--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best time to go fishing is when you can" description: "\"The best time to go fishing is when you can\" — Ed Zern" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/ed-zern-31077_angling_the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you_2641550.jpg" --- # The best time to go fishing is when you can ![“The best time to go fishing is when you can” quote by Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/ed-zern-31077_angling_the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you_2641550.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/ed-zern-31077_angling_the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you_2641550.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/ed-zern-31077_angling_the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you_2641550.jpg) > “The best time to go fishing is when you can” [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The optimal moment to act is when you have the opportunity; don't wait for perfect conditions. **In simple terms:** Act when you can. Key Takeaway Seize the moment. Themes opportunity timing action Mood motivational urgent Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - career moves - sports - creative projects - personal goals Key Concepts decision theory carpe diem Questions to Reflect On - What opportunity are you delaying? - How do you assess readiness? A Different Perspective Opportunities may be fleeting; timing is uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angling/) [Best time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-time/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishing/) [Fly fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fly-fishing/) [Funny fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-fishing/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The best time to go fishing is when you can get away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you-can-get-away/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it ain't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-f-mcmanus/the-two-best-times-to-fish-is-when-it-s-raining-and-when-it-ain-t/) [Patrick F. McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-f-mcmanus/) > [There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-f-mcmanus/there-is-no-greater-fan-of-fly-fishing-than-the-worm/) [Patrick F. McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-f-mcmanus/) > [The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-gods-do-not-deduct-from-man-s-allotted-span-the-hours-spent-in/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [Bragging may not bring happiness, but no man having caught a large fish goes home through an alley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/bragging-may-not-bring-happiness-but-no-man-having-caught-a-large/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [Creeps and idiots cannot conceal themselves for long on a fishing trip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gierach/creeps-and-idiots-cannot-conceal-themselves-for-long-on-a-fishing-trip/) [John Gierach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gierach/) > [I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/i-love-fishing-you-put-that-line-in-the-water-and-you-don-t-know-what/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fishing-was-good-it-was-the-catching-that-was-bad/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What a tourist terms a plague of insects, the fly fisher calls a great hatch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-f-mcmanus/what-a-tourist-terms-a-plague-of-insects-the-fly-fisher-calls-a-great/) [Patrick F. McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-f-mcmanus/) > [Good things come to those who initiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-roane/good-things-come-to-those-who-initiate/) [Susan RoAne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-roane/) > [Fly fishermen are born honest, but they get over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/fly-fishermen-are-born-honest-but-they-get-over-it/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [People who fish for food, and sport be damned, are called pot-fishermen. The more expert ones are called crack pot-fishermen. All other fishermen are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/people-who-fish-for-food-and-sport-be-damned-are-called-pot-fishermen/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [If I fished only to capture fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/if-i-fished-only-to-capture-fish-my-fishing-trips-would-have-ended/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [Most of the world is covered by water. A fisherman's job is simple: Pick out the best parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-waterman/most-of-the-world-is-covered-by-water-a-fisherman-s-job-is-simple/) Charles W. Waterman ## More by Ed Zern > [Most fishing rods work better if you grasp them at the thick end. If you grasp a fisherman at the thick end, you may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/most-fishing-rods-work-better-if-you-grasp-them-at-the-thick-end-if/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [Fly fishing or any other sport fishing, is an end in itself and not a game or competition among fishermen. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/fly-fishing-or-any-other-sport-fishing-is-an-end-in-itself-and-not-a/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [Fly fishermen are born honest, but they get over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/fly-fishermen-are-born-honest-but-they-get-over-it/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [I make it a rule never to weigh or measure a fish I've caught, but simply to estimate its dimensions as accurately as possible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/i-make-it-a-rule-never-to-weigh-or-measure-a-fish-i-ve-caught-but/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [... it takes several years of serious fishing before a man learns enough to go through a whole season with an unblemished record of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/it-takes-several-years-of-serious-fishing-before-a-man-learns-enough/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [...there are few things deader than a dead brown trout stream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/there-are-few-things-deader-than-a-dead-brown-trout-stream/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [The chief difference between big-game fishing and weightlifting is that weightlifters never clutter up their library walls with stuffed barbells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/the-chief-difference-between-big-game-fishing-and-weightlifting-is/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [Contrary to common belief, it is not true that if you cut a worm-fisherman in half, each half will grow into a complete