Short answer
No. Fishing is halal: the Quran says the game of the sea is lawful for you, and fish need no slaughter. Fishing for food, to give away or to sell is fully permitted. Fishing purely for fun with no intention of using the fish is disliked in the Hanafi school, and catch and release should be done with care so the fish is not harmed for nothing.
Fishing is mubah (permitted) for food, trade or other benefit. Hunting and fishing purely for amusement is makruh. Fish do not need to be slaughtered, and in the Hanafi school fish is the only sea animal that is halal to eat.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Allah says: lawful to you is the game of the sea and its food, as provision for you and for travellers. Even a person in ihram, who may not hunt land animals, may fish. So fishing is one of the clearest halal activities there is, and many Companions and later Muslims earned their living from it.
The Hanafi scholars add one condition about intention. Hunting and fishing are permitted, except when done purely for amusement. The Prophet ﷺ forbade using any living creature as a target, and said Allah has prescribed excellence in everything, including how we kill. Catching a fish only to enjoy the fight and then leave it to die serves no purpose.
Practical points:
- Fishing for food or to give away: permitted and rewarded if you feed your family or others.
- Catch and release: contemporary scholars differ. Many allow it when the fish is handled gently, unhooked quickly and returned alive, especially where the law requires release. Others dislike it as play with a living creature. If you do it, use barbless hooks and minimise harm.
- Live bait: using worms or small fish as bait is permitted.
- Killing the fish: no slaughter or Bismillah is required, but kill it quickly rather than letting it suffocate slowly.
- Fishing competitions: permitted if the prize does not come from entry fees that everyone pays and one person wins, which is gambling.
Do not let fishing trips push salah out of its time. Which sea creatures are halal to eat is a separate question: see is tuna halal and are crab and lobster halal. The four schools agree that fishing is permitted.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:96
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ صَيْدُ ٱلْبَحْرِ وَطَعَامُهُۥ مَتَٰعًۭا لَّكُمْ وَلِلسَّيَّارَةِ ۖ وَحُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ صَيْدُ ٱلْبَرِّ مَا دُمْتُمْ حُرُمًۭا ۗ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِىٓ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ﴿٩٦﴾
Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food as provision for you and the travelers, but forbidden to you is game from the land as long as you are in the state of ihram. And fear Allah to whom you will be gathered.
Fishing and eating fish are lawful by the text of the Quran.
Sahih Muslim 1957
Sahih... لا تتخذوا شيئا فيه الروح غرضا ...
"Do not take anything that has a soul as a target."
Living creatures must not be used for idle sport.
Sahih Muslim 1955
Sahih... إن الله كتب الإحسان على كل شيء ...
"Allah has prescribed excellence in everything."
Fish should be handled and killed without needless suffering.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Sayd (the book of hunting). Hunting is permitted, except for one in ihram (for land game) or when done only for amusement.
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Dhaba'ih, chapter on what may and may not be eaten. Fish is the only sea animal that is eaten, and it needs no slaughter.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.