100+ Timeless Quotes About Fishing to Hook Your Spirit

Ever wondered why fishing has inspired so many thinkers over the centuries?

Fishing has been the muse for countless poets and everyday enthusiasts. It's not just about the thrill of the catch but the profound moments of reflection, the camaraderie, and the deep connection with nature. If you want to go deep into the world of fishing through the best quotes about fishing, keep reading! 

Funny Fishing Quotes

  • "The best way to catch a fish is to let him think he's escaping." - Unknown
  • "Fishing is just like drinking - if you do it right, you'll eventually fall into it." - Unknown
  • "Fishing is just like cheating on your wife. The big difference is that when you're done fishing, you have to throw the fish back." - Unknown
  • "If you want to make a living from fishing, start with two boats." - Unknown
  • "The best way to a fisherman's heart is through his fly." - Unknown
  • "There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot." - Steven Wright
  • "I fish better with a lit cigar; some people fish better with talent." - Nick Lyons
  • "Fishing is the sport of drowning worms." - Unknown
  • "Fishing is like dating; it's all catch and release until you find a keeper." - Unknown
  • "I spent a lot of money on fishing gear. The rest I just wasted." - Unknown
  • "Give a man a fish, and he has food for a day; teach him how to fish, and you can get rid of him for the entire weekend." - Zenna Schaffer
  • "The best time to go fishing is when you can get away." - Robert Traver
  • "There is no such thing as too much equipment." - Unknown (Every fisherman's mantra!)
  • "I don't exaggerate... I just remember BIG!" - Chi Chi Rodriguez
  • "I fish to burn off the crazy!" - Unknown
  • "Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught." - Unknown
  • "If fishing is interfering with your business, give up your business." - Sparse Grey Hackle
  • "The best way to a fisherman's heart is through his fly." - Unknown
  • "Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths." - Unknown

Iconic Fishing Quotes

quotes about fishing
  • "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work." - Unknown
  • "Fishing is a passion that can never be fully explained." - Unknown 
  • "There's no such thing as a bad day when you're fishing." - John D. Williams
  • "When in doubt, fish!" - Bumper sticker 
  • "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." - Henry David Thoreau
  • "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." - John Buchan
  • "Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it." - Harry Middleton
  • "There he stands, draped in more equipment than a telephone lineman, trying to outwit an organism with a brain no bigger than a breadcrumb, and getting licked in the process." - Paul O'Neil
  • "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." - Doug Larson
  • "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." - A.K. Best
  • "All the romance of trout fishing exists in the mind of the angler and is in no way shared by the fish." - Harold F. Blaisdell
  • "If I fished only to capture fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago." - Zane Grey
  • "I go fishing not to find myself but to lose myself." - Joseph Monninger
  • "Fishing provides that connection with the whole living world. It gives you the opportunity of being totally immersed, turning back into yourself in a good way." - Ted Hughes
  • "To fish is to hold a mirror to nature." - Paul Schullery
  • "The best fisherman I know try not to make the same mistakes over and over again; instead, they strive to make new and interesting mistakes and to remember what they learned from them." - John Gierach
  • "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in." - Henry David Thoreau
  • "Fishing is a... discipline in the equality of men - for all men are equal before fish." - Herbert Hoover
  • "There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm." - Patrick F. McManus
  • "The solution to any problem—work, love, money, whatever—is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be." - John Gierach
  • "Fishing is a hard job. Fishing at night. Rain. Day, night. You have to be wise and smart. And quick." - Mariano Rivera
  • "Angling may be said to be so like the mathematics that it can never be fully learned." - Izaak Walton
  • "There are always new places to go fishing. For any fisherman, there's always a new place, always a new horizon." - Jack Nicklaus

