The Dating Profile Pic Women Find Most Attractive, According To Research

Who knew that women loved men holding fish so much?

By Emily Blackwood
Last updated on Oct 21, 2023

Photo: Paige Thompson, Harrison Fitts | Canva

The endless parade of eligible men on Tinder is always a colorful one.

You've got guys posing at the gym, guys showing off their moms, guys with pictures of only their cars and none of their faces (scary), and of course, there are guys with their fish.

As a Florida resident, I'd say over half of the sunburnt gentlemen I've seen on Tinder are avid fishermen and proud of it. The strategy behind using a photo of you and your biggest catch to reel in the ladies (sorry, couldn't resist) has always been a mystery, but a new study revealed that fishermen apparently, can get it.

Fishing app Fishbrain analyzed Tinder photos of men ages 18 to 35 years old in Florida and found that 22% of them posed with a fish. Not surprised.

The 2016 study polled over 1,000 members of a college sorority, and found that 46% of the women agreed, that fishermen can get it.

But unfortunately for the guys, size still matters, in reference to the kinds of fish they caught of course. Almost 25% of women replied that the Great Northern Tilefish made the guy holding and smiling next to it look the most attractive, followed by the Sailfish. “Lean, powerful, and independent, it could be interpreted that a Sailfish in a man’s dating profile hints at athleticism, finesse, and free-spiritedness,” says Fishbrain.

What was the least popular fish? Women weren’t into pics with juvenile carp (less than 1% of them said it was sexy).

Why were women not into, the poor, sad juvenile carp (I've had to Google all these fish names too, don't feel bad)? Maybe it’s because of how small they are (juvenile carp only grow up to six inches). Or just a lot of women really hate carp.

However, if you're not that big of a fisher, don't worry! There are some setbacks to this study. First, this was based on the dating scene in Florida, which is known for its love of seafood, so women in other states might not be as into fish as the women in Florida are. This study was also conducted by a fishing company, so there is a little bias there. And finally, all of this data comes from one sorority. That's not much of an accurate sample size.