Every so often, especially this time of year, I run out of material.
Actually, that may be too harsh.
Although I get outside less, my imagination and creativity don’t completely shut down. And, I do, occasionally, venture out in the winter months. So, it’s probably more accurate to say I run out of good material.
For example, with the mild weather we’ve had the last few weeks, I’ve already been out stream fishing twice. Here’s how it went:
-Dressed in multiple layers to stay warm.
-Despite layering, got cold quickly.
-Water was mostly stained, making it hard to see below the surface.
-When I could see, the stream looked utterly devoid of life.
-Made a dozen or so casts.
-Moved downstream a bit.
-A dozen more casts.
-No bites whatsoever.
-Gave up.
As you can see, it would take a serious dose of imagination and creativity to make this material remotely informative or entertaining.
But not to worry. I also spend time reading, and I feel confident in recommending some excellent books to you. Some are, of course, about fish and fishing, others about outdoor adventures/misadventures, and others still about ecosystems and our role in either destroying or protecting them. If you are interested in any of these things, all are worthy of your time.
The list is in no particular order, but I have read three of the books more than once: I Fish, Therefore I am, Striper Wars and On the Run.
Enjoy!
1. I Fish, Therefore I Am, Patrick McManus (2004). A collection of outdoor stories written by the famous columnist/humorist. McManus is one of my favorites. I wish I had a small portion of his talent for storytelling. I promise you will laugh out loud.
2. The Big One, David Kinney (2009). Kinney follows several contestants in their quest to win the 2007 Martha’s Vineyard Fishing Tournament. He chronicles the history of the famous annual tournament and the crazy things that have happened over the years.
3. The Devils Teeth, Susan Casey (2005). A study of the Farallon Islands (located west of San Francisco), the great white sharks that frequent the area and the people who study them.
4. Leviathan, Eric Jay Dolin (2007). Recounts the history of whaling in America.
5. Four Fish, Paul Greenberg (2010). Details the world-wide exploitation of the salmon, cod, tuna and sea bass fisheries. Also discusses the efforts to commercially farm these species.
6. Sowbelly, Monte Burke (2005). Tells the stories of several fishermen obsessed with trying to break the record for the biggest largemouth bass ever caught. The current record, set in 1932 by a farmer trying to feed his family, is twenty-two pounds, four ounces.
7. Striper Wars, Dick Russell (2005). Recounts the historic efforts to save striped bass from extinction and to rebuild the stock.
8. The Last Lobster, Christopher White (2018). Chronicles the boons and busts of the Maine lobster fishery.
9. Fishing Through the Apocalypse, Matthew Miller (2019). The author travels across America fishing for obscure species, often in the most unlikely places.
10. On the Run, David DiBenedetto (2003). DiBenedetto follows, and fishes for, stripers during their 2001 fall migration from Maine to South Carolina.
