Tales About Fishing: A Good Summer Read

The author spent five weeks on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts following the community during their annual sport's event, The Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. This tales about fishing book is not just for fanatics I promise you. If you don't know a thing about the sport, or gag at the sight of dead fish and bait, you will STILL enjoy this book filled with lively characters and their stories.

You can kick back and relax as Kinney, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, takes you through the Martha's Vineyard of today as well as a history of the community, the culture of the island and the celebrities that have graced her shores. Escape to the time when the derby began and hear eccentric tales about fishing, competition and secrets.

Those of you that are serious fishermen will relish the author's tales about fishing and the obsession some have for the sport (maybe you?) He participated in the derby himself and with humor and humility, Kinney infiltrated the secret group of experienced anglers battling for the $30,000 prize and the lengths that they will go for five weeks to beat the competition.

Here's an excerpt:

"Grown men have cried over the derby. They have ignored their wives for week after week, sleepwalked through work day after day, stayed up all night long, skipped out on their jobs altogether, drawn unemployment, burned through every last day of their vacation time, downed NoDoz and Red Bull and God knows what else. They have spied on their rivals and lied to their friends. They have told off strangers and cheated like lowlife bums. If you believe the conspiracy theorists, they have prosecuted bogus charges of rules breaking to get their adversaries tossed from the competition. People have died fishing the thing."

I read "The Big One" cover to cover poolside in one weekend and I have never fished before, nor read any tales about fishing (including Moby Dick). The stories are better than most well plotted fiction books.