Recreational fishing (angling) is a traditional pastime that is woven into the fabric of cultures worldwide. Motivations for and attitudes toward angling, species preferences, choice of fishing techniques and locations, and angler satisfaction vary as much as fisheries resources are diverse. Despite this diversity, all anglers are bound together by their participation in conservation as well as the individual and societal benefits accrued through interacting with fisheries resources. Individual anglers receive tangible cognitive and physical benefits through participation. Angler expenditures create jobs and economic impact to local and regional communities. Contributions by anglers to non-governmental organizations, excise taxes paid, and fishing licenses purchased provide funds to support the necessary work required to acquire, manage, conserve, and guide the wise-use of fisheries resources. Despite population growth, the number of persons participating in angling has stagnated or even declined in recent years. This lack of growth threatens to erode away the very benefits society reaps from angling participation. The goals of this symposium are to examine a plethora of issues surrounding angling participation, provide a synthesized reference of the current understanding of these issues and recent developments from empirical research, and establish a foundational reference to help increase the rate of angling participation in the future. To accomplish these goals, this symposium will include sections on the human dimensions of angling, marketing research, recruitment and retention, aquatic education and urban/community fisheries programs, fishing access issues, constraints and barriers to participation, use of partnerships, license packaging impacts, communication strategies, and influences of regulation on angling participation.