Recreational fishing is big business in Texas. How big? In 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that 2.5 million Texas anglers spent $3.2 billion on their favorite sport.

Now there's a 2008 study being revealed from Sam Rayburn Reservoir that figures anglers on that lake alone forked over $32.1 million in direct expenditures during the 12-month study period. Moreover, expenditures related to bass fishing tournaments generated more than 60 percent of the money spent.

Texas Parks and Wildlife regional fisheries biologist Todd Driscoll conducted the study. While Texas has numerous lakes that are popular with bass tournaments, Driscoll said Sam Rayburn hosts more tournaments than any other Lone Star lake.

"Tournament organizations know that the bass fishing is good at Rayburn, and the lake is huge – big enough to support multiple tournaments every weekend without becoming overcrowded," he said. "We documented 405 bass tournaments with 25,396 participants during the study period."

At 114,000 acres, Rayburn is the biggest lake totally within Texas boundaries. Texas shares Toledo Bend Reservoir, another giant East Texas impoundment (181,000 acres) with Louisiana.

Economic-impact studies have been conducted on other lakes. A 1990 study at Toledo Bend indicated recreational fishing there generated $22 million a year in expenditures. At Lake Fork, the number is $27 million (1994 study) while a 1990 Texoma study come up with $25 million.

Driscoll said it's important to document the value of fishing as water-related issues become increasingly significant.

"We have a lot of big lakes and a lot of water in East Texas," he said. "Other areas of the state are not so fortunate. In the future, we will be making important decisions about how and when water is pumped from these lakes to provide drinking water for metropolitan areas."

Driscoll's study sheds light on the value of fishing tournaments. Though many local recreational anglers do not like the crowds brought to their lakes by tournaments, Driscoll said previous TP&W studies have shown that tournament fishing does not significantly affect the fish population in a lake as big as Rayburn.

Fifty-two percent of the anglers responding to a survey said they compete in at least one tournament annually. Statewide, only 14 percent of bass fishermen are believed to fish in tournaments.

One Rayburn competition alone, the McDonald's Big Bass Splash promoted by Bob Sealy, generated $6.3 million in direct expenditures in 2008. One of the largest amateur bass tournaments in America, the event pays a first-prize package valued at about $100,000. In 2008, there were 3,892 anglers in the field. Nearly twice as many fishermen signed up for the 2009 Big Bass Splash.

Counting expenses during practice periods no more than 30 days prior to a tournament, Driscoll figures that tournament anglers spent $23.6 million traveling to Rayburn, staying at the lake and buying tackle, food, gasoline and other essentials while in the area.

Rayburn did not host a professional-level bass tournament from either of the two major tournament organizers, FLW or Bassmaster, in 2008. An economic-impact study done at Syracuse, N.Y., indicated that a 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series tournament held there resulted in $3.3 million in direct economic impact.