Let me start by saying this: not all fishermen are bad. Some are great, laid-back, helpful, and fun to fish with. But then there's the other kind. The ones who make fishing feel less like a hobby and more like high school gym class… with outboard motors and bad attitudes.
Here’s what I’m talking about:
1. No One Believes Your Fish Weighs What You Say It Does
You ever post a photo of a solid catch, ssomething you're actually proud of, and the first comment is, “No way that’s 10 pounds”? Happens all the time. For some reason, a lot of fishermen automatically assume everyone else is lying. Unless they personally watched you weigh it with a certified scale while wearing a polygraph, they’re not buying it.
It's wild. Fishing is supposed to be fun. But the second you share a picture, you’ve got strangers playing CSI: Fish Edition, analyzing shadows, hand placement, the curve of your elbow just to "prove" you're full of it. It’s exhausting.
2. Boat Snobs Are the Worst
This one’s just sad. Some guys think the size of your boat determines how much respect you deserve. Pull up to the dock in a modest, older rig and suddenly you're invisible or worse, a punchline. Meanwhile, the guy with the $100K+ setup acts like he invented the sport just because his boat has more cupholders.
The truth? A $5 lure on a jon boat can outfish a $500 setup on a yacht any day. But try telling that to Captain Ego over there polishing his trolling motor for the fifth time that morning.
3. The Way They Treat Women Who Fish? Gross.
Let’s talk about the seriously messed-up part: how some fishermen treat women in the sport. A guy posts a fish, people ask what bait he used. A woman posts a fish, suddenly the comments are full of creepy remarks about her body, her outfit, or whether she even caught it herself.
It’s not just annoying, it’s straight-up disrespectful. Women should be able to enjoy fishing without being turned into some weird fantasy for dudes with too much time on their hands. Like, maybe she just likes fishing? Shocking concept, I know.
Final Cast
Fishing should be awesome. It should be about relaxing, enjoying nature, swapping stories, and cheering each other on, whether your boat's got rust or radar, whether you're catching bass or just soaking up sun. But too many people turn it into a toxic competition full of gatekeeping, flexing, and flat-out disrespect.
If you're one of the good ones, thank you. If you see this behavior? Call it out. Because the worst part about fishing isn’t the tangled lines or bad weather, it’s the people who ruin it for everyone else.
See y’all on the water. 🎣