Customer Reviews

Fishing for Dummies

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Panic set in when a friend invited me on a weekend fishing outing with a group of experienced outdoorsmen. Having never landed a lunker in my life, I had slap-stick visions of hooking myself with lures, upended fishing boats, and general ridicule from a bunch of plaid-shirted Grizzly Adamses. Fishing For Dummies saved me from this humiliation and actually turned me into a fisherman. In a fun and readable format, it taught me everything I needed to know: what kind of rod and reel to get, how to equip the tackle box, what kind of bait to use, and most importantly, how to actually fish. Fishing For Dummies literally teaches you how to cast the line into the water, how to attract and hook the critters, and how to reel them in and land them. I ended up catching the two largest trout of the weekend and enjoyed myself to boot. If you need a quick, readable reference to get you started in this sport, this is the book for you.

As with almost all the "for Dummies" books I have, the reading is quite easy. The author keeps this book moving right along while providing you with in-depth info on eveything from knots, lures, rod action to what to wear under your waders. This book, although they would lead you to believe is for novices to pros, is definitely geared toward the beginner. If you have been fishing for a while there probably isn't any thing new to learn here. Try getting a specialty book if you need to focus on a particular area of angling skills. All in all this book does provide vast amounts of quality information for those just starting out.

Note: A great feature of this book is its list of websites and books in the appendix. I found these lists to be very useful tools in continuing my research of the great outdoors.

I knew next to nothing about fishing, except that there's a lot to learn. This book covers all the basics very clearly, in a very organized way. I read it straight through, cover to cover, and now feel I have a good idea of what to do, what fish or conditions all the different baits and lures are for, how to to use them, how to tie them on, etc. etc. The book can also be used as a reference--you can skip around and pick up info on just the areas you're interested in. Definitely a good choice.

I am new to fishing, not throwing a pre-rigged line into the water and waiting, but FISHING. I am a single woman who used to have a man do everything for me. Now I am on my own and wanted to learn what to really do to catch fish! This book taught me the basics in easy to understand language with a little humor thrown in so I didn't feel like a dummy at all. There's always more to learn, but this book helped me get out there with the big boys and give them a run for their money! A definite must-have for your fishing library.

This book isn't just for dummies--it's for everyone with any interest in fishing. The author really knows his stuff and shares everything in a fun, clear and comprehensive fashion. This book quickly answered a hundred little questions I've long had about fishing--but was a bit too shy to ask anyone for fear of sounding a bit like a dummie. No longer. I've now got THE book on fishing. Do not hesitate to buy it. It's terrific! (My congratulations and thanks to the author!)

I bought this book about a year ago and still refer to it every now and then. Most likely it's not a book you'll really want to sit down and read cover-to-cover. But it makes for nice reading when you're sitting down relaxing and thinking about fishing when you can't actually be out on the water.
The author seems to cover a good bit of ground and for a couple of questions I still had, he was pretty responsive to e-mail as well.
All the different kinds of rods, reels, lines, hooks, artificial bait, live bait, knots, etc. are covered.
All-in-all, worth the money and your time.

While I am usually quite pleased with the "for dummies" type of books because they are truly a "reference for the rest of us," this one does not deliver on the latter promise. While it is fun to read and easy to understand, I learned nothing from reading this and I am only a casual fisherman at best, going on what my dad taught me over 25 years ago when I was just a boy. I think if you had no idea what you were doing at all this might be a good "get started" book, but if you know what a rod and reel are and how they work, how hooks and lines are gauged and how to hook your bait, I don't think this book will teach you very much. It also introduces a lot of new things to the beginner (such as telling you what the basic types of lures are), but tells you nothing in terms of tips for catching fish any better with these items.

While the author enthusiastically peppers in "fish stories" about huge and numerous fish he has caught all over the world, it is interspersed with basic introductory information that gives no clue to the average fisherman of how he can ever accomplish the same things. In fact, most of us can't afford to go to exotic locales and pay fishing guides who take us out on boats that the author talks about so I have no idea why these stories are in there.

All in all, if you are absolutely clueless about fishing and have no one to ask or who will take you fishing this might be helpful, but otherwise I would recommend skipping it.

I recently took up fishing so I could pick up where my father in-law left off with my sons. I knew nothing of the sport so this book seemed to be the one to purchase. It is a great first read for new anglers. It has just the right amount of information without overwhelming the reader. I learned a lot and so did my kids.

Fishing for Dummies is a great book for beginner fisherwomen and fishermen to learn the basics needed to go out and fish. It was extremely helpful and so easy to understand. I highly recommend it!

Great book to get started and learn tricks and tips even if you
are an intermidiate angler.

Anything beyond what this book offers, you will need to
learn it from experience and from more advanced anglers.