A summary of the report was given at the ICAST Keynote Breakfast. Here the audience got some good news and some not-so-good news. Good: In 2023, 57.7 million Americans went fishing, the highest participation on record, and a 3.2 million increase from 2022. In addition, there were all-time record numbers of women, black and Hispanic anglers that year. Numbers of youth fishermen was also up.
The not-so-good news: these record numbers came despite a continuing high "leaky bucket". RBFF measures an annual churn rate - the number of new/returning anglers vs. the number of lost anglers. In 2023 there was a gain of 15.4 million participants but a loss of 12.3 million. So while fishing participation increased, the net was only 3.2 million.
At the breakfast presentation, the director of the American Sportfishing Association stated that fixing the leaky bucket is now one of their highest priorities. Reasons are being identified, and an advertising campaign is underway.
Later that morning, I got a copy of the full report which includes fly fishing statistics.
2023 brought a fly fishing milestone, as participation topped 8 million for the first time since the RBFF survey began in 2006. And probably the most ever with other surveys going back to 1960. The increase of 500,000 participants was the second highest jump on record. The sport has increased in numbers for 11 of the last 12 years.
Demographics. The ratios of male to female fly anglers continues to be about 70/30, while the percentages of white to non-white participants remains steady. There was a slight decline in Hispanics, but a slight tick up for black flyfishers. Age groups are amazingly even: the eight age groups range from 10 to 18 percent, with the largest being ages 25 to 34. Flyfishers continue to have the highest income and education levels of any group of anglers.
Regions: The South-Atlantic (Virginia to Florida) remains highest with 21 percent of all flyfishers. There continues to be growth in the mid-South and mid-West, with declines continuing in the Pacific, North Central and New England regions.
Sales: This was not in the report, but given at an ICAST seminar. By revenues, fly shops continue to lead all categories but general outdoor stores (such as Pack & Paddle, No Wake Outfitters, etc.) have made a strong comeback since the pandemic. In third place are box retailers such as Orvis, Bass Pro, Cabelas, LL Bean, etc.
I asked how fly shops could be doing so well given their significant decline in numbers since 2010. The answer is the internet. Those shops that adopted ecommerce - stores like J. Stockard, Fly Fish Food, Orlando Outfitters, Fly Shack, Feathercraft and about two dozen more - were doing very good before the pandemic. The shutdowns brought them sizable revenues and new customers. And while "shopping local" has rebounded with enthusiasm, there are many products locals don't carry.