March/April 2005

Serious About Gamefishing: Bluewater Techniques for New Zealand

Sam Mossman, David Bateman Ltd ( Auckland , New Zealand ), 011-64-9-415-7664, fax: 011-64-9-415-8892, bateman@bateman.co.nz , individual signed copies from sam.mossman@fishnz.co.nz , 2002, 208 pp., illustrated, US$30 plus US$18 air S/H, hardcover.

Sportsman's Best: Snapper & Grouper

Florida Sportsman ( Stuart , FL ), (800)538-7347 or (772)219-7400, fax: (772)219-6900, www.floridasportsman.com , 2004, 253 pp. plus DVD, illustrated, $19.95, softcover.

Pier Fishing: How to Catch More Fish from Atlantic and Gulf Coast Piers

Joe Malat, Outdoor Communications (Nags Head, NC), (252)441-4767, www.joemalat.com , 1999, 41 pp., illustrated, $6.50, softcover.

Between Two and Twenty Fathoms: A Private Boater's Guide to Fishing Local Waters

Mark Wisch, Pacific Edge ( Huntington Beach , CA ), (714)840-4262,

www.pacificedgetackle.com , 2003, 294 pp., illustrated, $24.95, softcover.

Sam Mossman is one of New Zealand 's most respected fishing writers. In Serious About Gamefishing , he provides knowledgeable information about all aspects of sport fishing in New Zealand waters. Just some of the topics covered in depth: tackle, boats, knots and rigs, baits and lures, tagging and management, and specific techniques for some of the most popular species (striped, black and blue marlin; yellowfin, bluefin and bigeye tuna; kingfish; broadbill and more). Every bottom fisherman will appreciate the first title in the Sportsman's Best series: Snapper & Grouper . Joe Richard, Rick Ryals, Gary Folden, George Mitchell and the Florida Sportsman staff combine their years of fish-catching knowledge, sharing tips and the best techniques for the many species of snapper and grouper found in the Atlantic , Gulf and Caribbean . Includes a bonus 60-minute instructional DVD that brings the text to life. Joe Malat's Pier Fishing is a perfect introduction to the advantages and fun derived from pier fishing. This handbook, filled with illustrations, discusses the 15 species you are apt to find off Atlantic and Gulf Coast piers (with when, where and how details), rigs, bait, terminal tackle and weights, lures, knots, and equipment and accessories. Mark Wisch has put together a complete reference to fishing the Southern California inshore waters between Point Vicente and Newport Canyon . Between Two and Twenty Fathoms looks at the well-known hotspots plus more than 250 “secret” wrecks, provides information about the most effective tackle, and offers tips for targeting larger calico and sand bass, halibut, white seabass and other local species.

Fly Fishing the Louisiana Coast

Pete Cooper, Jr., The Countryman Press ( Woodstock , VT ), (800)245-4151 or (802)457-4826, fax: (802)457-1678, www.countrymanpress.com , 2004, 256 pp., illustrated, $22.95, softcover.

St. Johns River Guidebook

Kevin M. McCarthy, Pineapple Press ( Sarasota , FL ), (800)746-3275 or (941)739-2219, fax: (941)739-2296, www.pineapplepress.com , 2004, 166 pp., illustrated, $14.95, softcover.

The Combat-Fishing Guide to Branson's Lake Taneycomo

Bryce L. Meyer, Trafford Publishing ( Victoria , BC , Canada ), (866)752-6820 or (250)383-6864, fax: (250)383-6804, www.bransontrout.info , 2004, 152 pp., illustrated, $19.50, softcover.

River Journal: Kispiox River

Art Lingren, Frank Amato Publications ( Portland , OR ), (800)541-9498 or (503)653-8108, fax: (503)653-2766, www.amatobooks.com , 2004, 48 pp., illustrated, $15.95, softcover.

Fly Fishing the Louisiana Coast is a definitive guide to saltwater fly fishing in the state -- inshore, coastal and offshore. Pete Cooper Jr.'s where-to and how-to coverage begins in the Lake Charles region and extends east to the Mississippi River Delta. Features include fishing maps; local guides, marinas and outfitters; necessary gear; game fish species; great local dining (Cajun seafood!); and accommodations, from motels to plantations. From any point of view – historical, commercial or recreational – the St. Johns River is the most important river in Florida . In the St. Johns River Guidebook, Kevin McCarthy begins in the marshes west of Vero Beach and ends up 310 miles later at Jacksonville and the Atlantic Ocean , describing along the way the history, towns, wildlife and people associated with the St. Johns . The land journey on each side of the river, from south to north, is also covered. Bryce Meyer's Combat-Fishing Guide to Branson's Lake Taneycomo is a comprehensive fishing, travel and nature guide to world-class trout water near the famous music destination of Branson , Missouri . Regulations, tackle must-haves, species, lake ecology, bait and much more are included, and the detailed text, maps and photographs (including aerial) will enable everyone – beginner to expert -- to find fish, lodging, food and fun. The Kispiox is truly a river of dreams. No other steelhead river in the world holds more allure to fly fishers seeking large steelhead than does this stream. In River Journal: Kispiox River , Art Lingren uncovers the Kispiox's secrets: its fascinating history, the famous fishermen who have enjoyed its challenges, the species and hatches you'll encounter, and the best techniques and most productive patterns.

