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The Joy and Wisdom of Fly Fishing: 157 Inspiring Fly Fishing Quotes




Fly fishing is more than just a sport; it’s a journey into the heart of nature and a reflection of life’s deeper truths. Whether you’re an experienced angler or new to the stream, these 157 quotes will resonate with your love for the art of fly fishing. They capture the patience, beauty, and wisdom found in this timeless pursuit. Fly fishing allows us to immerse ourselves in the tranquility of flowing waters and the serenity of the natural world. It's a way to connect with the environment and appreciate its delicate balance. As we cast our lines and watch the dance of the fly on the water's surface, we are reminded of the interconnectedness of all living things and the need for harmony with our surroundings.


The act of fly fishing also serves as a metaphor for life itself. Just as we patiently wait for the perfect moment to reel in a catch, we learn the value of patience and persistence in our everyday endeavors. The rhythmic motion of casting and the gentle flow of the river mirror the ebb and flow of our own experiences. Each cast is a lesson in adaptability and resilience, reminding us to go with the flow and adjust to life's currents. Fly fishing is not just a pastime; it’s a philosophy that teaches us to appreciate the journey as much as the destination, to find joy in the process, and to savor the moments of stillness amidst the movement of life.


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1. "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." – A.K. Best


2. "Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the point." – John Gierach


3. "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." – Henry David Thoreau


4. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


5. "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


6. "Fly-fishing is a sport that only becomes more enjoyable with age. In fact, like wine, it's better after 60." – Tom Brokaw

7. "A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it." – Arnold Gingrich


8. "Time spent fishing is time well spent." – Justin Morgan


9. "Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it." – Harry Middleton


10. "The best time to go fishing is when you can get away." – Robert Traver


11. "Fly-fishing is the most fun you can have standing up." – Arnold Gingrich


12. "Fly-fishing is like a four-hour lecture on patience and deception. But you always want to do it

again." – Richard Louv


13. "The act of fishing – for fish, dreams, or whatever magic is available – is enough. It transports us to a special world, and a state of mind, where we are free." – Fennel Hudson


14. "There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind." – Washington Irving


15. "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." – Doug Larson


16. "Catching fish is secondary to the immeasurable joy of fly-fishing." – Robert Spaight


17. "Fly-fishing is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." – John Buchan


18. "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at the office." – Unknown


19. "Fly-fishing is the most fun you can have standing up." – Arnold Gingrich


20. "There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot." – Steven Wright


21. "To go fishing is one of the most pleasant activities that mankind has ever invented." – Norman Maclean


22. "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


23. "The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it ain't." – Patrick F. McManus


24. "Fly-fishing is the beautiful thing about fly-fishing. The thing we seek and sometimes never quite achieve." – Christopher Camuto


25. "Fishing is a discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish." – Herbert Hoover


26. "The river is a holy place for those who understand the nature of its offerings." – Roderick Haig-Brown


27. "To fish or not to fish? That's a dumb question." – Unknown


28. "The world is full of bastards, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana." – Norman Maclean


29. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


30. "The fisherman knows that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reasons for remaining ashore." – Vincent van Gogh


31. "Most of the world is covered by water. A fisherman's job is simple: Pick out the best parts." – Charles Waterman


32. "The best way to a fisherman's heart is through his fly." – Unknown


33. "A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself." – Laura Gilpin


34. "A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it." – Arnold Gingrich


35. "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


36. "Fishing is a delusion entirely surrounded by liars in old clothes." – Don Marquis


37. "Fishing, with me, has always been an excuse to drink in the daytime." – Jimmy Cannon


38. "There is no greater fan of fly-fishing than the worm." – Patrick F. McManus


39. "I go fishing not to find myself, but to lose myself." – Joseph Monninger


40. "Fishing is a quest for knowledge and wonder as much as a pursuit of fish." – Paul Schullery


41. "The fisherman fishes in the fresh water for the truth." – Thoreau


42. "Fly-fishing is an art worth all the costs." – Norman Maclean


43. "The great charm of fly-fishing is that we are always learning." – Theodore Gordon


44. "The best fisherman I know always said that the fish he caught were 'all that I could reach.'" – Charles Kuralt


45. "It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish

and loses has it coming." – John Steinbeck


46. "I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found; because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time, and I don't want to waste the trip." – Robert Traver


