NEW BOOKS

May/April 2006

Servants of the Fish: A Portrait of Newfoundland after the Great Cod Collapse
Myron Arms, Upper Access, Inc., Book Publishers ( Hinesburg, VT), (800)310-8320 or (802)482-2988, fax: (802)482-7730, www.upperaccess.com, 2004, 242 pp. illustrated, $24.95, hardcover.
Fishing on the Front Line
Nick Sawyer, Merlin Unwin Books ( Ludlow, Shropshire, UK), 011-44-1584-877456, fax: 011-44-1584-877457, www.merlinunwin.co.uk, 2004, 213 pp., illustrated, £17.99, hardcover.
Defying Ocean’s End: An Agenda for Action
Linda K. Glover and Sylvia A. Earle, eds., Island Press ( Washington, DC), to order (in CA): (800)828-1302 or (707)983-6432, fax: (707)983-6414, www.islandpress.org, 2004, 283 pp., illustrated, $55 hardcover/$30 softcover plus $6 S/H.
    As the last of the northern cod disappeared from the fishing banks of eastern North America during the waning years of the twentieth century, more than just the fish faced the threat of extinction. Servants of the Fish by Myron Arms is the moving story of thousands of fishermen and their families on the island of Newfoundland – at once the perpetrators and the victims – who found themselves confronted by this ecological disaster. Nick Sawyer’s military career has taken him to 22 different countries, from the Balkans to the jungles of Malaysia. In between, he slips away to fish. Though Fishing on the Front Line takes us to some of the terrible conflicts of the modern world, it also shows the humor and camaraderie of soldiering and the common language of fishing that cuts across the bloody backdrop of war. Defying Ocean’s End was inspired by an urgent need to address the sharp decline in ocean wildlife, the disturbing increase in ocean pollution, and the neglect of policies and resources to solve these problems. In 2003 an invited team of international experts gathered to build a global action plan for ocean conservation and this book is the result. Focusing on seven key fields of action identified at that meeting, it is a guide for all who care about the future of the ocean.

Smallmouth Fly Fishing: The Best Techniques, Flies, and Destinations
Tim Holschlag, Smallmouth Angler Press ( Minneapolis, MN), (612)781-3912, www.smallmouthangler.com, 2005, 326 pp., illustrated, $29.95 plus $3.95 S/H, softcover. Big Barbel: Bonded by the Challenge
Bob Church, ed., Crowood Press ( Wiltshire, UK). Distributed by Trafalgar Square Publishing (No. Pomfret, VT), (800)423-4525 or (802)457-1911, fax: (802)457-1913, www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com, 2005, 176 pp., illustrated, $45, hardcover.
Flyrodding Florida Salt: How and Where to Catch Fish on Flies in the Sunshine State
John Kumiski, Argonaut Publishing Company ( Chuluota, FL), phone and fax: (407)977-5207, www.spottedtail.com, 2005, 234 pp., illustrated, $29.95 plus $4.95 S/H, softcover. Northern Pike: A Complete Guide to Pike and Pike Fishing
Will Ryan, The Lyons Press ( Guilford, CT), (888)249-7568 or (203)458-4500, fax: (800)820-2329 or (203)458-4603, www.globe-pequot.com, 2005, 200 pp., illustrated, $14.95, softcover.
    Smallmouth Fly Fishing covers all aspects of the sport. There are three sections: 15 comprehensive chapters of fishing techniques; 40 smallmouth flies, plus design theory and how to fish them; and 100 smallmouth destinations, with fishing tips. A longtime smallmouth guide, angling instructor and writer, Tim Holschlag passes along his unmatched knowledge of – and passion for – smallmouth bass. Big Barbel, which is edited by Bob Church and features contributions by four barbel specialists, is a great resource for barbel fishermen. Topics covered include: baits, rigs and tactics; the best methods and how to adapt them to seasons and conditions; detailed accounts of some of the biggest British barbel caught; barbel records for England and Wales; and more. The revised edition of John Kumiski’s Flyrodding Florida Salt remains an invaluable reference for fishing the state’s 2,000+ mile coastline. What tackle to use and how to rig it, techniques that work and the ones that don’t, fly patterns that are effective and how to tie them – everything you need to know is here. The three sections (tackle, techniques and species; interviews with top guides; fly selection and tying guide) plus the useful appendix have been updated with the most current information available. Northern Pike (which first appeared in 2000) covers all aspects of this exciting sport fish and all methods of fishing for it. Will Ryan examines the habits, habitat and life cycles of this species through the seasons. He also explores every successful pike-fishing technique (bait, lures, flies and a chapter on ice fishing), equipment and the history of pike fishing, plus includes anecdotes from his lifetime of fishing.

The Undersea Treasure Hunt
Stephanie Boey and Sue Harris, Chronicle Books ( San Francisco, CA), (800)722-6657 or (415)537-4257, fax: (415)537-4470, www.chroniclebooks.com, 2004, illustrated, $15.95, hardcover.
Coral Reefs: Life Below the Sea
Salvatore Tocci, Franklin Watts/Scholastic, Inc. ( Danbury, CT), (800)621-1115, fax: (866)783-4361, www.scholastic.com/librarypublishing, 2004, 63 pp., illustrated, $25.50, hardcover.
Let the River Run Silver Again! How One School Helped Return the American Shad to the Potomac River
Sandy Burk, The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company ( Granville, OH), (800)233-8787, fax: (740)321-1141, www.mwpubco.com, 2005, 40 pp., illustrated, $14.95, softcover.
    In The Undersea Treasure Hunt, a sparkly lift-the-flap book, children (ages 4-8) discover the sparkling surprises that the ocean world has to offer by joining Little Fish, Dolphin, and all their underwater friends as they hunt for hidden treasure. Text by Sue Harris and lovely illustrations by Stephanie Boey. Coral reefs are the largest, most spectacular structures on Earth, made by living things that have striking colors, strange shapes, and fascinating habits. Coral Reefs: Life Below the Sea, by Salvatore Tocci, takes readers (ages 10-12) down below the surface of the ocean to explore the beauty and the biodiversity that is found in the reefs. Sandy Burk’s Let the River Run Silver Again! documents the participation of Bethesda, Maryland’s Westbrook Elementary School in the restoration of the American shad to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It’s an exciting adventure story told through the eyes of students and their mentors, and provides steps (and a list of helpful resources) to create a successful watershed project anywhere.

