Home Gone Fishin' Index

This file includes page toppers, poems, quotes and humor about fishing. Also see Scouts and Camping, Aquatic Animals, Hunting and Boating.

Page Toppers

Quotes

Fisherman's Prayer

(author unknown)

God give me strength to catch a fish,
So big that even I,
When telling of it afterward,
Have no need to lie.

Requiem For a Fisherman

(© Jeff Wright, used with permission)

A quiet troll across the lake
Its surface still and mirrored
The moisture in the air so thick
As morning sun appears.

The line is whipped with deft finesse
It sails with graceful ease
Near reeds exposed, and tangled roots
Just missing willowed trees.

The first bite starts the tingled thrill
All time is stopped in place
No sound or movement, not a breath
This single-focused face.

A stronger tug, the pole is flicked
The hook so cleanly set
The game goes on with line kept tight
The prize steered toward the net.

The feeling of accomplishment
It saturates your soul
Where skill and silent patience
Are the answer to the goal.

You may not get another bite
For hours through the day
But Nature's sweet serenity
Is often why you stay.

There comes that day for all the best
The fishing's done at last
The final time you tie a hook
The final spinning cast.

But Lord, we hope a lake exists
In Heaven's grand design
Where once again you'll feel the thrill
Of tugging on your line.

Fishing

(author unknown)

When I go fishing
I'm always wishing
Some fish will be my prize;
But while I'm fishing,
The fish are wishing
Otherwise.

And all the wishes
Of all the fishes
Seem always to come true;
So all my wishes
To catch some fishes
Never do.

The Fishing Pole

(Mary Caroline Davies)

A fishing pole's a curious thing;
It's made of just a stick and string;
A boy at one end and a wish,
And on the other end a fish.

Fishing Nooks

(Edgar Guest)

"Men will grow weary," said the Lord,
"Of working for their bed and board.
They'll weary of the money chase
And want to find a resting place
Where hum of wheel is never heard
And no one speaks an angry word,
And selfishness and greed and pride
And petty motives don't abide.
They'll need a place where they can go
To wash their souls as white as snow.
They will be better men and true
If they can play a day or two."

The Lord then made the brooks to flow
And fashioned rivers here below,
And many lakes; for water seems
Best suited for a mortal's dreams.
He placed about them willow trees
To catch the murmur of the breeze,
And sent the birds that sing the best
Among the foliage to nest.
He filled each pond and stream and lake
With fish for man to come and take;
Then stretched a velvet carpet deep
On which a weary soul could sleep.

It seemed to me the Good Lord knew
That man would want something to do
When worn and wearied with the stress
Of battling hard for world success.
When sick at heart of all the strife
And pettiness of daily life,
He knew he'd need, from time to time,
To cleanse himself of city grime,
And he would want some place to be
Where hate and greed he'd never see.
And so on lakes and streams and brooks
The Good Lord fashioned fishing nooks.

Give a man a fish...

. . . and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

. . . and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; and you will not have to listen to his incessant whining about how hungry he is.

. . . and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; and you can sell him fishing equipment.

. . . and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish--and you've got the whole weekend to yourself.

. . . and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will sit in the boat and drink beer all day.

. . . and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll be dead of mercury poisoning inside of three years.

. . . and you feed him for a day. Unless he doesn't like sushi--then you also have to teach him to cook. (Auren Hoffman)

. . . and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

. . . and you feed him for a day. Teach him about religion, and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish. (Timothy Jones)

. . . and you feed him for a day. Give him fish aversion therapy, and you eliminate the craving for life.

Songs about Fishing

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