# The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing (Opinions)



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Has anyone had experience with this book? Is it location specific or fairly applicable in all environments (or most)?


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Aesir said:


> Has anyone had experience with this book? Is it location specific or fairly applicable in all environments (or most)?


No but it does get good raps. I used to read the authors cruising reports on Setsail and when it comes to fishing he does seem to know what he is talking about. SB has cruised and fished quite extensively world wide.


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

I have the book, worth what you pay for it, very informative. It is not location specific.


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

I love this book.

I don't know much about fishing and wanted to learn the basics, and this book really lets you have it. I don't normally give glowing reviews of books, but I really like this one. It talks a lot about equipment and goes into way more detail than I needed, a lot of material about where to get certain kinds of fish, health problems associated with fish, etc, even about building storage areas into your boat for storing live fish. My favorite parts of the book were the basic fishing material, descriptions of common fish that you will be after, and especially the parts of the book that talk about catching fish and other animals in the shallows, at night, etc. It even talks about catching lobster, crabs, and weird stuff like sea cucumbers and things, using cast nets, lots of stuff. Great book.


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## vega1860 (Dec 18, 2006)

Since no one else has posted one yet, here is a link to the book








No, it is not shameless promotion. I'm providing a service

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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

If anything, the critism would be that there is too much info!
Really, it's a very good book with every kind of saltwater fishing a cruiser would want covered


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## marinegirl405 (Jun 7, 2007)

I have this book (and a number of others). I think I'd been fishing about 5 times before in my life, and each time I'd been handed a rod already rigged and taken to where there were fish - catching fish is easy this way. 

Then I found myself living and sailing a little boat, and I felt it would be cool to catch my supper. Well first you have to know what to buy, then you have to know how to rig it, then if you manage to actually catch something, you have to know how to bring it aboard, kill it, and then gut it. I was starting to fire such questions around friends and one bought me this book.

Some parts I didn't like 
* The book is of a "chatty" nature and I guess this is the author style, but I found it annoying and distracting. I just wanted facts.. the chatty stuff can be left to the side bars.
* Spend a lot of time and space telling fishing stories - what a great fisherman he is, and all the wonderful catches he has... For me these constant interjections seemed to distract from the flow of the thing I was trying to read up on, and It just kept making me feel depressed I didn't have fish for supper AGAIN. 
* Didn't really start BASIC enough for me.. OK so I'm trolling - what speed is trolling? am I going too fast or too slow? And lots of other examples like that. It also spends a lot of time on making your own lure, so more advanced than I was ready for.
* It does have a pictorial fish guide (Good) but in black and white and scattered over too many pages. If I've just caught something, I want to know what I've got and if I need to throw it back NOW! (before it dies or thrashes too much, and hurts itself).
* Pages are poorly bound/glued, and drop out Once you've opened the same page too often 
* I needed a lot more help than the book provided in landing the fish correctly/safely, and killing a fish (Or removing the hook and returning it).

It is really good for
* Basic Fishing knots 
* Good beginners guide to loading line on the reel
* Describing basic lures. I never knew what a plug was - Now I can wonder the lure isles and recognize and name things.
* Gutting / processing the fish once it's aboard and dead.
* I expect as My fishing improves and my cruising gets further afield, the book will certainly continue to be useful.. there is lots of advance info - but too much for my stage (and it is hard to focus on just the basic stuff).

Also has
* Chapter on seafood Recipes... 
* Purchase lists for various types of fishing setup... At first I thought this was really good, then I realized it would bankrupt me... I just wanted to take the first steps - this expected I was making an investment for a lifetime of fishing (and the difference in costs is HUGE). It would have been nice if the list included some kind of "must have" v. "Nice to have" indications.

Another book I found useful was "Saltwater Fishing Made Easy" by Martin Pollizotto. I never did find the perfect book for me.


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## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

vega1860 said:


> Since no one else has posted one yet, here is a link to the book
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Agree with Chuck. Outstanding book and has its place beside Annapolis Book of Seamanship and Chapmans (at least for cruisers). If you cannot learn enough to make that purchase worth its money, stick to comic books.