fisherman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/contrary-to-common-belief-it-is-not-true-that-if-you-cut-a-worm/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [I don't mind my hand shaking so much; it improves my S cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/i-don-t-mind-my-hand-shaking-so-much-it-improves-my-s-cast/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [I get all the truth I need in the newspaper every morning, and every chance I get I go fishing, or swap stories with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/i-get-all-the-truth-i-need-in-the-newspaper-every-morning-and-every/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [I don't regard nature as a spectator sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/i-don-t-regard-nature-as-a-spectator-sport/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [“Fishermen are born honest, but they get over it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/fishermen-are-born-honest-but-they-get-over-it/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [People who fish for food, and sport be damned, are called pot-fishermen. The more expert ones are called crack pot-fishermen. All other fishermen are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/people-who-fish-for-food-and-sport-be-damned-are-called-pot-fishermen/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [It is easy to tell tourists from tarpon. Tarpon have a narrow, bony plate inside the mouth of their lower jaw. Tourists have both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/it-is-easy-to-tell-tourists-from-tarpon-tarpon-have-a-narrow-bony/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) > [The truth is, fish have very little sex life. If you have ever tried to make love under water, you will know why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/the-truth-is-fish-have-very-little-sex-life-if-you-have-ever-tried-to/) [Ed Zern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) [Explore all 16 Ed Zern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/) ## More Angling quotes > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [Angling may be said to be so like the Mathematics that it can never be fully learnt; at least not so fully but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/angling-may-be-said-to-be-so-like-the-mathematics-that-it-can-never/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Only those become weary of angling who bring nothing to it but the idea of catching fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-sabatini/only-those-become-weary-of-angling-who-bring-nothing-to-it-but-the/) [Rafael Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-sabatini/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bergman/in-every-species-of-fish-i-ve-angled-for-it-is-the-ones-that-have-got/) [Ray Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bergman/) > [“Smile, tip your traditional hat, and enjoy your time by the water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fennel-hudson/smile-tip-your-traditional-hat-and-enjoy-your-time-by-the-water/) [Fennel Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fennel-hudson/) > [I simply feel that the frontier of angling is no longer either ethical or geographical. The Bible tells us to watch and listen. Something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcguane/i-simply-feel-that-the-frontier-of-angling-is-no-longer-either/) [Thomas McGuane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcguane/) > [O, sir, doubt not that Angling is an art; is it not an art to deceive a trout with an artificial fly?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/o-sir-doubt-not-that-angling-is-an-art-is-it-not-an-art-to-deceive-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [“Angling is a recreation. It’s supposed to be fun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fennel-hudson/angling-is-a-recreation-it-s-supposed-to-be-fun/) [Fennel Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fennel-hudson/) > [“There’s always an opportunity to fish for something – even if it’s just for laughs or ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fennel-hudson/there-s-always-an-opportunity-to-fish-for-something-even-if-it-s-just/) [Fennel Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fennel-hudson/) > [“At all times and in all places, in season and out of season, time is now and England, place is now and England; past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-w-wemyss/at-all-times-and-in-all-places-in-season-and-out-of-season-time-is/) [G.M.W. Wemyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-w-wemyss/) > [All Americans believe that they are born fishermen. For a man to admit a distaste for fishing would be like denouncing mother-love or hating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/all-americans-believe-that-they-are-born-fishermen-for-a-man-to-admit/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I think I fish, in part, because it's an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gierach/i-think-i-fish-in-part-because-it-s-an-anti-social-bohemian-business/) [John Gierach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gierach/) > [“Catching fish is secondary to the immeasurable joys of the watery world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fennel-hudson/catching-fish-is-secondary-to-the-immeasurable-joys-of-the-watery/) [Fennel Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fennel-hudson/) > [If you've got short, stubby fingers and wear reading glasses, any relaxation you would normally derive from fly fishing is completely eliminated when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ohman/if-you-ve-got-short-stubby-fingers-and-wear-reading-glasses-any/) Jack Ohman > [Good things come to those who initiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-roane/good-things-come-to-those-who-initiate/) [Susan RoAne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-roane/) [Browse all 91 Angling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The best time to go fishing is when you can", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ed Zern" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Angling" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/ed-zern-31077_angling_the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you_2641550.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/ed-zern-31077_angling_the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you_2641550.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5d/ed-zern-31077_angling_the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you_2641550.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The best time to go fishing is when you can” — Ed Zern", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ed Zern", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-zern/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The best time to go fishing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-zern/the-best-time-to-go-fishing-is-when-you-can/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```