Best place to cast a line? Texas ranks No. 5

A fisherman throws back his catch on a cool breezy Tuesday afternoon on Dec. 21, 2021, at Jaime J. Zapata Memorial Fishing Pier in Brownsville. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

A new survey of best and worst states for fishing ranks Texas at a solid No. 5, behind Florida, Alaska, Montana and Minnesota.

Lawn Love commissioned the study to coincide with National Fishing Day on Sept. 24. The survey compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on community interest, access to fishing gear and bait shops, license affordability and proximity to water sources, among the 22 total metrics measured.

Following Texas in the Top Ten are Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Worst fishing states were the District of Columbia, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Connecticut.

Texas ranked high in number of fishing charters and guides at No. 4, behind Florida, North Carolina and Alaska.

“The nation’s largest states are brimming with fishing spots. Alaska didn’t have to fish hard for the silver trophy. Our largest state by land area impresses in the access category (No. 1), with nearly 34,000 miles of shoreline from which to cast your line,” the survey concluded.

“Everything’s bigger in Texas (No. 5), and that includes fishing. Our second-largest state by land area has bountiful angling access (No. 11) but primarily floated to the top because of its passionate fishing community (No. 2) and the most fishing contests in the nation. Across the state, Texas keeps community fishing lakes stocked with fish so anglers don’t have to travel far for a decent catch.”