From the bestselling author of Saban, 4th and Goal, and Sowbelly comes the thrilling, untold story of the quest for the world record tarpon on a fly rod—a tale that reveals as much about Man as it does about the fish. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, something unique happened in the quiet little town on the west coast of Florida known as Homosassa. The best fly anglers in the world—Lefty Kreh, Stu Apte, Ted Williams, Tom Evans, Billy Pate and others—all gathered together to chase the same Holy Grail: The world record for the world’s most glamorous and sought-after fly rod species, the tarpon. The anglers would meet each morning for breakfast. They would compete out on the water during the day, eat dinner together at night, socialize and party. Some harder than others. The world record fell nearly every year. But records weren’t the only things that were broken. Hooks, lines, rods, reels, hearts and marriages didn’t survive, either. The egos involved made the atmosphere electric. The difficulty of the quest made it legitimate. The drugs and romantic entaglements that were swept in with the tide would finally make it all veer out of control. It was a confluence of people and place that had never happened before in the world of fishing and will never happen again. It was a collision of the top anglers and the top species of fish which would lead to smashed lives for nearly all involved, man and fish alike. In Lords of the Fly, Burke, an obsessed tarpon fly angler himself, delves into this incredible moment. He examines the growing popularity of the tarpon, an amazing fish has been around for 50 million years, can live to 80 years old and can grow to 300 pounds in weight. It is a massive, leaping, bullet train of a fish. When hooked in shallow water, it produces “immediate unreality,” as the late poet and tarpon obsessive, Richard Brautigan, once described it. Burke also chronicles the heartbreaking destruction that exists as a result—brought on by greed, environmental degradation and the shenanigans of a notorious Miami gangster—and how all of it has shaped our contemporary fishery. Filled with larger-than-life characters and vivid prose, Lords of the Fly is not only a must read for anglers of all stripes, but also for those interested in the desperate yearning of the human condition.

Ford and Rivkin present the stories of the 50 most incredible record fish catches from around the world. Illustrated.

For most anglers, catching a world-record fish is something they can only fantasize about. "Maybe," the angler thinks, "I'll get lucky." But if the reason you fish is to catch world-record fish, then luck is only a very small part of it, as Robert Cunningham has learned in the course of a long quest during which he has caught fifty-seven world-record fish, as certified by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). Cunningham's pursuit of record fish began on the remote and austere Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, which he reached flying his own seaplane, and where he chased and landed several world-record redfish. Cunningham then moved offshore, where he took record cobia and dolphin on both conventional tackle with a fly rod, and set an astonishing eleven world records in one year. Cunningham has caught record fish in the sloughs of the Mobile River Delta, the interior lakes of the Bahamas, and along tide rips more than one hundred miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. He has fought potential world-record fish for eight hours, only to lose them at boatside, and then gone back for more, and along the way, learned all manner of angling skills as well as the ability to shake off the (literal) bad breaks. His account of one angler's obsession is full of humor, disappointment, and triumph.

Color illustrations of fish found in Florida with descriptions, size range and habitats, tastiness, game qualities, and the tackles, baits and fishing systems used to catch them.

The Hooker and The Madam are probably the most recognized names in the sport fishing industry. During Capt. Skip Smith's tenure with Jerry and Deborah Dunaway, they traveled the world as part of sportfishing's most dynamic team. They explored 26 countries from the west coast of Africa to Australia and south to Peru, the entire Caribbean and more. Captain Skip Smith starts at his beginning with The Hooker and how they added The Madam to the fleet. The stories are about the numerous IGFA world records being caught and the background stories and adventures of his crew. Along the way he and his crew had more than their fair share of misadventure: sex, drugs and rock and roll on the high seas. Smith has committed many of those stories to paper in his new book, Tales of a Hooker and Her Madam. Visit Capt. Skip's website for more information, www.captskipsmith.com

"The IGFA World Record Game Fishes book is the world's definitive publication of recreational angling records with informative articles by respected outdoor writers"--

My Life in Fishing is more than a collection of engaging stories and fly fishing pointers; it is a glimpse of the development and evolution of the sport, and of saltwater fly fishing at its highest level, through the eyes and anecdotes of the only man who can tell the stories.