Customer Reviews

Fly-Fishing for Sharks: An Angler's Journey Across America

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hi I am Mike Cooper and I'm 13 years old I loved reading Fly Fishing For Sharks. When I first got the book I thought that it was going to be very hard for me to read and take a while, but I finished the book in around a month. It was very interesting becuase I am from San Diego and I have fished at some of the lakes that the author fished at. I also learned a little bit about fishing. I think the most interesting thing about the book was all the interesting people that he would meet on his journey. This is a really good book and it is one of those that you can't put it down you just have to keep reading it. So if you like fishing or just like reading about interesting people this is well worth it and I recomend and buying it today.

As an avid fisherman and reader, I can tell you that one spends a lot of time pusuing the rare catch: The trophy fish or the unforgetable book. Suffice it to say - this book is a keeper! Louv's insights into the world of fishing, emotions, and the human psyche are poignant, insightful, and dead-on, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. I've shared this book with many non-fishing friends (for example a 60-something Nanny) - who loved it! Through extensive interviews and lots of fishing with the characters in his book, Richard Louv explores the deeper meaning that fishing and nature hold for these folks - and indeed for mankind. (Previous reviews likening his journey to Steinbeck or William Least Heat Moon are accurate) There are some wake-up calls here too: disappearing landscapes and children growing up detatched from their Mother Earth. I laughed, I cried, I bought a bunch and gave them as gifts. Here's my gift to you, gentle reader: Buy it for yourself and enjoy!

With out a doubt, one of the best books I've read--ever. Louv captures the true passion of his subject fly-fishermen (and women), then steps back and releases the stories of their spirited lives with the interpretation of a painter to canvas. As a daughter of one of the fly-fishermen Louv interviewed, I can say without hesitation, he revealed my father's knowledge and love of fishing in a way no one but a family member could.

This 76 year old lady -- me -- from a midwest farming area -- Waupum, Wisconsin -- lover of all nature -- a constant reader of books all my life of all varieties and subjects -- just now reading your book about fishing and the vivid picture of the outdoors and the people connected with it -- wanting to thank you for writing this super book which I've read every word enjoying your description of your travels, life, outdoors, fishing and the people met along the journey of your life. I don't fish. Never have. But you are a great author and writer...so thank you again for the enjoyment you have placed in my hands with your book and in my mind with your words...Books and reading have been my life -- carry one with me every day, where ever I go. So many have seen your book and asked about it.

"Fly-Fishing for Sharks" reminded me of "Blue Highways," in some ways, but for the most part it's in a class by itself. I guess you could call it "fishing literature," but it's mainly a book of stories about people who don't usually get written about. As you meet the fishing guides, fly-fishermen, bass people and so on, from all parts of the country, you find out what it is like to stand in their shoes. A number of women are included here, and that's a little unusual for books related to fishing. Writer Studs Terkel shows people this way, but Louv weaves it all into a story that kept me turning pages. I am better informed now about ecology, early television, Pacific Northwest fishing heroes, New Mexico politics, Florida sport-fishing captains, Montana high-roller fishing lodges and a hatful of other things. On another level, this is a road trip. Lots of facts and figures on the state of contemporary America. But it's the stories about the people met along the way that stick in my mind. This is a wonderful book. Important and entertaining.

Fly Fishing for Sharks

I hate fishing. It's like spitting at birds, or something. Fish are morons who can't tell food from death. Who cares?

This book is about fishing like the Grand Canyon is about holes in the ground. First and foremost and forever, this book is about people: brave, interesting, eminently resourceful, good-hearted, intense people-who, for reasons as varied as ...well, types of fish ... are SERIOUSLY connected to what I was surprised to find was the pretty damn interesting world of fishing.

The thing is, Louv has the touch: he's delicate (without being precious), admiring (without being fawning), intelligent (without being pompous), reflective (without being ponderous), insightful (without being self-congratulatory), and, WAY most importantly, of course, is that he's nothing less than a superb writer (without being...um...a non-superb writer).

Buying books is tough; you never know what you're getting. But buy this one. It's not possible for you to regret it. You'll read it; you'll treasure it; you'll pass it along to a friend and never see it again--and your inner life, and the inner life of the person you passed it to, will actually, tangibly improve. That's what books are for--and only really, REALLY great books, of course, can do it. This is one of them. Don't let this one ... um ... get away. Seriously. Don't.

Could not make it past first chapter.Maybe I should start writing books,currently a fishing guide.great Title !Ended up as a gift.

I decided to purchase this book after reading one of Richard Louv's columns in the San Diego Union-Tribune. His column presented a fresh and thought provoking take on urban grow. I ultimately found the same level of thoughtfulness in Fly-Fishing for Sharks. His writing is first-class and his style is personal but not over-powering. What's most obvious thoughout the book is his fondness for all things angling. The book manages to cover a range of topics that are as varied as the places he visits. You'll find yourself on an adventure in the remote inland areas of Baja California one moment, and at a fly tackle trade-show in Denver the next.

The single knock I would give the book is the focus given to the "fishing industry" and not the average angler. The book isn't so much about the average American who you'll find fishing their weekends away as it is about the well-known personalities who have shaped fishing and promoted the sport.

Thank you for taking me along on your thoughtful journey throughout the hearts and minds of the people who comprise this wonderful facet of our American culture.

Richard Louv is the Charles Kuralt of this adventure and he takes you deep into the personal challenges, love and rewards of this American sport. You get to go into waters you never knew existed and meet people with whom you have fly-fishing in common. There are conversations with the familiar and famous, and with people you would never expect to pick up a rod and reel.

Let yourself be led by the kindred spirit we all have in fly-fishing. It's worth it! Enjoy!

Fly-Fishing for Sharks - Review

Where's the sharks?...I ordered the book expecting to find an almost 500 page tome on every technical detail on flyfishing for sharks, a growing interest of mine. I was really disappointed. Never one to give up on a book before it is started; I dug right in. I found this book to be a delightful collection of fishing characters from around the country. The breadth of fishing subcultures/interests was fascinating. I found myself jealous of the author's incredible trip through America's fishing universe. But I still want to know how to tie an IGFA legal big game leader with a 90 pound test wire bite tippet. I guess I should read the editorial review first.