Inspirational Fishing Quotes

  • "Fishing is not just a hobby; it's a state of mind." - Mariano Rivera
  • "In fishing, as in life, opportunity is often a matter of being in the right place at the right time." - Larry Koller
  • "The water you touch in a river is the last of that which has passed, and the first of that which is coming; thus it is with time." - Leonardo da Vinci
  • "In every drop of water, there is a story of life." - Leena Arif
  • "To fish is to hope. Each cast a new beginning, each retrieve a new promise." - M.K. Soni
  • "The act of fishing transports us to a special world, and a state of mind, where we are free." - Fennel Hudson
  • "Angling may be said to be so like the mathematics that it can never be fully learned." - Izaak Walton
  • "Fishing is an affirmation of life's richness and our profound interconnectedness to the natural world." - Carl Safina
  • "The two best times to fish is when it's rainin' and when it ain't." - Patrick F. McManus
  • "Fishing is a discipline in patience. It's about the journey, not just the destination." - Chris Campanioni
  • "The world is water, and we are all connected by its deep, flowing rhythm." - Roderick Haig-Brown
  • "Fishing is not an escape from the world, but a deeper connection to it." - Anthony T. Hincks
  • "Every time I cast my line, I connect with the heart of nature." - Linda Greenlaw
  • "The sea is the same as it has been since before men ever went on it in boats." - Ernest Hemingway
  • "Fishing brings out the reverence of the harmony of all things." - Ted Trueblood
  • "Angling is a way of calming the soul and setting the spirit free." - Dave Hughes
  • "Fishing is a quest for knowledge and wonder as much as a pursuit of fish; it is as much an acquaintance with beavers, dippers, and other fishermen as it is a challenge of trout." - Paul Schullery
  • "The act of fishing takes us to the hidden corners of the world, revealing the beauty that lies beneath the surface." - James Prosek
  • "Fishing is not just about catching fish; it's about understanding the delicate balance of nature." - Aldo Leopold
  • "To go fishing is a chance to wash one's soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of the sun on blue water." - Herbert Hoover

Wise Fishing Quotes

  • "Fishing seems to be the great occasion when all manner of contradictions reconcile themselves." - Iris Murdoch 
  • "The fisherman knows that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore." - Vincent Van Gogh
  • "A fisherman's skill is born from moments of stillness and patterns of movement." - Bryant McGill
  • "The best fishermen I know don't look for the fish. They look for the places where fish hide." - Tommy Bolton
  • "In silence and patience, the wisdom of fishing unfolds." - Julian Barnes
  • "The fisherman weaves a tapestry of dreams from the memories of the waters he's known." - Derek Mills
  • "The wise fisherman knows that satisfaction is not always measured in the size of the catch." - Lao Tzu
  • "It's not the fish you catch, it's the peace of mind you take home at the end of the day." - Earl Dibbles Jr.
  • "A wise fisherman always casts his net on both sides of the boat." - African Proverb
  • "The angler forgets most of the fish he catches, but he remembers the streams in which they are caught." - Charles K. Fox
  • "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." - Herbert Hoover
  • "There's certainly something in fishing that makes a man feel he is doing right; I can't explain it, but it's very pleasant." - Norman Maclean
  • "The greatest attraction of a fishing trip is that it allows washing one's soul with pure air." - Hercules Courtenay

Romantic Fishing Quotes

  • "I love people who make me forget my troubles. I love fishing because it's one of those things you can do alone or with someone, and either way, it's delightful." - Unknown
  • "The great trawler fleets sweep the seas and deliver their daily catch to tables worldwide, but they do more than that. They deliver hope, give life itself." - Jacques Yves Cousteau
  • "In the vast ocean of life, it was fishing that brought our hearts together." - Unknown
  • "You and me, we're like two fish in the sea of love." - Cassandra Clare
  • "Every time I cast my line, I hope to catch a moment with you." - Lila Monroe
  • "Our love is like fishing – it's about patience, timing, and the thrill of the catch." - Unknown
  • "In the stillness of the waters, I found my heart hooked on you." - Juliet Marillier
  • "With you, every fishing trip becomes an adventure of love and memories." - Nora Roberts
  • "They say there are plenty of fish in the sea, but for me, you're the only catch." - Unknown
  • "Our love story began with a simple fishing trip, and now it's a tale as deep as the ocean." - Nicholas Sparks
  • "You are the fish that I never want to release back into the sea." - Colleen Hoover
  • "Like a fisherman's lure, you've captured my heart with your love." - E.L. James

