Songfacts®:

• "Fishin' On A River" finds Jake Owen planning a day casting a line out in the country. The weather forecast is set fair, and he's "filled up the cooler and the tank and the tackle box." But when his girl walks on him, the downtrodden singer scraps his fishing trip and retreats to the bar in order to nurse his heartbreak.
• Drew Parker, David Fanning and Cole Taylor penned the song. Parker previously co-wrote Owen's "Homemade" single, while "Fishin' On A River" is the first time Fanning and Taylor have had a song recorded by the country star.
• Owen continues his association with Joe Moi after he helmed his 2019 Greetings from... Jake album. Moi's sunny production initially misleads the listener into thinking this is an upbeat song about a pleasurable fishing trip. It's only when we get to the chorus we learn the singer is wetting his whistle rather than wetting his fishing line. "I knew I had to cut this song the moment I heard it. When you first hear the title, you'd think it's a good ole country anthem about fishin' with the boys. Instead, it's a love done gone, sway along track that most everyone can relate," said Owen. "Here's to the brokenhearted chasing their blues away with Jack and Rye instead of bass and fishing line."