47. "Fly-fishing is a sport invented by insects and perfected by men." – Unknown


48. "A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm." – William Shakespeare


49. "There is magic in the feel of a line, and the tug of a fish, making you feel alive in a part of the world that has grown old and tired." – Bill Watterson


50. "Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it." – Harry Middleton


51. "The water is wide, I cannot get over. Neither have I wings to fly. Give me a boat that can carry two, and both shall row, my love and I." – Anonymous


52. "A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other." – Samuel Johnson


53. "Fishing seems to be the favorite form of loafing." – Edgar Watson Howe


54. "A fisherman's job is simple: Pick out the best parts." – Charles Waterman


55. "The angling fever is a very real disease and can only be cured by the application of cold water

and fresh, untainted air." – Theodore Gordon


56. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


57. "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." – A.K. Best


58. "The angler forgets most of the fish he catches, but he does not forget the streams and lakes in which they are caught." – Charles K. Fox


59. "Fly-fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float-fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other." – Samuel Johnson


60. "Fishing is a... discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish." – Herbert Hoover


61. "A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it." – Arnold Gingrich


62. "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in." – Henry David Thoreau


63. "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." – A.K. Best


64. "Fishing provides time to think, and reason not to. If you have the virtue of patience, an hour or

two casting alone is plenty of time to review all you’ve learned about the grand themes of life." – Carl Safina


65. "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." – A.K. Best


66. "There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot." – Aldo Leopold


67. "The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it ain't." – Patrick F. McManus


68. "Fly-fishing is the most fun you can have standing up." – Arnold Gingrich


69. "Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it." – Harry Middleton


70. "Fishing, with me, has always been an excuse to drink in the daytime." – Jimmy Cannon


71. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


72. "Fly-fishing is the beautiful thing about fly-fishing. The thing we seek and sometimes never quite achieve." – Christopher Camuto


73. "There is no greater fan of fly-fishing than the worm." – Patrick F. McManus


74. "A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other." – Samuel Johnson


75. "Fly-fishing is a beautiful thing about fly-fishing. The thing we seek and sometimes never quite achieve." – Christopher Camuto


76. "Fly-fishing is a pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." – John Buchan


77. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


78. "Fly-fishing is the most fun you can have standing up." – Arnold Gingrich


79. "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." – A.K. Best


80. "Fly-fishing is a sport invented by insects and perfected by men." – Unknown


81. "Fishing provides time to think, and reason not to." – Carl Safina


82. "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at the office." – Unknown


83. "There is magic in the feel of a line, and the tug of a fish, making you feel alive in a part of the world that has grown old and tired." – Bill Watterson


84. "Fly-fishing is a sport that only becomes more enjoyable with age. In fact, like wine, it's better after 60." – Tom Brokaw


85. "Fishing, with me, has always been an excuse to drink in the daytime." – Jimmy Cannon


86. "Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it." – Harry Middleton


87. "The best way to a fisherman's heart is through his fly." – Unknown


88. "Fly-fishing is an art worth all the costs." – Norman Maclean


89. "Fishing is a discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish." – Herbert Hoover


90. "The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it ain't." – Patrick F. McManus


91. "Fly-fishing is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." – John Buchan


92. "There is no greater fan of fly-fishing than the worm." – Patrick F. McManus


93. "The best time to go fishing is when you can get away." – Robert Traver


94. "Fly-fishing is like a four-hour lecture on patience and deception. But you always want to do it

again." – Richard Louv


95. "The great charm of fly-fishing is that we are always learning." – Theodore Gordon


96. "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


97. "Fishing, with me, has always been an excuse to drink in the daytime." – Jimmy Cannon


98. "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


99. "Fly-fishing is a beautiful thing about fly-fishing. The thing we seek and sometimes never quite achieve." – Christopher Camuto


100. "Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the point." – John Gierach


101. "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at the office." – Unknown


102. "Fly-fishing is the most fun you can have standing up." – Arnold Gingrich


103. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


104. "Fly-fishing is a sport that only becomes more enjoyable with age. In fact, like wine, it's better

after 60." – Tom Brokaw


105. "There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind." – Washington Irving


106. "Fly-fishing is like a four-hour lecture on patience and deception. But you always want to do it again." – Richard Louv


107. "Fly-fishing is an art worth all the costs." – Norman Maclean


108. "Fishing provides time to think, and reason not to." – Carl Safina


109. "Fly-fishing is the beautiful thing about fly-fishing. The thing we seek and sometimes never quite achieve." – Christopher Camuto


110. "Fishing, with me, has always been an excuse to drink in the daytime." – Jimmy Cannon


111. "The best way to a fisherman's heart is through his fly." – Unknown


112. "Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the

point." – John Gierach


113. "The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it ain't." – Patrick F. McManus


114. "There is no greater fan of fly-fishing than the worm." – Patrick F. McManus


115. "The best fisherman I know always said that the fish he caught were 'all that I could reach.'" – Charles Kuralt


116. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


117. "A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it." – Arnold Gingrich


118. "Fly-fishing is a sport invented by insects and perfected by men." – Unknown


119. "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


120. "There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind." – Washington Irving


121. "Fly-fishing is a pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." – John Buchan


122. "Fishing is a quest for knowledge and wonder as much as a pursuit of fish." – Paul Schullery


123. "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at the office." – Unknown


124. "The world is full of bastards, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana." – Norman Maclean


125. "Fishing, with me, has always been an excuse to drink in the daytime." – Jimmy Cannon


126. "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


127. "There is magic in the feel of a line, and the tug of a fish, making you feel alive in a part of the world that has grown old and tired." – Bill Watterson


128. "Fly-fishing is the most fun you can have standing up." – Arnold Gingrich


129. "Fishing is a discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish." – Herbert Hoover


130. "The best time to go fishing is when you can get away." – Robert Traver


131. "Fly-fishing is like a four-hour lecture on patience and deception. But you always want to do it again." – Richard Louv


132. "The great charm of fly-fishing is that we are always learning." – Theodore Gordon


133. "Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others,

and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the

point." – John Gierach


134. "Fly-fishing is a sport that only becomes more enjoyable with age. In fact, like wine, it's better after 60." – Tom Brokaw


135. "A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other." – Samuel Johnson


136. "Fishing seems to be the favorite form of loafing." – Edgar Watson Howe


137. "The angling fever is a very real disease and can only be cured by the application of cold water and fresh, untainted air." – Theodore Gordon


138. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


139. "Fishing provides time to think, and reason not to." – Carl Safina


140. "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." – A.K. Best


141. "Fly-fishing is a pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." – John Buchan


142. "The best way to a fisherman's heart is through his fly." – Unknown


143. "Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it." – Harry Middleton


144. "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at the office." – Unknown


145. "Fly-fishing is the most fun you can have standing up." – Arnold Gingrich


146. "The best fisherman I know always said that the fish he caught were 'all that I could reach.'" – Charles Kuralt


147. "A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself." – Laura

Gilpin


148. "Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers." – Herbert Hoover


149. "Fly-fishing is a beautiful thing about fly-fishing. The thing we seek and sometimes never quite achieve." – Christopher Camuto


150. "A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it." – Arnold Gingrich


151. "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


152. "Fly-fishing is a pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." – John Buchan


153. "The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it ain't." – Patrick F. McManus


154. "Fly-fishing is a sport invented by insects and perfected by men." – Unknown


155. "Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it." – Harry Middleton


156. "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at the office." – Unknown


157. "Fly-fishing is a beautiful thing about fly-fishing. The thing we seek and sometimes never quite achieve." – Christopher Camuto


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These quotes remind us that fly fishing is not just about catching fish; it’s about finding peace, connecting with nature, and reflecting on life. The wisdom and joy it brings are unparalleled, and for those who understand its magic, fly fishing becomes a lifelong passion. The gentle rhythm of casting, the soothing sounds of the flowing water, and the beauty of the natural surroundings create a profound sense of tranquility. It's a way to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and immerse oneself in the serenity of the great outdoors.


Moreover, fly fishing offers a unique opportunity for introspection and self-discovery. As the angler waits patiently for a bite, there is ample time to contemplate life's mysteries and appreciate the simple pleasures that often go unnoticed. It's a pursuit that encourages mindfulness and a deep connection to the environment. Whether standing in a rushing stream or casting from the shore of a peaceful lake, fly fishing provides a space for inner reflection and a chance to appreciate the beauty of the natural world.

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