Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, preserved as taxidermy, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commercially, particularly less bony species such as salmon and tuna.
Big-game saltwater fish caught off of Cape Hatteras in 1949
Largemouth bass is one of the most popular game fish in North America
Marlins are popular blue-water game fish
The pike is a classic freshwater game fish
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival and livelihood.
Recreational fishing at sunset
Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler, published in 1653 helped popularize fly fishing as a sport. Woodcut by Louis Rhead
Trading card of the Ustonson company, an early firm specializing in fishing equipment, and holder of a Royal Warrant from the 1760s.
The Fly-fisher's Entomology by Alfred Ronalds had a great influence on the development of fly fishing when it was first published in 1836.