Jerusalem Creek: Fly Fishing through Driftless Country , Ted Leeson

Feather in the Breeze: Tales from a Fishing Life , J. Edson Leonard

The Lyons Press ( Guilford , CT ), (888)249-7568 or (203)458-4500, fax: (800)820-2329 or (203)458-4603, www.globe-pequot.com , 2004, 241/175 illustrated pp., $14.95/$19.95, softcover.

Rivers of Shadow , Rivers of Sun : A Fly-Fisher's European Journal

Norm Zeigler, Countrysport Press ( Camden , ME ), (800)685-7962 or (207)594-9544, fax: (207)594-0147, www.countrysportpress.com , 2004, 295 pp., $22.95, hardcover.

Holy Ghost Creek

Frank D. Weissbarth, University of New Mexico Press ( Albuquerque ), (800)249-7737 or (505)277-2346, fax: (505)277-9270, www.unmpress.com , 2004, 126 pp., illustrated, $23.95, hardcover.

Jerusalem Creek is an exploration into the unique landscape of the "driftless area" of Wisconsin , some ten thousand square miles of beautiful trout country. Ted Leeson fills this poignant book with thoughts about the special charms of small-scale waters and pastoral spaces, the nature of fishermen and meandering in trout streams, family and angling companions, and those places that remain with us long after we've left them.

Norm Zeigler's passion for fly fishing provides a rich backdrop for his observations, but Rivers of Shadow, Rivers of Sun is no angler's guide. Notes Zeigler, ".... for me, the fishing was always only part of the allure. What made Europe special were the exhilaration and adventure of travel, the thrill of discovering new waters, and the exotic flavors of foreign places.” This is a beautifully-written book about his adventures and about falling in love with the true essence of a geographical area -- its sights, smells and sounds. Though Frank Weissbarth offers detailed descriptions of the waters he has fished, Holy Ghost Creek is not a guide- or how-to book. Rather, it is a fishing memoir, a celebration of the joys of small streams and quiet adventures. He shares with us wisdom accumulated on countless days fishing this Rocky Mountain creek and other streams, presenting his knowledge with wit and a profound reverence of the beauty of the sport and the places it is practiced. Feather in the Breeze memorably records J. Edson Leonard's experiences, beginning with his days as a Pennsylvania farm boy, and his long romance with fly fishing. He writes about his early teachers, fine fly rods, trout flies, pickerel and stripers, and the “salty” bass of the eastern ( Maryland ) shore.

Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Freshwater Fish

Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater Fish

Ken Schultz, John Wiley & Sons ( New York ), (800)762-2974 or (201)748-6011, fax: (201)748-6008, www.wiley.com , 2004, 257/274 pp., illustrated, $17.95 each, softcover.

Florida's Fabulous Fishes

Gary Cochran, World Publications ( Tampa , FL ), (813)620-4517, fax: (813)620-9096, 2003, 132 pp., illustrated, $16.95, oversize softcover.

Fishes of Oklahoma

Rudolph J. Miller and Henry W. Robison, University of Oklahoma Press ( Norman , OK ), (800)627-7377 or (405)325-2000, fax: (800)735-0476 or (405)307-9048, www.oupress.com , 2004, 450 pp., illustrated, $39.95, softcover.

Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish are excellent references for anglers and fish enthusiasts of all levels. Both titles are easy-to-use handbooks, derived from Schultz's award-winning (and hefty) Fishing Encyclopedia , to the most common game fish found in North American waters. Arranged alphabetically by species, each entry covers the identification, size/age, distribution, habitat, life history/behavior, and feeding habits of each fish. The guides are fully illustrated, with detailed, full-color pictures; the overview and anatomy sections are written in layman's terms, less technical than those found in the Encyclopedia . Both editions will make it easy to identify what's at the end of your line – wherever you are. Florida's Fabulous Fishes is a recent addition to the excellent “ Florida 's Fabulous” series, which covers everything from spiders to seashells, published by World Publications. Beginning with “what is a fish?” Gary Cochran describes more than 500 species of freshwater and marine fish, including those that live at least part of their lives in Florida waters (as deep as 600 feet). Full of fascinating life histories and striking images, this title is definitely “fabulous”. Fishing is one of the most popular sports in Oklahoma , which contains more than a thousand square miles of water. Anglers interested in identifying and knowing more about what they catch – and scientists, too – can now refer to the comprehensive Fishes of Oklahoma . Rudolph Miller and Henry Robison include common and scientific names, detailed species descriptions, distribution maps, habitat and biology information, black-and-white photos or drawings of each species plus color paintings of many, and much more.

The Art of Fly Tying

Claude Chartrand, Firefly Books ( Richmond Hill , ONT, Canada ), (800)387-6192 or (416)499-8412, fax: (800)450-0391 or (416)499-8313, www.fireflybooks.com , 2002, 206

pp., illustrated, $24.95, softcover.

Inside Fly Tying: 100 Tips for Solving the Trickiest Fly-Tying Problems

Dick Talleur, Stackpole Books ( Mechanicsburg , PA ), (800)732-3669 or (717)796-0411, fax: (717)796-0412, www.stackpolebooks.com , 2004, 92 pp., illustrated, $19.95, softcover.

More Flies, Flowers, Fur & Feather: A Guide to the Waterside Flowers, Flies and Artificial Flies of Interest to the Fisherman

John Cawthorne, The Crowood Press/Trafalgar Square (No. Pomfret , VT ), (800)423-4525 or (802)457-1911, fax: (802)457-1913, www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com , 2004, 176 pp., illustrated, $45, hardcover.

Fly Fishing Knots and Connections, Lefty Kreh

Blue Upright: The Flies of a Lifetime , Steve Raymond

Hatches II: A Complete Guide to the Hatches of North American Trout Streams , Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi

The Lyons Press (contact information above), 2004, 127/210/341 pp., illustrated, $13.95/$24.95/$24.95, softcover/hardcover/hardcover.

The Art of Fly Tying by Claude Chartrand is a wonderful book about the subject: the photographs are superb, the author's text is readable and entertaining, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. Chapters cover entomology, materials and tools, fly-tying techniques, tying the basic flies, imitating nature, and recipes for popular fly dressings. Master fly tyer Dick Talleur has filled Inside Fly Tying with tested tips for solving common fly-tying problems and techniques to simplify tying methods. Topics include finding quality hackle and tying hackle-quill bodies; dyeing and stripping peacock quills for bodies; dubbing and winging a Wulff-style dry fly; new alternative materials for Spey flies, Muddlers, Bombers, and stonefly nymphs; and working with Uni-Stretch and foam. John Cawthorne uses his artistic skills to depict the flowers, plants and insects that are of interest to the fly fisherman. More Flies, Flowers, Fur & Feather is divided into sections covering stoneflies, aquatic and terrestrial flies, and the life cycles of the trout's various food forms. Illustrations depict the insects, the flowers that form part of their environment, and the artificial flies required to imitate them. In Fly Fishing Knots and Connections , Lefty Kreh tells anglers everything they need to know about what may be the most crucial aspect of successful angling – the connections between the reel, backing, fly line, leader and tippet. He discusses knot-tying fundamentals (and the nine most important knots), the finer points of shooting head-type fly lines, how to build leaders, how to use “bite” or “shock” tippets, how to tie droppers, and much more. The fly patterns in Blue Upright are among those that have served Steve Raymond most faithfully over the years, the favorite flies of a long angling life. He shares some of his fly recipes and warm-hearted fishing stories as he describes the Carey Special, Thompson's Delectable Chironomid, the Green Machine and, of course, the Blue Upright. Plus you'll discover other things, including why flies are important (clue: not only for catching fish). The updated edition of Hatches celebrates the enduring value of this complete guide to fishing the hatches of North American trout streams. Hundreds of photographs depict the mayfly in all stages of development, and the authors provide critical information on mayfly biology, tactics, presentation and imitation. Includes quick reference charts for the East, Midwest , and western United States hatches.

Fish versus Power: An Environmental History of the Fraser River

Matthew D. Evenden, Cambridge University Press ( New York , NY ), (845)353-7500, fax: (845)353-4141, www.cu p .org , 2004, 309 pp., illustrated, $65, hardcover.

