Keep in mind that this question is from someone who has never fished in his life.
I could understand if perhaps there was some skill in how one maneuvers the rod and chooses the appropriate bait and fishing spot. But surely the size of the fish that he catches can’t be controlled, right? So how do fishing competitions account for this randomness?
There is great amounts of skill involved, much of which is knowledge of bait and where to fish. That is part of the skill . . . introduce a competitive fisherman to a new lake, and he needs to know where the fish will be and what they’ll want to eat.
The size of the fish he catches could depend on his decisions of bait and location. Also, you need to know what weights, how many, how to apply them, whether or not to use a bobber, how to snag one once you feel a hit, etc. Quite a bit of skill involved.
And then there’s fly fishing . . . it takes a highly skilled fisherman to land a fly and trick fish into thinking it’s real.
Just go fishing with someone who’s good and you’ll see . . . because he’ll catch way more fish and you’ll get annoyed! (Has happened to me several times.)
Well the size of fish is random, but the people who I fish with catch a large quantity of fish, so you are more likely to get a larger fish.
I ice fish every year in a friendly tournament, and it’s usually the same 3 guys on top. It comes down to method, location and hours spent on the ice.
When I fly-fish; technique, time and fly selection are key. Really hardcore fisherman, once they catch a fish they will vacuum out it’s stomach and analyze the contents and tie a fly representing the contents on the spot and go for more fish!
So luck is a factor, but doesn’t make a great fisherman.
MtM
There is a certain amount of skill involved. As an avid fly-fisherman, I had to practice quite a bit but once I got it down pat I was fine and have been loving it for 20+ years. A little instinct on where to toss your line, and what to put on the end of the leader is a good thing, but it can be learned at any bait and tackle shop in a half an hour. If the proprietor is willing to talk a while, where around here, it’s hard to leave some of the tackle shops because people talk your ear off like crazy.
Oh very much yes.
I go out deepsea quite a bit, and it requires not only stamina and the ability to be knocked around for 12 hours at a time on a tiny boat in the middle of nowhere, but also the ability to be able to read the water based on what’s you can see.
Not only that, but when you catch a big fish, like a marlin or even a decent sized mahi-mahi there is definite technique required to get them to the boat. You would be surprised at the strength of even the smaller fish.
Just as much if not more skill is required when fishing on-shore. I can remember a couple of years ago taking my friend’s kids fishing while on holiday in Ballina NSW. There were a group of locals there and down we troop, with our fishing rods and bait and gardener’s gloves (so we don’t have to touch the fish - im still girly squirmy about somethings :P) and esky and all associated paraphalia, and I asked this old guy if we could fish next to him. He kind of grunted and said “As long as you don’t get in my way.”
So we cast out, and all three of us catch a fish! And we cast out again, and again we all bring in a fish. And this old guy is glowering at me, but after a dozen or so bought in he melted enough to ask “What’s your secret?”
And I told him
You peel the prawns for the fish!
He didn’t believe me and gave it a try, and it worked!
If fish of all different sizes had exactly the same habits, food, preference for depth, temperature & cover, etc., this might be so. In fact, size often is associated with great differences in these things.
Hell, there’s skill involved in crankbaiting - I always caught more fish than my brothers simply because I was the best at casting my lure closest to the bank from the boat. Not close enough = fish too deep from lure = no dice.
Avid fisher checking in. Yes, there is vast amounts of skill involved, some intuition, lots of experience, and a good bit of luck. I can only speak of freshwater, that is my experience.
To simplify fishing techniques and skill in relation to the size of fish caught.
Bigger fish occupy the better locations in an environment. Better locations have different meanings in different bodies of water, for different species of fish. Often it is better structure to hide in, and predate from.
Being a good fisher is the ability to locate these spots, the ability to accurately choose the most appealing bait, the ability to cast your bait in precise locations, the ability to present your bait in a manner that incites a hit, and the ability to land the fish. All these things improve your odds of landing bigger fish.
Time of day, wind conditions, water temperature, moon phase, season, water clarity, diameter of line, flexibility/sensitivity of fishing rood, casting accuracy, boat speed, lure action, depth, fish finder readings, contour maps…these were the first items that came to mind when I read the OP.
Then there’s intuition (as danfisheroo said). The ‘book’ might say to slow troll a dark colored crankbait, but you’ve got the feeling that bouncing a a bright yellow bucktail jig off the bottom would work better…and it does! You get a feel for it–after a couple of decades.
Then there are days when nothing works, so you put a bunch of corn kernels on a big hook, weight it down, and let it sit on the bottom waiting for Mr. Carp. It’s all good.
