Social-Ecological Dynamics of Recreational Fishery Landscapes: Recreational angler catch and satisfaction in the Midwest, 2018 to 2024

The goal of this dataset is to understand angler information gathering and sharing, technology use, expectation-setting, site choice, and the factors influencing angler satisfaction in rural and urban environments. These data were collected through on-site creel surveys and instantaneous counts of fishing effort and associated angler vehicles. Traditional creel surveys are completed only at the end of an angler's fishing trip. These dual-intercept creel survey data are novel because anglers were intercepted both before and after their fishing trip. This survey design allowed us to collect unbiased estimates of anglers' expected catch. These data can be used to understand the role of angler expectations in angler satisfaction and behavior. Data collection were conducted in two counties in Wisconsin, USA. Vilas County is a primarily rural, forested, and glaciated region with many relatively small lakes. Dane County has a larger urban center (Madison, WI) that is surrounded by agricultural areas. Most of the Dane County lakes surveyed were part of the Yahara chain of lakes: Lakes Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa, and Kegonsa. Dane county has fewer, larger lakes with greater connectivity to each other. Vilas County was sampled in the summer of 2018, the summer of 2019, and the summer and winter of 2022. Dane County was sampled in the winter and summer of 2022.