Short Casts: A Collection of Fly Fishing Stories from Australia and New Zealand
Rob Sloane, ed., FlyLife ( Tasmania, Australia), www.flylife.com.au, 2004, 288 pp., illustrated, $24.95, softcover.
Jurassic Trout
Ted Simendinger, Airplane Reader Publishing Company ( Denver, CO), (877)611-6222, www.jurassictrout.com, 2004, 178 pp., $9.95 plus $2.50 S/H, softcover.
River Music: A Fly Fisher’s Four Seasons
James R. Babb, The Lyons Press (contact information above), 2005, 196 pp., $14.95, softcover.
Firehole River Murder: Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Mystery Series
Raymond Kieft, AuthorHouse ( Bloomington, IN), (800)839-8640, www.authorhouse.com, 2004, 174 pp., $11.50, softcover.
    Short Casts celebrates FlyLife tenth year. Edited by Rob Sloane, it features the best pieces that have appeared in the magazine’s Short Casts section. More than 100 stories from 83 contributors cover every conceivable aspect of fly fishing, including beginners’ troubles, obsessive anglers, and the always entertaining snake and disaster-fishing-trip stories. Jurassic Trout is a comedy inspired by a true story. It is the tale of two men, one river, dueling fly rods, and one chance to change the lives of thousands. Author Ted Simendinger dedicates his comedic work “to all the mighty anglers and anglerettes who brave the early alarm clocks (and the elements) in order to pursue finned creatures large and small.” River Music, originally published in 2001, is a collection of tales by James Babb, all infused with his sharp wit, ornery perspective, and musical language. Arranged in a harmonious current that carries us through the seasons, his stories are true departures from conventional essays on fly fishing, and will be relished by Babb fanatics – and lovers of nature writing -- everywhere. Raymond Kieft’s Firehole River Muder is the story of Parker Williams, a former university president who moved to Montana and opened the Gold Medal Fly Shop. When he discovers the body of one of his clients during a guided trip on the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park, and becomes the prime suspect, he undertakes a search for the killer.

Surfcaster’s Quest: Seeking Stripers, Blues, and Solitude at the Edge of the Surging Sea, Roy Rowan
A Good Life Wasted or Twenty Years as a Fishing Guide, Dave Ames
Cruising at Last: Sailing the East Coast, Elliott Merrick
The Lyons Press (contact information above), 2005, 151/247/247 pp.,
$16.95/ $12.95/$14.95, softcover.
Fishing at the End of the World
William Greenway, Word Press ( Cincinnati, OH), www.word-press.com, 2005, 109 pp., $17, softcover.
    Surfcaster’s Quest describes not only the habits of blues, stripers, bonito and other game fish, but also how to trick them into striking at pieces of wood, plastic and metal flung out from the shore. Author Roy Rowan also mixes in some soul-searching and fascinating historical tidbits about the Indians, pirates and rumrunners who once occupied that obscure oceanic speck originally called “Isle of the Little God” – Block Island. William Greenway’s “affectionate yet knowing conversations with the world” continue in Fishing at the End of the World, the latest collection of his poems. He’s not afraid to laugh, to find moments of humor and irony in experience, yet he does so always with an eye for the dark, tragic undercurrents of those experiences. Elliott Merrick had always wanted to sail the East Coast but he needed a boat. Not finding what he wanted, amateur cruiser Merrick built his own boat – a 20’ sailboat he put together on weekends -- in anticipation of the cruise he’d been dreaming of his entire life. After retiring, he and his wife set out on the water; Cruising at Last is the entertaining narrative of their journey. A Good Life Wasted is a chronicle and celebration of the fishing-guide life. It’s poignant and spiritual; it’s Blackfoot Indians and copper miners’ daughters; it’s fiddles and guitars; it’s about what happens to wild people when the wilderness is gone. Dave Ames spins a fascinating, compelling web as he shares his adventures as a guy with no job, no office and no stress.

Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific: New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands
John E. Randall, University of Hawaii Press ( Honolulu), (888)847-7377 or (808)650-7811, fax: (800)650-7811 or (808)988-6052, www.uhpress.hawaii.edu, 2005, 720 pp., illustrated, $75 plus $5 S/H, hardcover.
Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish
Keith A. Jones, The Lyons Press (contact information above), 2005, 298 pp., illustrated, $16.95, softcover.
    John Randall is the world’s foremost authority on tropical marine fishes. His new book, the monumental Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific, is a comprehensive guide to inshore fish fauna of this area. It contains nearly 1,500 species of fishes, illustrated with more than 2,000 color photographs taken mostly underwater. Species accounts include common and scientific name; the author(s) who described the fish and the date of the description; a concise list of the characteristics needed for identification; distribution, habitat, and more. Understanding why bass do what they do will greatly improve your chances of being a better and more successful angler. Knowing Bass, now available in paperback, is a book about the species and the science of fishing for it. Keith Jones provides a wealth of valuable information about biology; life history; vision, hearing, smell and taste; feeding behavior; the best lures to trigger an attack response in certain situations; and proper release techniques.

Books Archive

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