Fishing continues

to hook tourism dollars
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

Despite vanishing habitat as more woodlands and streams are lost to private development, hunting and fishing remain important economic and recreational engines.

A study by the National Shooting Sports Foundation put the dollar value of the outdoor sports in North Carolina at $1.7 billion per year, and an estimated one million state residents engage in the sports, mostly fishing.

Hunting and fishing provide 29,000 jobs, create salaries and wages of $818 million and generate $364 million in taxes each year. Outboard boats, used in both fishing and hunting, bring in $313 million annually.

Daniel Britt, a fishing guide at Foscoe Fishing Co. & Outfitters, said even with the loss of access to trout streams as more areas are developed, fishing remains popular and is resistant to downturns in the economy.

“The number of fishing trips is the same if not better,” Britt said.

“People are always coming from the East to fish here. They want to escape the heat.”

Deer and waterfowl hunting remain popular, especially near the coast, and regional hunting clubs work to preserve land and access to hunting territory. North Carolina ranks 14th in the U.S. in outdoor sports spending, with Texas leading the way.

“A few dollars at a bait and tackle store for a fishing lure, $50 to put gas in your boat, another $100 for hotel and food for an overnight fishing trip, it adds up quickly,” said Fred Harris, interim director of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

“When you multiply individual spending by one million sportsmen, you have a major force in the economy, with everyone benefiting, from small mom-and-pop stores and larger chain stores to manufacturers of hunting and fishing products to wildlife conservation efforts.”

Fishers spend $1.2 billion a year in the state and log about 15 million days of stream time each year. They are also are more likely to consider candidate’s positions on outdoors issues in deciding how to vote.

Britt said a number of customers in the spring and summer are tourists, but even in the slow season, people walk into the shop and get hooked.

“Here it is, a cold Tuesday in February, and we’ve had people come in and they’re going out fishing,” he said.

“A lot of people walk in just to look, and then later they are back in asking about our trips and get into buying rods.”

Kelly McCoy, owner of Rivergirl Fishing Company in Todd, said, “The fishing industry in North Carolina is huge. It doesn’t matter if the fishermen are off on the coast searching for big red drum or up in the mountains in a tiny creek going for the elusive wild brook trout, they spend lots of money. Especially the fly fishermen.”

McCoy said the art and business of fishing involves more than a cane pole, a string and a hook.

“You need a rod, reel, backing, fly line, leaders, tippets, flies — and those little teeny weeny flies can go for up to $3 and $4 a piece at some places. And most of them end up in the trees,” she said.

“There are ways to cut this cost, of course — building your own rod, tying your own flies But still, regardless of the money you might save, others are spending it and it’s a big business for North Carolina. I’m thankful to be part of it. I’m doing what I love: Fishing.”