IDIOM

What does gone fishing mean?

Literally, gone fishing means someone left to fish. As an idiom it means they are unavailable, on leave, or not answering. Wiktionary is the source for that sense, including an absent-minded or slang use.

A sign on a door that says “Gone Fishing” means the shop is closed for a break. The same words on a memorial card are a poem people print, not a dictionary definition of death. If you meant the Windows game, use the game page.

Steam store screenshot from GONE Fishing showing a boat on open water — The game, only if your search changed its mind.

Examples

“I’m gone fishing for the weekend — back Monday.” “He’s been gone fishing since the announcement” can mean he has checked out. A Pink Floyd line in The Wall uses the phrase in a “toys in the attic” sense. That is a lyric, not the usual office meaning.

The song

“Gone Fishin’” was written by Nick and Charles Kenny and published in 1950. The famous record is Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong in 1951. It is not a theme for the horror game. Wikipedia’s song article is the citation.

First-person view from a dock in the rain, a hooked creature hanging beside the rod, jungle shoreline beyond — A dock from the Steam screenshots.

Questions

Is it a euphemism for death?

Not in the dictionary entry. Memorial cards use a poem with the title. That is funeral stationery, not the idiom’s definition.

What if I meant the game?

GONE Fishing on Steam is a 2026 co-op game. Start at the game overview.

Keep going

Sources

Last checked 23 October 2026. Page updated 2026-10-23.