When people think of fishing, they often picture a solitary man sitting quietly by the water, waiting patiently for the next bite.
But that image is beginning to fade as more women take up the sport. Fishing associations and industry experts say the trend is becoming increasingly visible.
One of the anglers helping drive the change is Barbara Kijewski, who shares fishing adventures and tips with a large community on social media.
More than 70,000 people follow the fishing expert on Instagram, and across her channels she now reaches hundreds of thousands of followers.
"I've been fishing for almost 30 years," says Kijewski. Her father was a passionate diver, and there were always documentaries about fish playing at home.
"As a child, I learned a lot about fish, but I always had the desire to catch them myself."
She went fishing with her schoolmates. When they told her, "This isn't for girls, girls have no place here," she refused to accept that.
Hooked on fishing early
Kijewski caught her first perch in a lake in Berlin. "Fishing is such a passion," she says. "Either it grabs you or it doesn't."
Today, she sees the change first-hand in her online community, with many women curious about fishing gear, techniques and how to get started.
For young women interested in the sport, the content creator is a visible alternative to the stereotypical angler.
She is now widely respected in the scene, but that was not always the case.
In the past, "women who fished were extremely rare," she says. Kijewski was often approached at the water simply because she stood out. "Sometimes I even dressed differently so people wouldn't immediately notice I was a woman."
When she bought her first fishing gear, a shop assistant immediately suggested a pink fishing rod. She declined and chose one that suited her technically and ergonomically instead.
"At trade fairs people also used to think I was just a marketing gimmick," she recalls.
Trade fairs are taking notice
The share of women in the sport has been rising steadily for about a decade. "You notice it especially at trade fairs, where there are more and more female visitors," Kijewski says.
At Aqua-Fisch, a major fishing trade fair on Lake Constance in Germany that attracts thousands of visitors each year, Kijewski was just invited to speak for the first time.
The fair also established a networking area called "Catch & Connect - Women's Circle," where female anglers could meet, exchange experiences and build connections.
For Kijewski, the growing interest among women reflects what fishing is really about.
It is a wonderful oasis of calm, she says - less about the catch and more about spending time by the water and connecting with nature. "Gender should not play a role in fishing."
A changing fishing scene
Platforms like Instagram are helping women connect, share experiences and encourage one another. Kijewski says her community is no longer dominated by men; the share of female anglers has grown significantly.
Greater visibility online also lowers the barrier for newcomers. "When you see other women fishing on social media, it makes starting out feel less intimidating," she says.
For the fishing industry, the shift is more than symbolic. Anyone who obtains a fishing licence is also likely to buy equipment, book guided trips or go on fishing holidays.
"The fishing world is moving in the right direction," Kijewski says.
The change is also evident in the United States, where the number of women taking up fishing has nearly doubled over the past decade.
Women now account for 37% of all anglers, according to a 2025 report by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.
Reeling in change: Not an old man's sport
In the United Kingdom, angling influencer Marina Gibson is also challenging long-standing stereotypes.
"Encouraging more women and young people to get into fishing has always been a big part of what I do," Gibson tells dpa. "I've seen firsthand how rewarding it is to help someone discover the joy of angling."
Gibson says that she also thinks the industry is finally starting to reflect the diversity of anglers.
A fly fishing instructor with a global following of around 160,000 on social media, Gibson says the sport is undergoing a revival.
She believes that as more people look for ways to disconnect from our digital world, fishing's reputation of being stuffy and old-fashioned is being challenged.
Gibson has had many encounters with people online and along river banks who still struggle to accept women in the sport and questions why it was ever labelled an "old man's sport" in the first place.
"It's definitely improved, but there's still work to do. I don't get the same level of criticism I did a few years ago, but occasionally you still encounter outdated attitudes."
"The good news is that more women are visible in the sport now, which is helping change perceptions," she notes.
One of the biggest challenges she faced while establishing her career as an instructor was dealing with other people's assumptions about women in the sport.
"Early on, there were definitely moments where I felt underestimated or had to prove myself. It took time to build credibility as an instructor and be taken seriously, but persistence and passion helped push through," she says.
"I want to help people connect with nature and enjoy fishing - not just as a sport, but as a way to unplug and recharge." – dpa
