An evaluation was made of seasonal abundance of fish species captured by recreational line‐and‐hook fishing in southern Brazil and 31 species from 16 families were observed. Among the species Sciaenidae were dominant, represented mainly by Menticirrhus littoralis, Menticirrhus americanus, Paralonchurus brasiliensis and Micropogonias furnieri. In comparison with the industrial trawl fishing, recreational fishing exploits a quite different part of the fish population, with little overlap of capture among the most frequently caught species.