Customer Reviews

Gone Fishin' ... for Hybrid Bass: Or As Well Call 'em ... Rockets! (Gone Fishin)

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I spent a good part of the fifth grade refining the fine art of writing mindless filler. Our teacher worked out her personal frustrations by assigning 500 word compositions on the "president of the day" as punishments. I could write everything anyone ever needed to know about Grover Cleveland and still have 495 words to go. That's when I learned about filler. As a fellow New Jersey boy, I can only assume Mr. Luftglass had the same teacher. Sadly, his book, Gone Fishin'... For Hybrid Bass is 90% useless filler.

It is particularly frustrating because there is a dearth of good books on the subject. As a dedicated hybrid striper angler, I continuously search for sources of good information. I still consider the best printed volume on the subject to be the somewhat dated Trophy Stripers & Hybrids: Innovative Tactics and Techniques for Catching Freshwater Stripers & Hybrids by Steve Baker and Neil Ward which was originally published in 1990. I have seen a re-release of this book in 1998 but have not had a chance to read it. Much has changed in the hybrid world since the late 80s so hopefully this very useful book has been updated. Although I purchased the book for a different reason, Nick Karas' The Complete Book of Striped Bass Fishing contains a surprising amount of good information on hybrids and freshwater stripers. Both books are better offerings then Gone Fishin... For Hybrid Bass.

Mr. Luftglass' book contains 150 pages. Chapter 1 begins on page 11 and the generic hybrid striper content ends on page 34. Much of the information could be gleaned from any other fishing book: how to choose the right anchor, use of clinch knots, the fact that a baitcasting reel can backlash "making you a very, very unhappy camper", and so on. For a book on hybrid stripers, Mr. Luftglass dedicates more time writing about "Why I call `em.... Rockets" then about obtaining and keeping live shad.

The bulk of the book, pages 36 through 139, fall under the title "The 50 States, Those That DO and Those that DON'T". It is a state by state review of which states have (and don't have) hybrid stripers. Unfortunately, judging from my own state's review, the information became out of date the moment the words hit the page. Better and more current information is readily available on any state department of wildlife resources website. If you live in one of the 29 states that are listed as "Yes" on hybrid stripers, I promise you that you already know more about your state fishery that you could learn from the few pages dedicated to your state.

However, here is where Mr. Luftglass' gift for filler really shines. Even those states which do not have hybrid stripers get a place in this book.

If you think I am kidding, this is the entry for Alaska:

"Well, as you might have guessed, Alaska's waters are just too doggone cold most of the year to satisfy the needs of hybrid bass. Yes, some might survive a winter in a deep lake, but not many at that.

In fact, the state told me that there are NO bass of any kind in Alaska, and it is illegal by statue to put any bass in her waters. Rob Bentz, Deputy Director of its Division of Sportfish, provided this information. A statute passed in 2003 threatens everything but loss of all fishing rights for life if anyone brings such a critter in.

So, if you want to fish in Alaska, try for halibut, ling-cod, salmon, trout, and the like as I did several times. No, they aren't hybrid bass, but Alaska's waters still offer wonderful fishing, salt and fresh alike".

And so it goes.. followed by a page dedicated to Arizona which also DOES NOT have hybrid stripers. There are 21 entries for states which do not have hybrids, including Hawaii, which doggone it, doesn't have hybrid stripers either.

Had the book been more accurately titled "Hybrid Fishing Guidebook for U.S. Travelers without Internet Access" perhaps this review would have been more a bit kinder. Yes, my mother taught me not to criticize an effort if I could not do better. She also taught me not to waste money. Perhaps I would have been better off with some of Mr. Luftglass' other titles: "So You Want To Write a Book" or "How to Sell a Condo or Townhouse (or rent one out)". If you are so inclined, a complete listing of Mr. Luftglass' books is available at his website.