It's called Xenophobia Paul, and it's unfortunate that it's still prevalent in 2013. Some people can't help themselves the second they see the words French or Quebec. But then again when you're comfortably anonymous behind a keyboard it's the easy thing to do.
Anyway, I work in Montreal and I can guarantee you that language won't be an issue. I would even go as far as saying that English is more prominent in the downtown area. St-Laurent boulevard is a traditionally known divide line between East (more francophone) and West (more anglophone) in the city. Typically you'll find more French is spoken East of St-Laurent and more English West, but by no means should you avoid any area. The city runs on tourism and you won't be the only American tourists here by any means so no worries there. The restaurants are fantastic as others mentioned and there are really good suggestions in here. If you like asian food there are a lot of really amazing places for Vietnamese Pho, dumplings, dim sum (which is like a Chinese buffet except they carry trays and bring food to your table) etc. Tons of small, hidden gems like this one spot I love called Khyber Pass (Afghani) that serves the most amazing, fall off the bone Lamb I've ever tried. There are ridiculously good Indian restaurants that will cost you nothing too. These are away from the traveled areas a bit up on Jean-Talon but well worth the trek up if you like Indian food and you don't want to spend a fortune on a meal. h and personally I think the Shwartz thing is overrated, but that's just me. I prefer the Main across the street. Better smoked meat and less chaotic. Also featured on the food network's "You Gotta Eat Here". Anyway you could go on all day about restaurants in Montreal.
About the fishing, I've heard some great things, including a unique American Shad run that takes place in Rivière des Prairies each spring and draws hundreds of anglers, but surprisingly I've never tried fishing around the Island. Lac St-Louis and the St-Lawrence river near Montreal are one of the few places where you can still fish for Sturgeon and I know they are caught regularly. I've also seen some Monster walleye and smallmouth caught near and around Isle St-Hélène. I've always wanted to try fishing around the Montreal area but just never got around to it.