Just about every man enjoys casting a line into the water and coming home with the day’s big catch. It’s a good reason why more than 44 Americans fish at least once a year.
Few things can beat the recreation of a good day on the boat or at the dock.
Even if you fish for sport or competition, there’s always a reward in store at the end of the line, from tuna to marlin, shark, sailfish, mackerel, sea bass and more.
However, you may be surprised to learn that there is a cost. The truth is that non-commercial fishermen spend, on average, a staggering $1 billion a year on bait alone.
remember, that doesn’t even include the rod, sinker, line, hook, etc.
however, if you’re curious about how they did it in the stone age, you might also be a bit surprised to learn that they used hooks made from bones.
Regardless of whether you’re going fly-fishing or just hoping to grab a bite at the local pond, these 75 Best Fishing Tattoos For Men are sure to catch you. From cool bait designs to realistic fishermen at sea, every popular fish tattoo design you can imagine has been included in this manly collection!
fishing tattoo ideas
This inner forearm fishing tattoo shows excellent line and shading techniques to create different sets of realistic surfaces. the tattoo artist used a lot of white ink in a variety of ways. the twin fishing hooks look almost lifelike and are ready to be tossed into the water, while the coiled string creates texture and ties together the more isolated elements of the tattoo.
a great quote and a great 3d abstract tattoo. having the anchor caught on the bar is a nice touch and the image sits comfortably on the inner bicep; however, some alternate color aqua/blue shading, a gray black blur work, or another image within the platform would add more depth and balance to the overall piece. there is too much space between the tip of the passing bar and the top of the anchor.
This unfinished fishing tattoo looks amazing and it’s not even finished. The darth maul-looking fish doesn’t look like the nice type to eat, but it’s a well-angled wicked tattoo image set against the skull captain’s still-growing beard. together they give different planes, angles and curves for shading. the white ink hook on the pattern’s eye patch and the piping highlights are nicely displayed.
looks like this guy got pulled off the cover of sega bass fishing back in the day. the highlight here is the cool line work on waves and fish. this technical style provides good contour contrast for the bright, light color fill, particularly the gray glow breaking through the light blue water.
This is a fun marlin tattoo in the neo-traditional style. this one does a good job of taking a realistic image and then adding some traditional American elements to create a nice, clean outline for a larger-than-life character. from here on, the classic approach is discarded in favor of brightness, an elegant gray fish, and a nice contrasting background of bright red sky.
The central black ink part of the man in this fishing tattoo is an excellent image. it’s solidly made, well angled and the sharp outline works perfectly. shading is fine; however, the support stylized map of the southeastern us. uu. needs a bit of work. it needs to be a sharper, more accurate background image to work against the fuller black shadow.
an excellent version of a technically difficult piece. the tattoo artist showed a keen eye for scale and depth by successfully incorporating a sleeve tattoo above and below the waterline. the detail is great; Underwater, the fish stay clean and clear on their lines despite the darkness. the fishing boat on the water looks fantastic, standing out in white ink against the bright colors of sunlight behind and on the water’s surface.
I love looking at all those shark teeth! it’s reminiscent of trips to the local aquarium or watching the movie Jaws when you were a kid and almost passed out holding your breath when the music plays. this is a nice fishing tattoo – the black and gray shading to keep such great detail on the boat is a masterful technique. keeping the action within the single border allows the artist to have fun with negative space and alternate white ink fill.
This is a beautiful realistic animal tattoo of a marlin breaking through the water. if you ever get to see this in the wild, that’s exceptionally cool. detail and color are clean and crisp, while the infill does a great job of bringing the saltwater and sea spray to life around the big fish.
This shows another marlin, this time with Japanese irezumi nuances in the bold shading and rich fill pattern surrounding the main image. once the new ink settles from stark red to alternating gray and negative space, it will contrast better with the big fish and the person in the small fishing boat trying to haul it in.
bigmouth billy bass! This beautiful fish tattoo is an homage to both bass fishing video games and singing fish trivia. it is evil the blue color is bright and cool throughout, allowing the other colors (green fish, red sky, negative space belly) to work in relief. there are some great tattoo elements like clean thick black outline work and minimal shading. in other styles, there would be much more in the fish itself and in the water.
I love this lure. it is just a very small tattoo but loaded with great color and detail. the tiny dot work dots along the side to help “scale up” the blue ink is a fantastic touch. the artist has also done brilliantly by making the multi-point hooks look realistic against the subject’s skin with the skillful use of white ink.
This fishing tattoo is spectacular. it’s a simple technique that sometimes gets lost in the bells and whistles, shadows, flair and flourishes. This tattoo art is clean lines, contrasting colors, and cool shapes that work together into a complete image. the artist nailed this squid tattoo without doing anything fancy.
This spectacular fishing scene combines realism with a sketch style to create an epic upper arm sleeve. the artist developed different shapes and patterns to create shadow effects, such as water splashing from jumping fish or light reflecting off logs to contrast with the otherwise flat surface of the water.
groupers always look like someone has robbed them. the tattooist on this piece created excellent realism, from the seemingly disappointed fish to the nasty-looking hook sitting enticingly on the ocean floor. creating plant life with dirty sea green and muted yellow is a unique color complement to the rest of this solid lower leg tattoo.
what a cool fish tattoo! gray and black alternating colors work on their own; however, the artist who chooses to thread in small scales as a point of difference in gray increases the technical prowess a bit. plus, like the etching on the fins and tail, the crisp black lines are nicely enhanced with touches of white ink.
here is a nice tattoo that symbolizes the hunter gatherer. the juxtaposition of the old school arrow and the fishing rod forms a large circular border for the internal image of the fish. It’s a fun and cool fish tattoo design etched from a unique idea, although shooting a fish seems pretty rude.
Now, this is top quality work. The brilliant shade tech elements in this fishing tattoo work from the illusion of movement of the central image of the black fisherman. it is the focus of cold domino effects, alternating gray mountains behind and the forest across the river. this is an exceptional tattoo that shows impeccable shading and an awareness of negative space.
wow, this is some unique fishing tattoo art: a mother watches her partner and children go fishing. Being able to show this scene in the reflection of an eye is impressive from both a design and execution standpoint. highlights the white ink and the use of negative space to create individual shapes in the iris, while the eye is also drawn perfectly. see the detail in each lash as they connect to the skin under the eye.
Explore more fishing tattoo ideas that could inspire your own design.
