The contributions of recreational fisheries for nutrition and food security have been difficult to characterize, in part because measuring the prevalence of consumptive practices has not been prioritized in research or fisheries management. The relative invisibility of fishing for food has made generalizing rules across recreational fisheries commonplace, masking important heterogeneity in behaviors and perceptions. We present two case studies juxtaposing recreational fishermen risk perceptions and fish consumption behavior in the Alabama coastal system. The first case study involved intercepting shore-based fishermen along Mobile Bay, AL from May 2023 to May 2024 (N=355), and the second case study centered on competitors and spectators at the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo on Dauphin Island, AL in July 2023 (N=328). Both fishermen samples were asked to describe their fish consumption, risk perceptions, and demographics. When compared to Mobile County, shore-based fishermen had a similar median household income and were disproportionately Black; in contrast, competition fishermen had household incomes above the median and were disproportionately White. In both samples, fishermen ate diverse species and the majority of fish consumed were locally caught. For shore-based fishermen, monthly fish consumption was positively correlated with perceptions of fish cleanliness. For competition fishermen, respondents who were concerned about the fish they eat coming from polluted waters consumed different species, specifically by avoiding offshore, reef fish species and consuming more inshore fish species. The fishermen described here represent frequent eaters of local fish on the frontlines of impacts from contamination and other environmental changes. Improving understanding of nutrient and contaminant profiles in local fish, coupled with consumption and community sharing behaviors, would clarify the role of these practices for food security.