If you’re familiar with the world of hunting, you know how important dogs are in the field. Less known, however, is how vital these canines are to fishermen. For many anglers, packing your tackle and wading through the river without a trusted fishing dog is a recipe for disaster. In Fishing Dogs, Raymond Coppinger sheds light on the true value of fishing dogs of every size, shape, and color. Monsoon dogs, for example, lay in the bilge of boats until they are disturbed by the shipping of water. At that point, they rise up out of the bilge and unleash with tremendous power a series of epicentric rotational reciprocations, thus expelling inches of boat-threatening water. Coppinger also introduces readers to the Maine bowplunk dog, which received its name from its deeply ingrained habit of standing, proud and brave, on the bow of his master’s boat as it moves through the choppy waters off Maine’s coast. As a biologist, distinguished fisherman, and a known storyteller and fan of satire, Coppinger is more than qualified to discuss the various breeds of fishing dogs, in addition to topics as the evolution of dogs from wolves, the dangers of crossbreeding, and finding a fisherman’s perfect fishing dog. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for fishermen. Our books for anglers include titles that focus on fly fishing, bait fishing, fly-casting, spin casting, deep sea fishing, and surf fishing. Our books offer both practical advice on tackle, techniques, knots, and more, as well as lyrical prose on fishing for bass, trout, salmon, crappie, baitfish, catfish, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

A book for the true countryman of all ages. First published in the early 1900s, now reprinted in a fine-quality paperback edition for a new generation. It will stir many nostalgic memories for older readers and teach younger ones some new and unusual methods of taking various kinds of quarry. Its seven illustrated chapters cover 166 pages and include details and instructions on a fascinating variety of subjects, many of them now long vanished. It's a truly readable book from a more innocent age when the country was a freer place. We've reprinted this with genuine pleasure. It describes the sporting activities of a generation only just removed from ours but now separated forever by new legislation and a change in attitudes amongst out-of-touch urbanites. My father described it as 'almost a diary of my country childhood'. It is without doubt the most interesting book we've ever sold and I defy anyone with even a passing interest in the countryside or field sports to be able to flick through it without becoming absorbed. I : SPORTS DEPENDING ON DOGS: Badger-hunting; Stoat-hunting; Rat-hunting; Squirrel-hunting; Water-vole and Moorhen hunting; Wild-rabbit coursing; Hedgehog finding; Dog-racing; "Hunting the clean boot" II: SPORTS DEPENDING ON FERRETS: Ratting; Rabbiting III: SPORTS DEPENDENT ON BIRDS: Hawking small birds; Trapping and netting sparrows; Pigeon-racing; Tippler-flying; Hawking insects with jackdaws IV: SPORTS REQUIRING A GUN OR RIFLE: Rook and rabbit shooting; Sparrow and starling shooting; Wood-pigeon shooting; Shooting game with a bow and arrows V: SPORT WITH FISHES: Wiring jack and pike; Sniggling and spearing eels; Minnow and gudgeon fishing; Crayfish catching VI: MISCELLANEOUS SPORTS: Finding the eggs of certain birds; Viper-killing; Millipede-racing; Beetle-fighting VII: SOME MAJOR FIELD SPORTS: In the hunting field; Fox-hunting

Here is great angling writing from the best writers in the business—from Tom McGuane to John McPhee to Lefty Kreh. With proceeds going to FishAmerica, to help keep waters and fish healthy, and the Future Fisherman Foundation for education programs for children, these articles include Joan Wulff’s look at the stages in an angler’s lifetime; John McPhee’s passage on our country’s “Founding Fish”–the American Shad; Dave Barry's not-so-reverent take on fishing; Dave DiBenedetto on migrating stripers; Monte Burke on record bass; President Jimmy Carter on his youth; and Ted Williams on the environment. And there are many more, every one a joy to read.