The quick take

The report estimates that 21.1 million women fished in 2025. That is 5.4 million more female anglers than a decade earlier, representing 34 percent growth since 2015.

The report also found that:

• Women represented 37 percent of all fishing participants.
• Women represented 41 percent of first-time participants.
• The number of first-time female anglers rose to 2.6 million, up 30 percent from 2024.
• Approximately 11 million women who did not fish in 2025 expressed interest in trying it.
• 53 percent of current female anglers said they would like to fish more often.

Those are not signs of a fringe audience. They show a large, active fishing community and an even larger pool of women interested in finding their way onto the water.

Source: American Sportfishing Association and Outdoor Foundation, 2026 Special Report on Fishing.

The growth story is real—even after a one-year dip

Female participation slipped slightly from 21.3 million in 2024 to 21.1 million in 2025. The female participation rate also moved from 14 percent to 13 percent.

One year does not erase a decade. The longer trend remains clear: female participation has grown by more than one-third since 2015.

A shallow reading might say women lost interest in fishing during 2025. The fuller picture is that millions more women fish today than a decade ago, first-time participation accelerated, and another 11 million women are considering joining them.

The opportunity is not simply convincing women that fishing exists. It is creating clearer, friendlier pathways from curiosity to a first trip—and from a first trip to a lasting place in the fishing community.

Fishing is a shared experience for many women

Only 12 percent of women in the report said they typically fished alone, compared with 22 percent of men. Women were also more likely to fish in groups of three or more.

Across gender, age, and ethnicity, roughly three in four anglers associated fishing with quality time spent with family or friends. Female anglers were especially likely to connect fishing with outdoor time and childhood memories.

Community is not a decorative layer placed on top of fishing. For many people, it is one of the reasons to go.

That can look like joining a class, booking a trip with friends, learning from a family member, returning to the same local water, or simply being invited.

Fishe's connection to women's fishing classes and trips provides one practical route for women who want experience without having to figure out every detail alone.

What women wear can remove friction from the day

Clothing cannot create access to water or replace a patient teacher. It can, however, remove avoidable discomfort.

For a warm day, that may mean breathable women's fishing tops and sunshirts, comfortable fishing leggings built for movement, sun coverage, and a layer that can handle a cool morning.

For a wading day, it may mean understanding the difference between base layers, women's wading gear, boots, and what belongs in a pack.

For a boat or shoreline day, it may be as simple as keeping essentials organized and dry. The point is not to make fishing feel equipment-heavy. It is to help each woman choose what suits her water, weather, and kind of trip.

This is bigger than a participation number

Twenty-one million is an impressive figure, but it does not capture the individual moments behind it: a first cast, a lesson from a friend, a child watching the water, or a group laughing through a windy day when the fish are not cooperating.

Fishe was built around the belief that women already belonged in fishing and deserved gear that reflected how they actually moved through the outdoors.

That idea feels even more relevant when the numbers show millions of women participating—and millions more standing close to the edge, interested but not yet involved.

The future of women in fishing will not be built by telling women to fit an old picture of an angler. It will be built by making more room for the many ways they already fish.

Frequently Asked Questions