TackleDirect has partnered with the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) to promote the R3 Initiative to our network of customers and industry partners.

What is the R3 Initiative?
R3 stands for Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation. TackleDirect supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective R3 efforts to increase participation in fishing and boating.
An increase in participation means more customers for businesses, more fishing licenses and boat registration purchases, increased tackle and equipment sales, and more funds for states to protect our aquatic natural resources and the wildlife they sustain through fish stocking, habitat management, fish surveys and research, boat ramp management and more.

Recruitment – Reaching individuals who have never been boating or fishing, but have expressed an interest in it.

Retention – Keeping anglers and boaters who participate coming back year after year.

Reactivation – Bringing back anglers and boaters whose participation has been interrupted for over a year.

We would encourage all of our customers and industry partners to do what they can to promote the sport of fishing and any R3 Initiative Programs. Together we can ensure a healthy future for this wonderful lifestyle that we all enjoy. Below is a helpful list of R3 resources provided by the RBFF:

GENERAL R3 RESOURCES

• Angler R3 Program Funding Needs Assessment Results & Scorecard: includes research findings and implications, and a scorecard to assist the R3 community in scoring proposals and prioritizing angler R3 programs to support. The scorecard is also available in Excel.

• Identifying New Anglers & Boaters and Determining Tactics for Retention: this research was conducted to understand newcomers to fishing and boating in the 2020 season.

• Actionable Strategies for Angler R3: this R3 research provides key findings and recommendations for angler R3.

• State Fishing License Sales Trends Analysis: this analysis of state and national trends in fishing license sales confirms the effectiveness of R3 efforts on growth.

• AFWA Angler R3 Task Force Report: report by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) President’s Task Force on Angler R3 with recommendations for state agencies.

• Thirty Tips for Better Angler and Boater R3 Practices: thirty detailed ideas to help your organization better recruit, retain and reactivate anglers and boaters.

• Angler R3 Coordinator Position Description Template: resource for state agencies in hiring an Angler R3 Coordinator/Manager.

• Angler R3 Plan Guiding Document: resource to assist state agencies in developing an angler R3 plan for their state.

• Recommendations and Strategic Tools for Effective Angler Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) Efforts: recommendations and strategic tools to enable state agencies, non-government organizations and industry to improve R3 effectiveness.

• Highlights of Angler Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) Literature: summary of recent literature on angler R3 efforts throughout the country.

• Direct Mail & Email Marketing Toolkit to Reactivate Lapsed Anglers: step-by-step guide that provides straightforward instructions to plan, execute and manage your agency’s lapsed angler license renewal program.

• First-Time Buyers Retention Email Campaign Toolkit: toolkit which contains email templates and steps to implement a program to retain first-time license buyers in your state.

• Best Practices Workbook For Boating, Fishing, and Aquatic Resource Stewardship Education: manual to provide information for program planning, development and implementation, professional development, program evaluation and educational program research.

• Boat Registration Reactivation Program: program partnership with RBFF and state agencies to reach lapsed boaters. The state agency receives all the revenue that the programs generates.

• State R3 Program Grants: program to help fund state programs that are sustainable and replicable angler and boater R3 initiatives.

• George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar™ Education Fund Grants: provides funds for state agencies to match and sub grant to local organizations that focus on engaging Hispanic families in fishing and boating activities.

• RBFF Webinar Series: content most requested by state agencies and developed into webinars.

• Hispanic Toolkit: compilation of tools for stakeholders to help them focus more strategically and effectively on reaching the Hispanic boater and angler.

• Fishing and Boating Research: reports from a variety of research projects to better understand recreational boating and fishing and aquatic resource stewardship,