Someone said to me that angling is dying?

Personally I cant agree and would say it is continuing to grow.
The benefits far outweigh what is said bad about it and those are against it,dont fully understand what it gives to indivduals and communities.

Those who do give it bad press, as in all sports,are a minority and its said good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster.

With time at a premium angling is something which changes very little over the years and has improved and helped so many in their own lives.

Its not all about money but what it gives to each person who takes it up and there own reasons for doing it what matters.More women are taking it up which is welcome to see.

So if its dying out why is it that so many organisations want to represent anglers?Very little money is put into this sport unlike other,s who gain massivly from funding.Its a national heritage and something well worth protecting, it starts from each and every angler and clubs that is where the strength of anglers lies and promotion of the sport grows.

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Kevin

I'd completely agree with you. I don't see it dying out, everytime you fish on a river you see more and more people for example.

Ok a lot of these guys may by bait fishing or spinning but that still constitutes angling. And you are wholly correct with the money issue, angling is generally a private venture setup and ran by like minded individuals who care about their sport.

Another way of looking at it, you could guage angling popularity, maybe fly fishing popularity on number of commercial fisheries around, i don't know about the past but there seems to be an awful lot around. Maybe more than ever? Surely this indicates demand and therefore a healthy following in the sport?

Dying out - no way! I've got quite a few friends who are picking up fly rods and these are guys i'd never have expected to!

PS - just thought of another, more and more people keep joining forums such as this one and in other sections of angling. You wouldn't join without some sort of interest in angling...

Angling will never die and continues to grow.

I know that some will say do not put your head in the sand see what is going on around you and sure sometimes it does seem to wither a bit but like all hobbies/sports it does ebb and flow.

Judging by the retailers in the South of England angling and Fly Fishing in particular is growing.

Destination fishing abroad is suffering this year but that also ebbs and flows.

I will say this about this Forum.

I never really knew that I had such a wide interest in all of this hobby until I joined, and that does not include the 15 years I fished all over for Carp Catfish and so on.

This is the best Forum I have ever come across bar none and the people on here are so well balanced.

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GAIA: APGAI & GAIC, Single Handed. Qualified Mentor & Trainee Assessor
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Well said Granty

Cant see it dying out to be honest Kevin.

It might put people off if for example strangers were bearing gifts to deserving people who were new to the fly fishing scene then withdrawing their offer once the aforementioned deserving newbie was informed about the gift.

Does he mean us ?....................birdsnest

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Fear not if I steal from your side, as of yore, from paradise streams to fish Teifi once more.
BN based in Wolverhampton

Angling's certainly not dying out. In fact, it's growing in popularity. From the EA website:

The following figures are the totalled rod licence sales and value in England and Wales for the years 1995/96 to 2005/06:

Year Sales Value

1995/96 1,000,646 £11,171,448
1996/97 1,171,914 £12,252,989
1997/98 1,196,417 £13,386,885
1998/99 1,143,883 £12,955,984
1999/00 1,136,228 £14,320,773
2000/01 1,085,446 £14,419,060
2001/02 1,143,430 £14,868,720
2002/03 1,180,061 £16,009,823
2003/04 1,261,972 £18,004,606
2004/05 1,218,218 £18,593,000
2005/06 1,296,865 £20,292,629

So nearly 300,000 more licences sold now than 10 years ago. Of course, there are many factors affecting licence sales, such as the growing numbers of carp anglers with two licences for putting out more than two rods, plus, as the country's population grows, then you'd expect licence sales to grow roughly in proportion to that too.

I bet the price has gone up too over that time, the figures aren't as obvious as they seem. Also consider the value of money which changes all the time.

Out of interest, what the heck do they do with all that money?

If it is, I'd blame it on xboxes and PS3s etc

Im 35 and when I was younger I'd amuse myself down the river, railway tracks and woods etc. So my love of nature would then come from there.
But not all my schoolfriends fish, only a few mind...?
Very popular where I come from but maybe not so much today.

Now I guess kids just slap on the xbox and whahey, a day has gone by.

Kids today have too many distractions to take it up. So I'd say it probably is in decline. It'll never die however

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John Danter

Do kids get into fishing at that age though? I certainly didn't going through school, bait fished a bit around 12 years old but apart from that did hee haw! Most people probably pick it up seriously once they're a bit older and have a more open mind.