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

by Richard Louv

For three years, journalist Richard Louv listened to America by going fishing with Americans. Doing what many of us dream of, he traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from trout waters east and west to bass waters north and south. Fly-Fishing for Sharks is the result of his journey, a portrait of America on the water, fishing rod in hand.
To explore the cultures of fishing, Louv joined a bass tournament on Lake Erie and got a casting lesson from fly-fishing legend Joan Wulff He angled with corporate executives in Montana and fly-fished for sharks in California. He spent time with fishing-boat captains in Florida, the regulars who fish New York City's Hudson River, and a river witch in Colorado. He teamed secrets of fishing and living from steelheaders in the Northwest, Bass'n Gals in Texas, and an ice-fisher in the North Woods. Along the way, he heard from one of Hemingway's sons what it was like to fish with Papa and from Robert Kennedy, Jr., how fishing changed his fife.
As he describes the eccentricities, obsessions, and tribulations of dedicated anglers, he also uncovers the values that unite them. He reveals the healing qualities of fishing, how it binds the generations, how the angling business has grown, and how the future of fishing is threatened. But most of all, Fly-Fishing for Sharks is about the unforgettable characters Louv meets on the water and the stories they tell. From them, Louv learns about our changing relationship with nature, about a hidden America -- and about himself.

496 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2000

About the author

Richard Louv, recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal, is the author of seven books, including Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle. The chairman of the Children & Nature Network (www.cnaturenet.org), he is also honorary co-chair of the National Forum on Children and Nature. He has written for the San Diego Union-Tribune, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor, and other newspapers and magazines. He has appeared on The Early Show, Good Morning America, Today, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, NPRs Morning Edition, Fresh Air, Talk of the Nation, and many other programs. For more information, visit www.lastchildinthewoods.com.

Reviews

[Ross Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Louv’s book puts me in mind of William Least Heat-Moon’s classic 1982 travelogue Blue Highways, though Louv does not write as well as does Least Heat-Moon. The interviews are not well integrated into the larger story that Louv is trying to tell about angling in America, and his reflections on the different “cultures” of fishing are half-baked just as often as not. But there are enough good stories in this book, and enough wisdom from some of those interviewed, to make it worth adding to your library.

Lastly, it should be noted, in case you were wondering, that this book is not about fly-fishing for sharks. Only one of the stories Louv tells features such fishing—but it’s a good one.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[April the Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting book, but tough to get through.It was a slow read, but I learned about fly fishing and some of the personalities involved in the sport. The last 100 pages or so were the best for me, but it was a bit of a struggle to get to that point..

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fishing junkie, and even I thought this book was a little hard to get through at times. But if you are stuck in an airport terminal for hours, I would give it a read.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received this as a gift. I enjoyed the fly fishing parts but could have done without the Bass fishing.