Reeling in Anglers: Factors Influencing Satisfaction of Urban Anglers in South Dakota

Five urban lakes (<11.7 ha) were creeled in South Dakota from April 2009 to October 2010. We evaluated factors influencing angler satisfaction using logistic regression with three models: (1) all ages model, (2) “young” angler model (< age 25), and (3) an “experienced” angler model (>age 40). The global model (χ²=11.15, P=0.13), “young” angler model (χ²=5.58, P= 0.59), and “experienced” angler model (χ²=2.37, P=0.31) all adequately fit the data. Catch rate (number of fish caught/h), party size (number of anglers/ party), open water (1 or 0), and trout angler (1 or 0) entered the global model. The “young” angler model was similar to the overall model, except that a ‘lake familiarity’ metric was included as a significant variable in the model. Catch rate was still the most important variable predicting the odds of a satisfied response from “young” anglers, but party size took on increased importance similar to catch rate. Catch rate was the only variable to enter the “experienced” angler model. While catch rates were important to all ages of urban anglers, variables influencing satisfaction differed by age.  Thus, management based solely on catch rates may not be the most appropriate strategy for recruiting young anglers.