Angling Quotes

“As no man is born an artist, so no man is born an angler.”
― Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler, or the Contemplative Man's Recreation

“He was fond of angling, and seemed proud of being able to like such a stupid occupation.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

“People fish because they are searching for something. Often it is not for a fish.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“I go fishing for reasons other than catching fish.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“When left alone with nothing but one’s emotions and inner thoughts for company, the nocturnal world can be completely overpowering.”
― Fennel Hudson, Wild Carp: Fennel's Journal No. 4

“There’s always an opportunity to fish for something – even if it’s just for laughs or ideas.”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“There are some pools that woo us, as if in courtship. Others challenge, as if yearning a feisty relationship.”
― Fennel Hudson, Wild Carp: Fennel's Journal No. 4

“Night fishing accentuates the atmosphere of a lake. It is as if, once darkness falls, the character of the pool announces, “I am here.”
― Fennel Hudson, Wild Carp: Fennel's Journal No. 4

“There is a moment during every fight with a strong fish when you wonder whether it or you will win the battle.”
― Fennel Hudson, Wild Carp: Fennel's Journal No. 4

“It had been a long quest. Yet I was within casting distance of my dream.”
― Fennel Hudson, Wild Carp: Fennel's Journal No. 4

“Catching fish is secondary to the immeasurable joys of the watery world.”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“Traditional angling is a mindset. So,have you set your mind?”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“Angling is a recreation. It’s supposed to be fun.”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“There are a million-and-one ways to enjoy a day’s angling. Catching fish is but one of them.”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“It is the goings-on between bites that excites the traditional angler as much as when the float goes under.”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“Angling is a sport, so sporting ethics should apply.”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“Smile, tip your traditional hat, and enjoy your time by the water.”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“The act of fishing – for fish, dreams or whatever magic is available – is enough.”
― Fennel Hudson, Traditional Angling: Fennel's Journal No. 6

“Fly-fishing is an act of hope that leads to a net full of fish and a head full of dreams.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Fly-fishing is the simplest, purest, most skilful and pleasurable way to catch a fish.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“With a fly rod, anglers are not casting to a fish; rather to a circle of dreams: ripples that spread into every aspect of their lives.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Choosing to become a fly-fisher, or at least committing to being a fly-only angler, makes me feel like I’m washing away the grime from my fishing tackle to reveal the beauty of what lies beneath.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Fly-fishing encourages us to dream – of rose-tinted sunsets and lazy spring days when swallows swoop and the hedgerows are blossomed in brilliant white.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Asking an angler why he or she needs so many fishing rods is like asking a woman why she has so many pairs of shoes.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Fly-fishing in England has a sense of homeliness to it.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Shorten your line, focus your casts, and slow things down. Enjoy the magic of local fishing.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Fishing unlocks the primeval hunting gene.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“I could tell you that the flies were Ecdyonurus dispar, or Soumatti meddup, but I’m hopeless at entomology. Conclusion? ‘Little brown things fluttering above the water’.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“These were wild fish of secret spaces, of ice water and northern mountains, of lost valleys and water never looked upon. They embodied those species that live in remote and hidden hinterlands where the civilized do not go. Those trout are yeti. They are the Sasquatch.”
― James Card, The Dawn Patrol Diaries

“But mostly I spearfished alone. I liked to get up before dawn and make some coffee and drink it out on the beach as the sun came up. Those cool mornings are what I lived for after the long-hours work week. I liked striping down to my shorts and letting the cold wind brace my skin as I pulled on the wetsuit. I liked spitting into my mask and rubbing the saliva around as a natural lens defogger. But most of all I loved killing fish with a spear.”
― James Card, The Dawn Patrol Diaries