While fishing can be a commercial endeavor or practiced to feed a community, it is also a "sport" for millions of people - these are their photos.
Fish have been around for over 450 million years - much longer than humans - and they have been a source of food for modern humans for at least the past 200,000 years. At first, and even now at times, fishing was just a means of survival. But it has also become a popular sport, often involving "catch and release", the practice of catching the fish without harming it and then releasing it back into the water. There are even television shows covering competitive fishing.
Fishing can also be a form of relaxation since, whether on a lake, a river, or the sea, the calming nature of waiting for the fish to bite forces one to unwind and patiently sit, surrounded by nature. So it could accurately be called an antidote to today's stressful world!
Consider these fun facts about the world of fishing:
- April 21, 1959: Alfred Dean of Irymple, Victoria caught a 2,664-pound great white shark off the coast of Australia.
- June 12, 1999: Tiney Mitchell of Port Isabel, Texas constructed the world’s largest fly fishing rod and reel. The rod was 71 feet, 4.5 inches long. The reel measured 4 feet in diameter and 10 inches in width.
- Scientists determined that a 32-inch-long rougheye rockfish caught in Alaska was 205 years old!
- Absolute luxury in fishing! A 12-inch marlin trolling lure was crafted with just over 3 pounds of gold and platinum and encrusted with 100 carats of diamonds and rubies. Cost? $1 million.
- Fly fishing is the most popular style of fishing and is the most ancient of all the other styles too. It was invented around 200 A.D.
- Fly fishing lines were often made of braided horsehair in the past.
- The 4th most popular sport in the U.S. is fishing. About 40 million people are sports fisherman (or fisherwomen) - outnumbering all the country’s golf and tennis players combined. The most popular game fish is the large-mouth bass.
- Scientists determined that a 32-inch-long rougheye rockfish caught in Alaska was 205 years old!
- Illinois was the first state to recognize competitive bass fishing as a sanctioned high school sport - in 2009. In the first year, more than 800 students competed to represent 217 high schools at a statewide competition.
Enjoy these photos of people fishing over the past couple of centuries.
Taken
in 1279390, MN in .
A photo of Mary Goldschnikl Toth, 1279390, MN 1952
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on Sep 28, 2014 by
A photo of Albert E Ledbetter
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on Apr 26, 2014 by
Taken
in .
A photo of Senator Shortridge of California, fishing.
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
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in .
A photo of an unknown man (lazily) fishing.
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
Taken
in .
A photo of a morning's catch in the Adirondacks.
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
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in .
A photo of a day's fishing Palm Beach Florida
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
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in .
A photo of "The Old Fisherman" Cranberry Lake, N.J.
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
Taken
in .
A photo of a Cape Ann fisherman mending his nets
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
A photo of Miles Poindexter, Senator from the state of Washington, fishing.
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
Taken
in .
Hupa man with spear, standing on bank gazing into stream.
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on Jan 11, 2012 by
A photo of George Winston Rymer
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on Aug 28 by
A photo of Samuel Chortkoff
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on Jul 4 by
A photo of Darrell Wayne (Johnson ) Nelson
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on Jul 1 by
A photo of Norvil Bernard Abelson
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on Mar 13 by
A woman, her rod, and a poor fish.
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on Dec 13, 2017 by
A photo of Lowell E Barnes
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on Jan 12, 2017 by
A photo of Lowell E Barnes
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on Jan 12, 2017 by
A photo of C. Lowell Barnes
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on Jan 12, 2017 by
Taken
in Avalon, Los Angeles County, CA in .
A photo of Gene Jordan and his catch at Avalon, Catalina Island
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on Jul 27, 2016 by
A photo of two unknown men, found after my moms death.
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on Apr 16, 2016 by
Taken
in OR in .
A photo of Lucias Ellan Lucas (far right) and his fishing buddies. By the... more
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on Jan 19, 2016 by
A photo of John Henry Martin, my grandfather. Worked as a fishing guide in... more
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on Dec 4, 2015 by
Eulalia fishing in Boones Mill, VA (1969).
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on Dec 2, 2015 by
Taken
in Cromwell, KY in .
A photo of Oles Jewel Haven. Oles is on the right, holding a Giant Fish.... more
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on Sep 24, 2015 by
Roy Tindall and Edna Swyers-Tindall
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on Sep 19, 2015 by
Taken
in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, CA in .
A photo of friends on a fishing trip: l-r unknown, Lynn Harrison, Olive... more
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on Jul 2, 2015 by
Taken
in St Maries, Benewah County, ID in .
My dad, Leonard John Chapman, was a first rate, Fly Fisherman! Here he has a... more
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on May 28, 2015 by
A photo of Hedley James Dalton (1907 - 1982)
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on Apr 1, 2015 by
Taken
at Simmons Co. parking lot,
Atlanta, Fulton County, GA in .
A photo of Loubert S Steed & J B Cochran "Catch of the Day" Loubert & JB... more
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on Mar 2, 2015 by
A photo of Eldon Frisch
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on Feb 19, 2015 by