Great Fishing Stories
We have collected some great reads & movies about fishing, diving, and boating while researching this website. Featured here are some "must read or see" stories we think every angler will enjoy.
ON THE LINE
by Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper
On the Line is an excellent, can't put it down, young adult fiction book written in 2012. The book centers around the main teenage character Piper who lives in Islamorada and whose parents run a charter boat business. Piper is on a mission to win a fishing tournament in order to help her parents ride out tough times during a tough economy. This book is great for all ages and is available in paperback and for Kindle. http://www.jnbwrite.com/books/
This is a great gift for teenage anglers!
The Old Man and the Sea
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| Henry "Mike" Strater and Ernest Hemingway with "apple-cored" marlin. Bimini, Cat Cay, 1935 |
Ernest Hemingway, 1952
Hemingway's last novel about a Cuban fisherman Santiago and his battle with a great Marlin.
Santiago had not caught a fish in 84 consecutive days. On the 85th day Santiago catches a huge Marlin from his small skiff while alone at sea. Santiago struggled with the fish on his line for 3 days. The fish dragged the small skiff through the water, circling, diving, in an endless struggle to free itself. Exhausted from the 3 day struggle, the Marlin finally gave in to it's captor and came along side the boat where Santiago harpooned it to death.
Santiago secured the huge Marlin to the side of his small skiff, the fish as long as the boat, and headed for shore. On the journey home Santiago dreamed of the money he would make selling this valuable fish for it's meat. Unfortunately the bleeding Marlin attracted a host of predators including many large shark. Santiago harpooned several large shark to keep them from the Marlin, but in the end the harpoon was lost, stuck in a large shark. Now unable to protect his catch, the trailing sharks feasted on the Marlin during the long, slow journey to port.
The picture to the left shows Hemingway with a huge Marlin that was chewed up by sharks. This picture was taken almost 20 years before the book was written; I bet it was inspiration for this great read. This award winning novel should be in every anglers library.
Randy Wayne White
Randy Wayne White is a Florida author that wrote a series of books in the 1980's as Randy Striker. The main character is Dusky, an ex-navy seal who's on the water adventures around south Florida keep you on the edge with excitement. I especially like Cuban Death Lift for it's historical significance, motivating me to learn more about Castro's takeover of Cuba. The few books I have read in this series have been read in two sitting, it is hard to put the books down once you get started! They do not need to be read in order but I wish I started with the first. The seven books in the series are listed here in order:
- Key West Connection (1981)
- The Deep Six (1981)
- Cuban Death Lift (1981)
- The Deadlier Sex (1981)
- Assassin's Shadow (1981)
- Everglades Assault (1982)
- Grand Cayman Slam (1982)
Randy Wayne White is still publishing books and has his own website at http://www.randywaynewhite.com.
Flipper Series & Movies
The original classic movies were all filmed in Florida and they give you a great appreciation of what life was like in Florida before it became developed. The 1963 TV series is like stepping back in time. Read about this on Wikipedia and don't forget to click the links at the end of the article for more information on the TV series. Read about the making of this series on Wikipedia.
Silver King: The Birth of Big Game Fishing
This movie first aired in WGCU Channel 3 in April 2012. It is a historical account of Tarpon fishing in Southwest Florida. The movie includes movie clips from back. It is amazing to see how big the Tarpon were back then before the sport of Tarpon fishing became a national sensation amongst the rich and famous. Here is our eBlast Email:
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The NPS's Shipwreck Study - The Dry Tortugas report from 1971 highlights the history of Florida, Key West, and Dry Tortugas. It is fascinating reading this recount of early observations of the treacherous waters surrounding the Tortugas, the very lucrative Wrecking industry that made Key West a very wealthy city, and the recounts of early shipwrecks. Read the recounts of shipwrecks starting on page 50. Wreckers, like cockroaches, would moor in Tortugas Harbor waiting for ships to flounder to stake their wrecking claim. Fascinating read!
A Less Than Magnificent Fishing Obsession
This is a great short story written by a Naples angler
We will be adding more good reads to this page as I come across them..............
