I'm doing a project on the figure of the fisherman in Schubert's
lieder ("Der Fischer", "Fischerweise", "Fischerlied").  I'm trying to
find out why the fisherman was a fairly popular figure in German
poetry of the time.  These poems and lieder all demonstrate
Volkstumlichkeit, and I can understand the fisherman being a fairly
popular figure because of connection to nature, but is there any other
significance of this figure in German culture?  I have found some
leads - fisherman in the Christian context (Christ and apostles as
fishermen), fisherman as quasi pastoral figure (in England and
France), a Grimms' fairy tale (fisherman and his wife) - but nothing
that is really in depth about this figure and its connection with
German culture.  My reading knowledge of German is not good enough for
me to read the article in German, so I'm limited to research in
English.
Thanks for the help!