Sport fishing is a term
(often used interchangeably with game fishing) that describes
recreational fishing where the primary reward is the challenge of
finding and catching the fish rather than the culinary or financial
value of the fish's flesh. The distinction is not completely rigid -
in many cases, sport fishers will also eat their catch. The
philosophies and tactics used for sport fishing, however, are
usually sufficiently different from "food fishing" to make the
distinction clear enough.
Sport fishing methods vary
according to the area being fished, the species being targeted, the
personal strategies of the angler, and the resources available,
ranging from fly fishing, ostensibly invented in Great Britain, to
the high-tech methods used to chase Marlin and tuna or the bottom
bouncing methods that where perfected on the Fraser river of British
Columbia, Canada for chinook and sockeye. In virtually every case,
however, the fishing is done with hook, line, rod and reel rather
than with nets or other aids.
In the past, sport fishers,
even if they did not eat their catch, almost always killed them to
bring them to shore to be weighed or for preservation as trophies.
Fishers' desire to avoid criticism from animal welfare groups and to
conserve the fishery have resulted in many sport fishers releasing
their catch alive, sometimes after fitting them with identifying
tags and recording their details so as to aid fisheries research (known
as tag and release).
Sport fishing competitions
give competitors (individuals if the fishing occurs from land,
usually teams where conducted from boats) a specified time and area
from which they are to catch fish. Scores are awarded for each fish
caught, the points depending on the fish's weight and species, and
then, sometimes, divided by the strength of the fishing line used
(so catching fish on thinner, weaker line scores additional points).
In tag and release competitions, a flat score per fish, divided by
the line strength, is awarded for each species caught.
