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Fishermen were aggregated into high-, mid-, and low-consumptive groups according to the importance they placed on catching fish. Analysis of variance indicated that each consumptive group was unique in the importance it placed on other fish-related variables. Low-consumptive fishermen rated most other aspects of the fishing experience, such as interacting with nature, relaxation, and escaping the daily routine, more important than did high-consumptive fishermen. Low-consumptive fishermen also fished more frequently and were generally more satisfied with their most recent fishing trip than were high-consumptive-oriented fishermen. The three groups can be viewed as different fishing constituencies. By understanding their characteristics, we can gain additional insights into the impacts of management decisions on recreational fishermen and their experiences.

Fishing trip satisfaction was defined as the fulfillment of various expected psychological outcomes. A policy‐capturing technique was used to determine how anglers rated various dimensions of fishing satisfaction identified in previous studies and whether subgroups focused on certain trip dimensions. Dimensions studied were a sense of freedom, excitement, catching a fish, relaxation, enjoying the natural setting, and thinking about past fishing experiences. Scenarios that represented various combinations ofthese dimensions were completed by a sample of 166 members ofa sportfishing association in Texas. Enjoying a quality environment and feeling a sense of freedom were the two most important dimensions of satisfaction for most respondents. There was no dominant policy that most people followed. Cluster analysis revealed seven groups of anglers with different policies of fishing trip evaluation. Group sizes ranged from 4 to 21% of the sample. For some clusters, fishing satisfaction had more to do with complex feelings associated with leisure than with the excitement of catching fish. Only one group (6%) rated catch more important to trip satisfaction than other aspects studied. Managers can use this technique to differentiate products or types of fishing and to meet the supply‐and‐demand requirements of various angler segments in the population more effectively.