Fishing is one of America’s favorite pastimes. Over 44 million Americans fish, making this sport more popular than golf and tennis combined. People who fish can take part in many kinds of fishing, such as deep-sea fishing, fly-fishing, casting, trolling, and ice fishing. Each state issues its own fishing licenses and regulates fishing practices within its borders. States set seasons for catching certain fish. States also limit how many fish may be caught, and how long a fish must be before it can be kept. Fish that are too small must be thrown back into the water. States also set specific fishing regulations for different lakes and reservoirs.Many fishing tournaments are held throughout the United States. Bass fishing tournaments are the most popular and some are even televised. In 2004, Takahiro Omori became the first non-American to win the Citgo Bassmaster Classic tournament. His prize money amounted to $207,000! Recently high-tech devices have affected recreational fishing. Hand-held sonar devices, for example, let fishermen read the depth of the water and the number of fish in an area. A special sonar device for ice fishing can penetrate three feet of solid ice to locate fish.