to North America, prized for its pale eyes and firm white flesh.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1818
WorldZander
A large freshwater predator fish native to Eurasia, valued for food and sport.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1758
WorldPerch
Freshwater fish from the genus Perca in the family Percidae.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Yellow perch: Robert Colletta, Public domain, source
- Largemouth bass: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pumpkinseed: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Black crappie: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain, source
- Sauger: Duane Raver, Public domain, source
- Mandarin fish: Andshel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bluegill: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rock bass: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Crappie: Robert W. Hines, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, source
- Golden mahseer: Khalid Mahmood, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Redear sunfish: Raver, Duane, Public domain, source
- White crappie: Fizzishin, CC BY 4.0, source
- Brown trout: Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, source
- European perch: George Chernilevsky, Public domain, source
- Tanganyika lates: JBenoit, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mangrove red snapper: Jean-Lou Justine, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bonefish: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, source
- Giant trevally: Dr. Dwayne Meadows, NOAA/NMFS/OPR, Public domain, source
- Atlantic tarpon: Daiju Azuma, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- European seabass: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Orange-finned mahseer: A. J. T. Johnsingh, WWF-India and NCF, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Murray cod: fir0002 flagstaffotos [at] gmail.com Canon 20D + Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, GFDL 1.2, source
- Walleye: Timothy Knepp, Public domain, source
- Zander: eLNuko, Public domain, source
- Perch: Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Atlantic blue marlin: NOAA, Public domain, source