In 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted individual and social behaviors and norms, including outdoor activities. A recreational angling survey of 18,000 licensed anglers from 10 states (AR, CT, FL, IA, MO, NC, SC, TX, UT, WY) was conducted in summer 2020 to characterize recreational fishing trends during the first few months of the pandemic. The study presented here builds off this survey by combining the survey data with county-level human population density and spring 2020 per capita COVID-19 cases to understand how anglers responded to the pandemic along the urban-to-rural continuum. Specifically, we wanted to know if population density or COVID-19 cases per capita influenced angler-reported 1) changes in license sales, 2) number of fishing trips, and 3) motivation for fishing. Overall results suggest that per capita COVID-19 cases were more influential in driving angler behavior than population density in the early pandemic (01 March 2020–31 May 2020). At the onset of the pandemic, high COVID-19 case counts were associated with an uptick in recreational angling activity. In counties with greater COVID-19 case counts, there was greater angler recruitment (i.e., attraction of new individuals to recreational fishing) and earlier license purchases. Anglers aged ≥40 years and earning ≥$50,000 living in areas of greater per capita COVID-19 cases also went on more fishing trips than they typically would. Angler motivations varied across gradients of population density and per capita COVID-19 cases: anglers living in areas of higher population densities were more likely to report fishing for stress relief, sport, and competition among friends, and anglers living in areas of higher per capita COVID-19 cases were more likely to report fishing for sport and because they had free time and less likely to report fishing for food. Management efforts can focus on retaining and reactivating pandemic anglers.
