I might have followed the fishing progression out of interest had fish not jumped constantly in my face begging me to eat them. They shouldn't have made the change until it was ready to be worth doing, now it's completely ruined forever.

Edit:

Originally posted by FissionChips:

Boat is better than shore. Fishing vs farming, farming is also quite tedious so I guess it's pick your poison.

Or just build a wharf, a single stack of wood gets you closer to the fish. Bonus, some might just jump up on the wharf to be picked up.