Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the perspective of anglers on leisure time activities and recreational fishing and to determine the quality of life of anglers in Turkey.
Materials and Method: Qualitative research method was used to evaluate angling and quality of life in terms of individuals. While the population of the study consisted of individuals engaged in angling, the sample consisted of 30 male anglers who were randomly selected and participated voluntarily. The research data were collected using a semi-structured interview form developed for this study. In the analysis, the interview texts were carefully read, and the data were conceptualized and themes explaining the data were identified within the framework of logic according to the emerging concepts. After determining the codes and themes, the findings were grouped and analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: In our study, it was found that the participants generally spent their leisure time by fishing, traveling and with their families, that angling adds pleasure / peace, hobby, passion and lifestyle to the person, that they are interested in angling with different frequencies, that their angling experiences are different, that leisure time gives them time to do activities, They also stated that they allocate different amounts of budget for angling, they have different sleep times, they angled at different times of the day, they are interested in nature activities, sports, family and friends, and repair works other than angling. In addition, 83% of the participants who angled 1-2 days a week, 67% of the participants who angled whenever they had time, and 50% of the participants who mostly angled had a positive quality of life.
Conclusion: It was determined that angling is a recreational activity that increases the quality of life of individuals. In addition, it was observed that recreational angling is an activity that can be done without straining the economy of individuals, without a compulsory time frame and even without much experience.