. . . To this day I would rather see a fish, creep up to him and watch his rise to my fly than catch half a dozen fish unseen until they take.
Why is it that the destruction of something created by humans is called vandalism, yet the destruction of something created by God is called development?
Most fishermen swiftly learn that it's a pretty good rule never to show a favorite spot to any fisherman you wouldn't trust with your wife.
If Satch (Paige) and I were pitching on the same team, we would clinch the pennant by July fourth and go fishing until World Series time.
Really, the only thing a psychiatrist can do that a good (fishing) guide can't is write prescriptions.
I know that I can sing really loud. It's like having that really big Evinrude engine on the back of your fishing boat. But I've been trying to be more dynamic with my voice and not just singing on ten all of time out of terror.
The sport of digging the bait is nearly equal to that of catching the fish, when one's appetite is not too keen.
In every species of fish I've angled for, it is the ones that have got away that thrill me the most, the ones that keep fresh in my memory. So I say it is good to lose fish. If we didn't, much of the thrill of angling would be gone.
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. A form of meditation, some form of communion with levels of yourself that are deeper than the ordinary self.
Fly fishing is not about catching the fish. It is about enjoying the water, the breeze, the fish swimming all around. If you catch one, good. If you don't. . . that is even better. That mean you come out and get to try all over again.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Don't teach a man to fish and you feed yourself. He's a grown man, fishing's not that hard.
Last year I went fishing with Salvador Dali. He was using a dotted line. He caught every other fish.
When I go fishing I like to know that there's nobody within five miles of me.
The only sure way of avoiding these evils [vanity and boasting] is never to speak of yourself at all. But when, historically, youare obliged to mention yourself, take care not to drop one single word that can directly or indirectly be construed as fishing for applause.
Never leave fish to find fish.
Catch-and-release fishing is an ecological necessity, not my preference. The practice smacks of bad faith, an inauthentic act.
I enjoy hunting, but if I had my choice to go deer hunting or bass fishing, I'd take bass fishing any day of the week. I enjoy both of them, but yeah, I'm a very outdoorsy guy.
Some people build fences to keep people out and we also do things everyday to keep people close - when we play ball and go fishing with our kids, we are doing it to keep them close and fenced in. That's how relationships are built positively - we're using fences to tell people that we love them.
Advice to anglers: don't take advice from people with missing fingers.
It has always been my private conviction that any man who puts his intelligence up against a fish and loses had it coming.