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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women make up almost 51% of the U.S. population. Yet they compose only 36% of this nation’s fishing participants. This Women’s History Month and beyond, we’re highlighting the important role women play in fishing and boating and are sharing our plans for connecting more deeply with women to grow the sport overall.

Did you know?

• Moms are more likely to introduce their kids to fishing vs. Dad.
• Women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing decisions.
• We saw a 10% boost in female fishing participation in 2020. 
• If we get women to account for half of all anglers, we'll grow the sport by 15%.

At our State Marketing Workshop last month, RBFF Marketing Director Rachel Piacenza and Allison Bolger, Group Brand Strategy Director at RBFF’s marketing agency of record, Colle McVoy, gave a powerful presentation highlighting the incredible opportunity the industry has to engage more with women. They also laid out RBFF’s plans for putting women first to grow the sport.

“We’ve already seen the potential of putting women at the forefront,” said Bolger, referencing the Women Making Waves campaign. “But we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of this audience’s true potential.”

“We’re specifically talking about not excluding people. I want to be clear there,” said Piacenza. “We want to elevate women as leaders. They really are key to reaching families, youth and multicultural audiences.”

Workshop attendee Janine Blair with Fishanistas, an organization designed to inspire more women and girls to fish got emotional during the presentation. “We are so unseen in this industry,” said Blair. “I don’t see [black women like] me in fishing commercials or on fishing shows. I see white men.”

To learn more about RBFF’s plans to grow fishing and boating participation by engaging more women in the sport, visit our State Marketing Workshop resources page, where you can watch the presentation and download the slides.

And if you’re a woman who loves to fish and boat, visit takemefishing.org/makingwaves to join the #WomenMakingWaves movement.