Think fishing is a gentleman’s sport? Think again! In the U.S. alone, there are close to 12 million women fishing. If those numbers don’t mean much to you, consider that there are more women fishing than women who jog! Ladies make up almost 30 percent of all anglers – and they spend more on fishing gear than you might imagine. Plus, the number of days that women devote to fishing each year has been steadily increasing over the past two decades.

But even with all of the numbers, you may still be surprised to learn that among women who love sports, fishing ranks as the 10^th most popular pastime. And the women fishing like a day out on the lake or bay as much as the guys do! Why? We think the better question is why not!

More women who try fishing for the first time or come back to fishing after not having hefted a pole since childhood are discovering that fishing is about more than just catching fish. There are plenty of opportunities to learn new skills, discover new places, and get to know the marine world – in just a single day on the boat! Most fishing doesn’t take a lot of strength (though it should be noted that women can reel in the big one as well as any guy) but the mental stamina needed can be pretty intense.

It’s been said that ladies actually make better anglers than gents because they’re naturally more in touch with Mother Nature. We can’t say whether or not that’s true but whenever we see women fishing, they do seem at home on the water. And at home with other anglers! Women fishing together is something you’ll see more and more of, we’ll wager, whether on chartered fishing trips or on the boats that women are buying for themselves.

And again, why not? Fishing makes for great bonding time because it takes you away from the day to day grind. Think of fishing as uninterrupted quality time, and the fact that women find this sport so appealing is suddenly a lot more obvious. Now that women are taking the fishing world by storm, can mother-daughter fishing trips – and the next generation of women fishing – be far behind?

There are so many different types of fishing, and so many different types of anglers. From fly fishing to spear fishing, deep sea trolling to kite fishing, ice fishing to lure fishing…there’s a lot to disagree about. Seawater versus freshwater fishing. From the boat or off a pier. This equipment versus that equipment. One technique versus another. And of course, catch and keep or catch and release.

Unsurprisingly, all these differences can lead to some pretty heavy arguments within the larger angler community. For example, that last one accounts for more arguments than I can count. Both the catch and keep and the catch and release groups claim that their way is the best way to help protect and preserve fish species. Each can make claims that their way is the most ethical and humane way – and that the other way does more harm than good.

Who’s right? Who knows! Ultimately, responsible and ethical fishing goes way beyond a single angler’s choice to keep or release. The same goes for a lot of the other infighting found in the angler community – bait vs. flies, men vs. women, and so on. Instead of supporting diversity among the 44 million fishing enthusiasts in the U.S., most of us are too busy hashing it out on forums to actually find time to fish!

But what if we stopped all the bickering? How much time could we find then? Time to learn about and support ocean, river, and lake conservation… time to learn about a new style of fishing or a new piece of equipment… time to learn more about the fish that make this sport so exciting. If the angling community was a tight-knit one, my hypothesis is that we’d all be better anglers as a result. After all, the only thing that endless debating will help you get better at is debating.

Ingredients:

1 Baby shark, weighing roughly 2 lbs

1/4 c. Tomato, finely chopped

1/4 c. Onion, finely diced

3 tsp. Olive oil

Vegetable oil sufficient for frying

1/4 c. Flour

2 Eggs, well beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

·         If using baby shark, fillet the shark, remove the skin, and divide fillets into four pieces each. If using pre-cut shark steaks, divide into smaller chunks, as desired.

·         In a skillet, sauté the diced onion in olive oil until translucent, then add chopped tomato and cook until the tomato has softened and begun to break apart (3 min.). Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

·         In a second skillet, heat vegetable oil over moderate heat until the surface begins to shimmer. Dredge shark chunks in flour, then coat in egg, and dredge in flour a second time.

·         Brown shark for 3 min. on each side, then let cooked fish rest briefly on a paper towel to drain.

·         Plate the shark fry. Pour the tomato and onion sauce over the fish, and serve while warm. Yum!