Fishing for Dummies (Paperback)

~ (Author) "A fish is a cold-blooded animal that lives underwater, has fins, and breathes through gills..." (more)
Key Phrases: fishfinder rig, backhand cast, underhand cast, New York, Long Island, Great Lakes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You know the saying: Give a man (or woman) a fish, and you give him dinner; teach a man (or woman) to fish and he'll have dinner for the rest of his life. The always entertaining and instructional "... for Dummies" series reeled in witty outdoors writer Peter Kaminsky to keep the rest of us fed--as in food for the table and food for thought--with this step-by-step guide to pretty much every right and obtuse angle on angling. As with all the books in the series, Fishing is filled with punchy advice, plenty of diagrams, and a series of Top 10 lists that should bag aspiring fishers hook, line, and sinker.

Product Description

No one can promise that you will catch fish all the time. Fish, after all, would just as soon never taste a hook or feel the sizzle of a frying pan. For as long as we have been catching fish, fish have also been outsmarting us. "That's why they call it fishing and not catching," goes the old saying. This book will help you fish, and it will help you catch, too. No matter how much you know, there are still a couple of tricks that even the oldest angler can pick up.

For those of you who have never fished, you will find enough in this book to get you started. You don't have to learn everything all at once. If you are already an angler, there are plenty of tips and techniques that you can turn to right away without going through the basics all over again. And you master anglers will also find this book a handy reference for all kinds of fishing questions.

Once you have a few basic pointers, fishing is as easy as falling off a log (which is something you want to avoid, as the splash will scare the fish). Fishing For Dummies will show you how to orchestrate all of your equipment into a fine-tuned fish-catching machine. You'll soon know all about

Your fishing equipment, from the rod in your hand to the hook on the very end of the line

The fish that people fish for, what they look like, and where they're found

The basics of bait-casting, spinning, and fly-casting

Fighting, landing, and releasing fish

Storing, cleaning, and cooking fish

Fishing is a great joy and a lifetime sport. You will find that there are successful fishing days and unsuccessful fishing days, but there is no such thing as a bad fishing day. This book can make fishing easier and more rewarding for you every time you pick up your rod and reel.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (April 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764550284
• ISBN-13: 978-0764550287
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,661 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #47 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Hunting & Fishing > General & Anthologies
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fishing For Dummies, August 6, 2001

By	"gjgardner" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

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.

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A complete guide for novice fisherman., August 11, 2000

By	M. Antalek (Dracut) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prefect book for someone who knows nothing about fishing, September 10, 1998

By A Customer

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.