Fisheries, Reefs, and Offshore Development

David Stanley and Ann Scarborough-Bull, eds., American Fisheries Society ( Bethesda , MD ), orders: (678)366-1411, fax: (770)442-9742, www.fisheries.org , 2003, 238 pp., illustrated, $42 (AFS members)/$60 plus S/H, softcover.

Wild about Freshwater Fish

Stoeger Publishing Company ( Accokeek , MD ), (877)486-2665 or (301)283-6300, fax: (301)283-6986, www.stoegerpu b lishing.com , 2002, 123 pp., illustrated, $24.95, hardcover.

Babe & Kris Winkelman's Great Fish & Game Recipes

Creative Publishing international ( Chanhassen , MN ), (800)328-3895 or (952)936-4700, fax: (952)988-0201, www.creativepub.com , 2004, 127 pp., illustrated, $21.95, hardcover.

Fish versus Power is an environmental history of British Columbia 's Fraser River and the attempts to dam it for power. Amid contemporary debates over large dam develop-ment and declines in fisheries, Matthew Evenden's book offers a case study of a river basin where development decisions did not ultimately dam the river, but rather conserved its salmon. On the Fraser the fish triumphed, and this book explains why. The American Fisheries Society's Fisheries, Reefs and Offshore Development is the proceedings of the Gulf of Mexico Fish and Fisheries Meeting held in October 2000. The meeting focused on the impact and effects of oil and gas development on fish and fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico . This volume provides new information and research, and updates the 1991 AFS symposium Fisheries and Oil Development on the Continental Shelf . Wild about Freshwater Fish is the third of six innovative game cookbook titles from Stoeger Publishing. It features more than 50 original recipes for a wide variety of popular freshwater game fish. Try, for example, Poached Channel Catfish with Raspberry Coulis, Rum-Marinated Salmon, or Black Bass Stuffed with Crab and Guacamole. The recipes are easy to follow, with no more than nine steps. Babe and Kris Winkelman prepare more than 150 fish and wild game dishes in their Great Fish & Game Recipes . Chapters include making stock, fish, big game, upland game, waterfowl, starters and side dishes, and sauces and marinades. Great photos and step-by-step preparation tips for everything from bass to venison to pheasant, and from catfish to moose to grouse.

Trout Hunter: The Way of an Angler

René Harrop, Pruett Publishing Company ( Boulder , CO ), (800)247-8224 or (303)449-4919, fax: (800)592-9727 or (303)443-9019, www.pruettpublishing.com , 2003, 205 pp., illustrated, $44.95, hardcover.

Spinner Fishing for Trout: A Proven System of Tackle, Techniques, and Strategies for Catching Trout

Jeff Deitrich, Stackpole Books (contact information above), 2003, 85 pp., illustrated, $9.95, softcover.

Bassing Bible: The Ultimate Bass Fishing Reference Guide

Keith Sutton, ed., Stoeger Publishing Company (contact information above), 2004 edition, 400 pp., illustrated, $24.95, softcover.

Barbel Rivers and Captures

Bob Singleton and Mick Wood, eds., The Crowood Press/Trafalgar Square (contact information above), 2004, 238 pp., illustrated, $50, hardcover.

Trout Hunter is a collection of magazine articles penned by Native American René Harrop, one of the world's foremost fly tyers and fly fishing guides. A fly fisherman for close to 50 years and one of the world's foremost tyers and guides, Harrop provides a look at how fly fishing can offer a lifetime of fulfillment. He talks about fly tying and fly fishing, but mostly about what it means to be a true trout hunter. Jeff Deitrich's Spinner Fishing for Trout is an excellent guide to catching trout on spinning gear. Topics include casting and retrieving; the strike, the play and the catch; tangles, snags and knots; stream characteristics; seasons and weather conditions; and knots and equipment (including what to spend for spinners, line, rods, reels). Bassing Bible 2004 (2005 is now available) is the ultimate bass fishing reference. Feature articles by bass fishing authorities cover a wide range of “bassing” topics, and up-to-date information on boats, outboards, trolling motors, electronics, rods, reels, lures, hooks, line, accessories – including hundreds of new products – make up this easy-to-navigate, 400-page guide. Barbel Rivers and Captures , written by members of the Barbel Catchers Club, provides a vast amount of information about the contemporary barbel fishing scene in England . There are individual chapters on 29 rivers, accounts of big barbel catches, the past and future of barbel fishing, modern baits, scores of photos and diagrams, and details of the Barbel Catchers River Records and the Club's “top 50” barbel.

Books Archive

March/April 2004
May/June 2004
July/August 2004
September/October 2004
November/December 2004
January/February 2005