Never sniff a gift fish [Hardcover]

Patrick F McManus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1984

More humerous observations and insights into the agonies and ecstacies of hunting, fishing, and camping by the author of They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?and other celebrations of life in the wild.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Patrick McManus is a treasure."--The Atlantic

"Everybody should read Patrick McManus."--The New York Times Book Review

"A style that brings to mind Mark Twain, Art Buchwald, and Garrison Keillor."--People

"The funniest writer around today."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"McManus captures the innocence most of us lose when we become grown-up, and reading him you can't help recalling similar times and events in your own life."--Booklist

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 298 pages
• Publisher: G.K. Hall (1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816137188
• ISBN-13: 978-0816137183
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Great Outdoorsman's Guide To Success, November 7, 2001

By 

Jeremy Wilcox (Kuna, ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Sniff A Gift Fish (Paperback)

NEVER SNIFF A GIFT FISH
By: Patrick F. McManus

Have you ever heard of a great outdoorsman? You know, the one whose fly-casting technique can be compared to an old lady fighting off a bee with a broom handle. Or maybe the one whose attempts to pitch the family tent terrorized entire campgrounds. Well, for those of you who haven't heard of him, this book, will give you a little insight into the life of the great outdoorsman. Never Sniff A Gift Fish, is a great source for those useful camping phrases. Here are some of them.

Corn Flakes: A common camp food. Often eaten dry with salt and pepper since no one thought to bring milk.

Camping manuals: Books filled with ingenious camping tips which are forgotten the instant the camper sets foot in the field. "I read about a way to cook a chicken with a camera lens and a wire clothes hanger, but I can't remember how," he says. "Better just fry it."

Downwind: Whichever side of the campfire you happen to be on.
And who could forget "When hell freezes over": An expression used by wives and mothers to indicate the next time you'll get them to go on another camping trip.

This book is a hilarious combination of philosophy and fishing, all rolled into one. I loved the book, and I would definitely recommend this book to any outdoorsman, great or not, that has a sense of humor and a sense of what the author is going through.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so good you can't describe it, April 20, 2004

By 

"jonclan205" (USA Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Sniff A Gift Fish (Paperback)

i first theses books when i was ten years old and i haven't stopped yet.. we only have four books but i intend to get more of the books.. they are funny.. i like the one where he goes hunting on his bicycle and gets the deer stuck on the pedals.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Addicting!!!!, October 13, 2000

By 

Phillip Brazier (Lynchburg, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Sniff a Gift Fish (Audio Cassette)

Never Look a Gift Fish was my introduction to the wonderful world of Patrick F. McManus. Each story had me remembering similar incidents in my life, only mine were not near as entertaining.

While listening to these tapes during a cross-state drive to a football game, I caught myself driving slower as I approached my destination because I did not want to have to wait until the return trip to continue listening.

It is ironic that many of his stories are based on fishing because I, for one, am HOOKED!!