America’s best family-friendly locations for fishing and boating in 2015 [INFOGRAPHIC]
Looking for a new cool spot to take your family fishing or boating this year? There are tons of great spots (about 100 in fact) all over America where you can enjoy the outdoors with your family and friends.
TakeMeFishing.org, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) campaign to promote fishing & boating, pulled together a top 100 list of locations that are ideal for families who love to fish & boat. With the help of state and wildlife agencies in the U.S., Take Me Fishing first compiled a list of 250 family-friendly locations across America to go fishing or boating. The list was then narrowed down to a top 100 based on votes by anglers, boaters and outdoors enthusiasts.
Family-friendly fishing and boating locations were judged based on the following qualities:
- The spots are within an hour drive of a major city or town, so they are easily accessible.
- Have a public body of water that is known for having plenty of common fish species such as bass, crappie, bluegill and trout. Often times these public places are stocked with fish.
- Amenities such as: playgrounds and campgrounds, picnic areas, restrooms and parking spaces.
- Plenty of places to cast a line, like a fishing pier. May also have a boat ramp to allow you to reach other areas by boat.
- Recommended by other anglers! Anglers from across the U.S. cast their vote and thought these parks offered some of the best fishing spots in the country.
“Fishing and boating are great ways to spend time with family and friends; and most people aren’t even aware that by participating in the sport, they’re actually helping to conserve our environment,” said RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson.
The top 10 spots selected were:
- Everglades National Park, FL
- Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key, FL
- Blue Springs State Park, Orange City, FL
- Kissimmee State Park, Lake Wales, FL
- Keystone State Park, Derry, PA
- Clear Lake State Park, Kelseyville, CA
- Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, St Petersburg, FL
- Galveston Island State Park, Galveston, TX
- Presque Isle State Park, Erie, PA
- Lackawanna State Park, North Abington, PA
To see the full list of the Top 100 Family and Boating Spots in the U.S., check out the infographic below for listings by region of the country.