Quotes by Ernest Hemingway

fishing quotes funny

Famous American writer Ernest Hemingway was one of the most passionate fishermen. He once said: "Fishing is a discipline in the equality of men - for all men are equal before fish." The story goes that once Ernest Hemingway was asked how he went about writing a novel. He replied: "You just sit down at the typewriter and bleed." Fishing was one of his great loves in life, next to writing, of course. 

His most famous short story - The Old Man and the Sea - is about an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles to catch a giant marlin. It is a beautiful story about hope, determination, and the human spirit. "Fishing was more than fish to him. It was the great occasion when all men were equal," describes the author.

Here's the quote from The Old Man and the Sea that every fisherman should know:

"You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive, and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?" - Ernest Hemingway

Fishing Quotes for Dad 

  • "A father is someone who can teach his son how to catch a fish, but also knows how to let him loose." - Unknown
  • "The best way to teach your children about fishing is to take them out on the boat with you." - Unknown
  • "If I can get my son to love fishing half as much as I do, then I will have done my job as a father." - Unknown
  • "To the world, you're just a dad. To me, you're the world's best fishing buddy." - Unknown
  • "Dad taught me how to fish, but more importantly, he taught me how to appreciate the quiet moments in between." - Unknown
  • "In dad's boat, I learned more about life than fishing." - Unknown
  • "Dad always said, 'Fishing isn't about the fish. It's about the time spent together catching them.'" - Unknown

    Fishing Quotes for Social Media

    • "Casting lines and making memories. 🎣 #FishingLife"
    • "Gone fishing, be back at sunset. Or maybe sunrise. 🌅 #CatchOfTheDay"
    • "Reeling in the good vibes. 🐟 #FishOn"
    • "Lost in the serenity, found by the water. 💦 #FishingDiaries"
    • "If you can't find me, check the fishing spot. 📍 #HookedOnLife"
    • "Chasing fish tales and unforgettable moments. 📸 #GoneFishing"
    • "Life's better with a rod in hand. 🎣 #FishermanFeels"
    • "Fishing: My kind of social distancing. 🛶 #NatureCalls"
    • "Making waves and catching dreams. 🌊 #FishingAdventures"
    • "Every cast tells a story. What's yours? 🐠 #ReelTalk"

    Best Fishing Proverbs

    • "A fish and a guest smell after three days." - English Proverb
    • "Fish or cut bait." - American Proverb
    • "A woman who has never seen her husband fishing doesn't know what a patient man she married!" - Unknown
    • "The fish always sees the bait, never the hook." - Chinese Proverb
    • "A big fish is caught with big bait." - African Proverb
    • "If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets." - Scottish Proverb
    • "A bad day fishing still beats a good day working." - Unknown
    • "Fishermen own the fish they catch, but they do not own the ocean." - Kenyan Proverb
    • "The best time to go fishing is when you can." - Old Proverb
    • "Where the water is too clear, there are no fish." - Korean Proverb
    • "The fish that is being chased does not tire." - African Proverb
    • "You can't catch trout with dry breeches." - Spanish Proverb
    • "Even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if it kept its mouth shut." - Korean Proverb
    • "The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish." - Unknown
    • "When the river is silent, the fish has swum to the sea." - Malagasy Proverb
    • "The fish sees the worm, not the hook; a man sees not the danger, only the profit." - Mongolian Proverb
    • "Fish die belly upward, and rise to the surface. It's their way of falling." - André Gide
    • "The fish trap exists because of the fish. Once you've gotten the fish you can forget the trap." - Chinese Proverb
    • "If you wish to fish, you must venture your bait." - Latin Proverb
    • "The fisherman is the biggest liar in the world. Except for writers, of course." - Unknown

    MORE FISHING TIPS FOR ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA