Reading, Writing and Ripping Lips
I’m a self-described book nerd and I have been since I was a little kid. Indeed, coming from a non-fishing family, the written word was my entrance into the sport. My parents bought me a subscription to Field & Stream when I was 9, and one to Bassmaster when I was 13. Reading about all of the different tackle, destinations and personalities lit a fire under me that hasn’t come close to burning out.
Some of that passion has been transferred from books and magazines to online resources, and I read plenty of books on my Kindle, but I still love the feel of printed paper. When magazines ask if I’d prefer a digital or hard copy, I almost always choose the latter, and when I’m buying an important book about fishing I still go for the tangible version.
If you have a reader in your life who loves to fish and travel and you’re looking for gift ideas here are some suggestions:
This is fish porn to the extreme, featuring all sorts of places and species that even fish geeks like me have never heard of, let alone chase. I may never make it to Sri Lanka to cast for golden barramundi and clownfish, but after reading about some other adventures this magazine has added lots of places to my list. Also, because it’s based out of Europe, it highlights lots of tackle that I don’t see in my usual diet of bass-oriented U.S. publications.
Anglers Journal is a true literary-style magazine in the mold of Gray’s Sporting Journal or Sporting Classics, with a good balance between freshwater and saltwater and a heavy dose of adventure. The photography is exquisite, too. This is a publication you can put on your coffee table and even non-anglers will try to swipe it.
Giant trevally have been on the top of my “to-do” list ever since I saw the famous BBC video of GTs swiping sooty terns from the air. I’m pretty sure I’ll chase them with conventional gear rather than a fly rod, and some of the fly fishing terminology is lost on me, but this fired me up to fish for them even more – if that was possible. Author Peter McLeod brings in many of the world’s experts on the species to discuss how to target GTs along with some of the best destinations.
If you have not been to Alaska yet, even if you don’t fish you need to get there asap. I’ve been there the past two summers after a 25 year hiatus and I can’t wait to get back in 2021. What’s amazing to me is that I’ve spent close to 50 days in the state over the course of my lifetime and I’ve covered only the narrowest sliver of what it has to offer. Whether you have an unlimited budget or barely enough to get your plane ticket, the Milepost is a worthwhile resource. During our 1995 trip, when two friends and I put over 3,000 miles on a rental car, the Milepost enabled us to travel effectively – pointing out where we could camp, get gas and catch fish, among other things.
If you’re looking to get me something, look no further than Monte Burke’s Lords of the Fly about a group of anglers’ attempts to catch the world-record tarpon. Tarpon is another species I’ve yet to catch, but one that remains super-high on my list, especially because they’re accessible in Florida and other places within a short flight from my home. I loved Burke’s Sowbelly, about the quest to catch the world-record bass, along with his books about Nick Saban and Joe Moglia. This is one where Kindle will certainly not suffice – I want it on the shelf.
