Fly Fishing Quotes

“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

“There is considerable difference between experience and expertise.”
― David Stuver, Familiar Waters: A lifetime of fly fishing Montana

“We are souls with bodies, not the other way around. Without the essence of who we are—intact and authentically within our vessels—we are unblinking, inanimate objects; we are no longer soil. . . we are dirt.”

~ Steve Ramirez, Casting Forward”
― Steve Ramirez, Casting Forward: Fishing Tales from the Texas Hill Country

“Fishing enables us to get closer to nature.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“…if catching fish is your only objective, you are either new to the game or too narrowly focused on measurable results.”
― David Stuver, Familiar Waters: A lifetime of fly fishing Montana

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.”
― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

“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

“My wife warned me that if ever I bought another fishing rod she would feed it into a garden shredder or, worse, feed in something else that “wouldn’t splinter”.”
― 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

“I am free, so I will go forth and fish – as a man alive.”
― 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

“Angling is like the lover who generously and passionately gave us our first kiss, who stole our heart and set the unforgettable benchmark for all who followed.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

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

“Fishing encourages escapism.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Stocked trout are as wild as a Chihuahua sitting in a pink velvet handbag.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Teach a man to fish and you’ve fed him for a lifetime...unless, of course, he doesn’t like sushi – then you’ll have to buy him a Kelly Kettle, hobo stove and frying pan.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Exotic fishing? If I’d wanted to spend a week in Tropical Itchybotty then I’d have bought the cream in advance.”
― 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

“Teach a man to fish and you’ve fed him for a lifetime. Unless, of course, he doesn’t like sushi – then you’ll have to buy him a Kelly Kettle, hobo stove, wok or frying pan as well.”
― Fennel Hudson, Fly Fishing: Fennel's Journal No. 5

“Granddad always said the best things about fishing were beyond the senses. He said the mountains, rivers and fish were the center of why you were there, but not the heart, that the heart was in those pure moments in and around the fishing, or rather what was on the other side of those moments that can only be felt, not told because words were not up to the job. That’s what hooked your soul.”
― J.C. Bonnell, Burnt Tree Fork

“…the things we desire or need may kill us. This can be another reason to take a fly rod in hand and enjoy the environment in and around a stream, and for brief periods of time leave behind all the things you cannot change.”
― David Stuver, Familiar Waters: A lifetime of fly fishing Montana

“Many who enjoy unspoiled places, wild creatures, and wild fish, are not idealists, but simply cognizant of the past greed and follies of man.”
― David Stuver, Familiar Waters: A lifetime of fly fishing Montana

“Finally, our arms simply became too tired to fish any longer, but all good things eventually come to an end, and quitting because of exhausted arms is not a bad way to end a day of trout fishing.”
― David Stuver, Familiar Waters: A lifetime of fly fishing Montana

“Eli returned to the river and paused for a moment midstream. His feet were balanced upon uneven stones. The current tumbled around him. The canyon walls were steep and jagged and solid. The colors beneath the surface stirred and glittered. He wanted to hold his face under water and breathe in their beauty. He dipped his fingers into the snow-cold transient texture and felt a tingle. He closed his eyes to see this sensation clearly. He breathed. He put his hand up to his face and felt the freshness enter his soul. Water droplets dripped from his skin and returned to the river. He opened his eyes as if they were separate from his body, separate from the tension of life, distant from any distraction. He breathed.”
― Daniel J. Rice, THIS SIDE OF A WILDERNESS: A Novel

“Fly fishing is a contemplative experience that embodies the truth of nature and the nature of life”
― Michael Vincent Stagnitta

“Fly fishing is a contemplative experience that embodies the truth of nature and the nature of life.”
― Michael Stagnitta

“Eli returned to the river and paused for a moment midstream. His feet were balanced upon uneven stones. The current tumbled around him. The canyon walls were steep and jagged and solid. The colors beneath the surface stirred and glittered. He wanted to hold his face under water and breathe in their beauty. He dipped his fingers into the snow-cold transient texture and felt a tingle. He closed his eyes to see this sensation clearly. He breathed. He put his river-wet hand up to his face and felt the freshness permeate his skin. Water droplets dripped from his face and returned to the river. He opened his eyes as if they were separate from his body, separate from the tension of life, distant from any distraction. He breathed.”
― Daniel J. Rice, THIS SIDE OF A WILDERNESS: A Novel

“Fly fishing is not a braggers game. There’s no glory to win. No competition or comparison between humans. It’s not about growing ego, but removing it. No fish will provide this lesson. It must come from the conscience of the angler. In the most simple explanation, fly fishing is an introspective quest to tame one’s own mind. This can be shared with others, but only discovered alone.”
― Daniel J. Rice, Familiar Waters: A lifetime of fly fishing Montana