The Angler's Life: Collecting and Traditions

About this book

The devoted angler doesnt just pursue his meditative sport at stream lake or shore; he brings its nostalgic memorabilia into every room of the house. Fishing is an avocation that demands devotion inspires colorful tales and enriches memories of vacations childhood days and summertime. In The Anglers Life the authors of the popular companion books The Sporting Life and Living with Dogs bring to life the anecdotes artwork keepsakes and traditions of a pastime that is a passion for its devotees. With 30 irresistible stories and more than 300 stunning color photographs The Anglers Life unveils the "obsessive interest in things piscatorial" that distinguishes most avid fishermen and women (not to mention children who in these pages seem plucked from the novels of Mark Twain). From sea to river to pond throughout America and even across the Atlantic The Anglers Life explores the lives and environments of a diverse range of fishing aficionados in four chapters. The chapter "Fishing Rooms" ducks inside to take a close look at dens festooned with antique creels; Pennsylvania bookbinder Sid Neffs 2 000-volume angling library; fishing editor and writer Nick Lyonss art-filled Manhattan brownstone; and even a 17th-century British "fishing room" erected by Charles Cotton in honor of Sir Izaak Walton revered author of The Compleat Angler. In "At the Lake" we are invited to tour both an elegant lake retreat in Georgia and a fishing familys woodland cottage in Connecticut. "Coastal Waters" takes us from the century-old Tuna Club of Catalina Island California to an artists cottage outpost on Chesapeake Bay to Cabbage Key a sun-drenched tarpon fishing island off the coast of Florida. The authors continue their cross-country journey in "On the Stream " visiting small fishing towns in northern Michigan a Western river where both fish and conservation money are raised and a fishermans antique-filled converted one-room schoolhouse. Whether focusing on fly-fishing ice-fishing surf casting or deep-sea fishing the authors beautifully capture the mystical side of the sport -- the side that inspires anglers from all walks of life to surround themselves with elements that make tangible their love of the water and the open air. With a glossary of terms a listing of the best spots to locate certain fish and a source guide packed with information on everything from finding fishing gear to furnishing an Adirondack-style home The Anglers Life is itself a virtual collectors item for both anglers and non-anglers alike.