American Coarse Angling

Modern baitfishing tactics for the overlooked species

Brook Landis

Over the last several decades, American children have turned to the "screens" rather than to the outdoors. Fewer children are taking up fishing, and fewer still are "hooked" by it. One reason for this is because American angling has become an adult's, not a child's game. We adults fixate on "gamefish," primarily trout and bass, and we quickly shunt our children into the pursuit of the same. Because fishing for these species tends to be relatively expensive, distant and difficult, children get to fish when we adults want to fish, where we adults want to fish and how we adults want to fish. The small pond or stream within walking distance from home is ignored as an angling resource as it contains only "trash" or "coarse" fish. This is most unfortunate, because it is there that the magic of individual exploration is most likely to occur. Besides, no fish are trash!

We have become a nation of fly fishers and lure anglers. Our bait fishing tools and techniques are vintage 1950's. Most youngsters can master this worm-dunking in a few sessions, then quickly become bored with fishing. Why should it surprise us that such a simple game has little lasting appeal to youngsters? Humans can develop a lifelong passion for the game of chess, but who becomes truly obsessed with Tic-Tac-Toe?

A useful partial solution to this problem is readily at hand. Bait anglers elsewhere in the world, most notably in Europe, have not been in a half-century time warp. Their equipment and techniques have evolved into a quite effective angling approach, one which the author has studied for a dozen or so years.

In this book, he has attempted to describe this game, adapting their tackle and tactics as necessary to American non-gamefish species and conditions. He had an absolute ball in the several years before writing the book developing a uniquely American coarse fishing approach, fishing in the carefree manner he did as a youngster, but with a crucial difference: he was catching far more fish than he ever did way back then. The author invites the reader to share in this readily available yet challenging fun, and he reminds all that fun is ultimately what fishing is about.

Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg PA 2002

Paperback, 209 pages

8 7/8 x 6 in.

Good condition. Dust jacket has crease, minimal wear and "Fulfilled by Amazon sticker" on back cover. Library stamps on first and last pages. "Discard" stamped on frontispiece and bottom of book. The powers that be do not want you to read this book!

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1  The Significance of Coarse Angling

Chapter 2  Tackle and Tackle Making

Chapter 3  Sinker-Rig Fishing

Chapter 4  Coarse Angling Seasons: Spring

Chapter 5  Float Fishing

Chapter 6  Coarse Angling Seasons:  Summer

Chapter 7  Baits and Baiting

Chapter 8  Coarse Angling Seasons:  Fall

Chapter 9  Additional Coarse Angling Suggestions and Tips

Chapter 10 Coarse Angling Seasons: Winter

Chapter 11 Our Angling Future

Bibliography

Index

Journal

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