Industry brands take advantage of ‘where to fish and boat’ initiative

US website Take Me Fishing’s embeddable ‘where to fish and boat’ map is now being used by 135 industry brands and has received more than 6.3 million visits.

The map connects visitors to other websites where they can find important information for their fishing trips. It is one of the assets of the Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation (RBFF), the organisation responsible for increasing participation and driver of the Take Me Fishing website.

The RBFF partnered with headline sponsor, Fishbrain, the mobile app and online platform for anglers, in 2018 to enhance the quality of information. Users can find nearby waters and boat ramps, filter for fish species and find related interests like tackle shops and marinas.

The RBFF is encouraging industry stakeholders to share the feature and use the embeddable version of the map on their websites to add value to their site visitors.

“Thanks to Fishbrain’s additional data, the map also showcases recent catches, provides fishing forecasts and shows which methods and gear are being used to catch fish in particular bodies of water,” said Bruna Carincotte, the RBFF’s Senior Manager, Public Relations and Communications..

“Since the 2018 relaunch, over 6.3 million unique visitors have used the map to learn, plan and equip for their best day on the water. It is an easy-to-use tool for both novice and seasoned anglers and boaters.”

The impressive user statistics were released at the RBFF’s recent state workshop, which was also sponsored by Fishbrain.

• The RBBF also announced today that it has renewed its collaboration with the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) to run the industry-wide Get on Board campaign for a second year.

The campaign, jointly driven by the RBFF’s Take Me Fishing and the NMMA’s Discover Boating websites, is designed to recruit and retain new participants.

It was launched in 2020 to take advantage of the increase in popularity of fishing and boating during the COVID pandemic and to help ensure that newcomers were retained.

Its continuance reflects the success of last year’s first-of-a-kind collaboration, which helped the industry achieve a three million year-over-year increase in fishing licence sales and the highest single-year sales volume of new boats in 13 years.

The initiative will supply the industry with a variety of free, customisable tools to support their existing customer growth and retention efforts. Available resources will include social media assets, promotional videos and press materials.

It will include a national media spokesperson, influencer engagement, press outreach, paid advertising, social media promotion and digital marketing. 

“Fishing and boating have become important mainstays for consumers in keeping up with their health and safety,” said Stephanie Vatalaro, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the RBFF.

“Our top priority now is ensuring Americans continue discovering the wellness benefits of the water as conditions begin to transition. Consumer outreach by the entire industry is critical to securing fishing and boating’s continued growth this summer.”