Brian


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## mightyhorton (Dec 3, 2006)

It is a great book, well worth having. Every time I read it, I learn something new. When I have questions, it usually has the answers. It has depth and breadth and legs. Might have a slight bias towards warm water fishing.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

I tend to agree with marinegirl -- it assumes you are going to be consumed by fishing. I would have really liked more space and detail on handlines and lower cost equipment until I'm sure I want to do much fishing.

That said, it is the very best of the dozen or so books on fishing I have accumulated over time, and one of only three that has a permanent spot on my shelf.


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## LWinters (Nov 16, 2006)

I grabbed this book as an afterthought right before I cast off the dock lines and headed south. It's been extremely helpful in refining my saltwater fishing techniques. Growing up on freshwater lakes and streams I had to rethink my approach completely. It's sits on my reference shelf next to Bowditch, Chapman, Caulder's Mechanical and Electrical Guide, and Cornell's World Cruising Routes. Great book to have on board.


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

Good book, and I'd also recommend "Complete Book of Baits, Rigs and Tackle" by Vic Dunaway.


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## longjonsilver (Oct 18, 2014)

i really wish people wouldn't advertise things as free if you have to register and sometimes pay. what kind of a deal is that? im willing to pay, but TELL me i have to pay.
jon


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Where does it say it is free?


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

It's a good, basic book for someone that knows absolutely nothing about fishing but wishes to learn. It's chocked full of information that will make a big difference between success or failure when it comes to catching fish.

The only drawback is that it is not area specific, which is the biggest determining factor of whether or not you catch supper, or just drown bait. Keep in mind that just 10 percent of any body of water holds 90 percent of the fish. Local knowledge is imperative, and unfortunately, there are only a handful of books that provide that kind of information. Consequently, without local knowledge, it's a hit or miss situation for most cruisers. Knowledgeable recreational and commercial fishermen learned how to read the water and have the uncanny ability to be able to look at charts and their surroundings and determine where is the most likely location to be successful.

Until recently, there was a great magazine called Fishing In Maryland that provided charts of all those hot spots that produced the best catches in Chesapeake Bay and the freshwater reservoirs. The same was true for New Jersey, New England, New York and the mid Atlantic region with The Fisherman Magazines. The Fisherman is a weekly publication with a weekly fishing report provided by some of the top anglers, charter captains and tackle shops in each area.

Among the top books that I can recommend is Vinnie Sparano's Northeast Guide to Saltwater Fishing and Boating. The book covers all species and locations from Maine to Virginia, including Chesapeake and Delaware bays. Sparano's book was comprised by interviews with the top fishing and boating writers in the nation.

Ken Penrod's Guide To Fishing The Tidal Potomac River has been around a long time, as has Ken. Ken has guided several presidents to some monster tidal largemouth bass catches in the Potomac River from Washington Channel downriver to the US 301 Bridge. He knows every nook and cranny of the river, and details every one of them in his books.

Ed Russell and Bill May put together an incredible book http://www.amazon.com/Flyfishers-Guide-Chesapeake-Bay-Wilderness/dp/1885106947 that will provide you with a wealth of information on light tackle and fly fishing for big fish. Again, lots of local information provided that will make those trips both exciting and highly productive.

Good luck,

Gary


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

I don't think anyone (from back in 2009 when this thread started and ended) is questioning the validity of the information in the book, Gary. I was questioning Jon about anyone saying that it was free.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Free it ain't! 

Gary


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## sharkbait (Jun 3, 2003)

The writing was better than many I've read. The content, while factual, was non-specific .
I was able to pick up a few things but they weren't worth 29.99


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

sharkbait said:


> The writing was better than many I've read. The content, while factual, was non-specific .
> I was able to pick up a few things but they weren't worth 29.99


http://www.amazon.com/Cruisers-Handbook-Fishing-Scott-Bannerot/dp/0071427880
Obviously, you didn't shop very hard.

All the best,

Gary


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