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
WorldGreat white shark
A large, globally distributed predator known for its size and apex status in marine ecosystems.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreRohu
A large silver carp from South Asian rivers, farmed for food and prized as a game fish.Carp · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreSockeye salmon
Anadromous Pacific salmon known for red spawning colour and zooplankton diet.Salmonid · Rivers and lakes · 1792
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreLake sturgeon
A large, long-lived freshwater fish native to North America.Ancient · Rivers and lakes
🇧🇼 Botswana and 1 moreAfrican tigerfish
Predatory freshwater fish known for sharp teeth and leaping hunting behaviour.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1861
🇰🇪 Kenya and 4 moreRipon barbel
A large freshwater cyprinid from East African lakes and rivers.Carp · Rivers and lakes · 1900
🇺🇸 United StatesGuadalupe bass
A rare Texas endemic black bass prized by anglers for its fighting spirit.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSauger
A freshwater perch species native to North American rivers.Perch-like · Rivers and lakes · 1834
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreBigmouth buffalo
A long-lived North American freshwater fish known for its terminal mouth and exceptional lifespan.Catfish · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United StatesAmerican paddlefish
Ancient freshwater fish with a sensory snout and filter-feeding habits.Ancient · Rivers and lakes · 1792
🇧🇷 BrazilBanded leporinus
A striped freshwater fish from the Amazon kept in home tanks and occasionally caught by anglers.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreGreen sturgeon
A large anadromous fish native to the northern Pacific Ocean.Shark · Coasts and shelves
🇺🇸 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
🇷🇺 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
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAlewife
A small North American herring that migrates between sea and rivers.Herring · Coasts and shelves
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Great white shark: Sharkdiver.com, Public domain, source
- Rohu: Wiki Farazi, CC0, source
- Sockeye salmon: Timothy Knepp of the Fish and Wildlife Service., Public domain, source
- Lake sturgeon: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain, source
- African tigerfish: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ripon barbel: Georges Albert Boulenger, Public domain, source
- Largemouth bass: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Guadalupe bass: Nick Loveland, CC0, source
- Sauger: Duane Raver, Public domain, source
- Bigmouth buffalo: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- American paddlefish: Timothy Knepp, Public domain, source
- Banded leporinus: Ltshears, Public domain, source
- Green sturgeon: Muséum d'histoire Naturelle, Public domain, source
- Bluegill: Fredlyfish4, 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
- Alewife: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source