Fishing has been described as a jerk on one end of a line waiting for a jerk on the other, but the more you know about it, the more fun, fulfilling and relaxing it is.
I grew up in an area where fishing was big (mainly bass and catfish). I fished my whole life but I was never especially good at it but that did give me a chance to see good fishermen in action. I have gone out many times with good fishermen, sat in the same boar, and used the same type of rod and tackle and they always caught way more than me.
It can be a complex sport. I used to like to go cane pole fishing which involves just dropping a line and waiting. However, even that simple technique require bait choice, rigging the tackle a certain way, and picking where to put it.
The leaders in the Pro Bass circuit arent just waiting for luck, They have to scout vast amounts of water for an ideal spot, choose the best bait for the conditions, cast accurately and delicately, and set the hook when it comes time to finally catch a fish. There is data to analyze like winds, water temperatures, depth, bottom contour, vegetation, and what the fish are feeding on naturally right then. No one person can count on always being number one but a small group of talented people will dominate the top even over other skilled fisherman.
For my part there is no skill involved. All it takes is to row the boat far enough out so that I dont drift too shallow. Then you just throw the line with the wormlike fishhooks out and let them sink almost to the bottom. Then lay down in the boat and relax and hope not to catch any fish, because you would’nt want to get up again 
I pretty much follow Kotick’s method, except I stay on the bank. Set up the lawn chair, throw out the line with bobber attached, crack open a beer, and relax. Every now and then reel in, examine the worm on the hook, then throw it back out and open another beer.
Then go home and cook hamburgers for supper. I hate the taste of fish.
My husband calls it “still fishing,” and that’s used in two ways. "Yes, even though I am napping here in the boat with a beer in my hand, I am “still fishing.” and "have to be quiet and not move around a lot, “still fishing.”
Can I ask what this means? I fish with shrimp all the time, never peel them, and get a lot of fish. I can’t imagine the bait staying on the hook if you didn’t have some shell to pierce through. Unless that was a joke and I got whooshed, which could very well be.
Oh, and to answer the OP, I believe it does take a fair amount of skill, but that depends on what you’re after. Fishing from the shore for whatever bites? Not much skill. Going out after large tuna, dolphin, or wahoo? Requires knowledge of conditions, proper bait, and many other factors. It really just depends on what you’re after.
Oh my, there’s a good deal of skill involved in fishing.
For instance, when you’re first starting out you probably won’t catch any fish at all. Every time your hook starts bobbing you’ll reel it in and someone will yell out “your fish got away!” That goads you into trying again and eventually your skill will slowly increase.
Now if you’re lucky, you can find the right attachments to help raise your skill. Nightcrawlers work for starters but when you’re really good I recommend some shiny baubbles. Now you’re ready for the more advanced waters.
Eventually you’ll catch a good 300 to 375 fish and you’re ready to take on any fishing hole on the continent. Heck, others might even pay you for the fish you catch! That’s when you’re glad that there’s a progressive skill to fishing and that any old newb can’t catch what you catch.
another avid angler checking in… lots of skill involved in determining patterns and places to fish… mostly knowing how to make quicker decisions, and eliminate unproductive water.
As others have alluded to, there are so many factors outside of the anglers control it isnt even funny…
Always think like a fish… no matter how wierd it gets.
There is no skill involved in fishing.
Now if you want to catch fish, that’s a different story.
While I know what you are saying, I disagree (to some extent)…
One of the joys simwife and I get from fishing is the skills involved in casting… we have some quite hilarious casting contests from time to time that outrank the actual catching…
It’s not all about the catching, it’s about the going…
It’s not the ones I catch that keep me coming back, it’s the one that got away.
Edited to add…
I’ll put this quote back at ya…
Catching fish is easy… finding them is what’s hard.
Or better yet–
“There is a fine line between fishing, and standing on the shore, looking like an idiot.”- Steven Wright.
As discussed in previous posts, there are areas in lakes and rivers that are inhabited by larger than average fsh. They’re known as ‘prime lies’ and it’s to any angler’s advantage to know how to identify them. If you’re flyfishing, it also helps to know what insects might be present, and whether or not the fish is taking adult insects or those in the larval or nymphal stage, and what fly pattern will best represent whatever the fish is feeding on. I’ve found that mostly, it’s just a matter of getting a reasonable imitation in a position that will induce a take. Sounds much easier than it actually is.
For any of you who are trout fishing, I have to encourage you to release unharmed any wild fish you might catch.
GD