The sport of fishing is not just fishing, its a sport involving many different levels of skill on the water and amount of time and effort put into fishing. First, there are many kids that like to fish. Next, there are adults who are not fishing competitively or putting in a ton of time but do it for the enjoyment of the outdoors and sometimes, food. Lastly, there are the pros who fish for a living and fish tournaments all the time and use high end equipment. So, fishing is a sport for people of all ages and are many different levels of fishing such as kids just getting into fishing, adults who fish for leisure, and the tournament fisherman.

Getting kids involved with fishing will have a large effect on the next generation. Many kids are beginning to turn to technology and away from the outdoors which if kids get involved in is a skill that would stay with kids for a lifetime. As the Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife states, “Being on the water provides an excellent opportunity to teach kids about their environment, boating, and fishing and safety skills. Try to incorporate these teachings into fun activities and gradually introduce your kids to new things as they are ready. Boating and fishing provide unlimited learning, learning that lasts a lifetime”. “It is easy to get caught up in our own activities and forget the important things in life” (Parker). There are many ways to help kids get out fishing and enjoy the outdoors. As most people know, kids usually can’t stay focussed on task so when you take a kid fishing, you need to fish for a kind of fish that is plentiful in the area. “Any first outing should be from the shore. Riding in a boat can be a scary experience for a child on the first fishing trip. Let him or her grow into it.” (Parker). Most people target panfish such as, perch, sunfish, crappies, bluegills, and ect. Along with there being plenty of fish, the styles of fishing for these fish is very simple. Most of the time, fishing from shore, which for kids is very convenient, is usually available. With fishing from dock, kids can get set up with bobber rigs. To set it up, simply tie on a plain hook that fits the size of the fish you are fishing for, then, clip on a sinker, and lastly set the depth and clip on a bobber at the depth set and it is ready to go. With these set ups, live bait is a good option and it is usually available at the local bait shop. So, grab what you need and get the kids on the water. Lastly, when you take them fishing, it needs to be fun for the kids by taking pictures and making them feel like they have accomplished something. As the Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife states, “Kids enjoy feeling included. Kids like to stay active. So plan an outing on the boat that includes water activities such as snorkeling, tubing, looking for wildlife, or simply learning how to fish. Introduce your child to fishing.”

The next group that I will be talking about is the leisure fishermen. These are people who fish quite often but usually just go by catch and release, or keep some for the family to eat. Most of these fishermen are pretty successful and put a lot of time into it but are not fishing for a purpose other than fun or food. Sometimes they may get involved in a couple cheap local tournaments but, for the most part just go for the enjoyment and respect given for the outdoors. This kind of fishing usually doesn’t encounter anyone with really fancy equipment or high dollar stuff but stuff that is good enough and gets them on the water. Also, with the leisure fishermen brings in family fishing. Since they aren’t putting forward the effort to fish tournaments, they often take the family out on the good weather days and try to catch some fish. As the Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife states, “Use this time to gather as a family and create lifelong memories. Plan short outings such as a picnic on the boat or let the kids find a new creek or lake on the chart and plan a picnic at that destination. This creates a sense of adventure and allows valuable family time together.”

For the last style of fishing that I will be talking about, tournament fishing. These people who get involved in tournaments usually have a ton of experience on the water and have performed well in previous tournaments. As stated by Slayton White, “Good anglers understand that knowing how to read fishing and lake maps is indispensable both for catching the right fish and for finding large quantities of them”. To be a tournament fisherman, you have to prove that you have the ability to compete and put up a fight. There are many small tournaments that anyone can participate in, but, if you are looking at getting into fishing as a career, you have to work your way up the chain to fish in the same tournaments as the pros. It may seem like you can just walk in and start fishing tournaments, but for most of the big tournaments that are out there, you have to place so high in a qualifier tournament in order to participate in the tournament. Also, with fishing these tournaments, you occupy a lot of your time and fishing isn’t exactly a cheap sport. As Bill Wilcox states, “To fish the entire season, and do it right, is expensive and time consuming. For example you will be gone from home for 15 weeks. I don’t know of any paying jobs that will give you 15 weeks paid vacation.” With this statement being said, brings up his next point that says, “Unless you’re rich, money will be a major factor in how you approach a fishing career. Out of 150 pros that fished in the Bassmaster Tournament Trail, only 18, that’s right 18, even won enough to cover expenses.” So that shows the numbers on how tournaments end up, but, the other thing that needs to be factored in, is that all pro fishermen have sponsors that usually give them a lot of equipment and money to help them promote the product that they give them to help the companies sell more. A prime example is Kevin VanDam. He is sponsored by many companies such as Strike King. He used them right away and got deals on it, but then he began designing his own lures and colors to increase his success.
From the information above, you can see that there is a ton of information based on the styles of fishing that will fit the age of the fisherman and the purpose for their fishing. The purpose can change based on age or simply the wants of the person. For children just starting fishing, the purpose is for fun and entertainment. For leisure fisherman, it may be for food or just to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Then, for the pro fisherman it is for making a living and supporting family. Fishing is expanding throughout the world and growing everyday. It isn’t just sport, it is a lifestyle and will stick with you for a lifetime.