The idea behind Free Fishing Day is to encourage adults who are not avid anglers to take their kids fishing. That fee, less than one tank of fuel in many vehicles today, is apparently enough to discourage all but the most avid fishers. The impact of Free Fishing Day is hard to judge, but Chris Lena, fishing outreach coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife, thinks it makes a difference. Lena used to work at Martin Dies Jr. State Park, which is on the shores of an East Texas lake. We had a lot of families bringing their kids out for the special events and the parents fished right along with the kids.
Fishing is an American tradition.
An estimated 50 million Americans go fishing every year. In Texas, about 1.2 million residents buy a fishing license each year. Counting kids and seniors who are exempt from licenses, Texas has close to 2.5 million anglers. Other surveys indicate that people go fishing because they were taught fishing when very young by their families or by friends of the family. Those who were not exposed to fishing by age 12 are unlikely to take up the sport later in life.