Anglers Journal celebrates the best writing, photography, illustration, design and sporting art on the topic of fishing. Come join some of the most prolific fishing editors and writers in the industry for the best angling experience on the water.
Take the rod!” my buddy Steve begged. His cheeks had transitioned from apple red to a pale, ghostly shade of gray. Sweat poured down the back of his neck and soaked his shirt. Even in October, Costa Rica’s tropical climate can sling a hot, crippling blow. I was rethinking that handle of Tito’s I had bought in the duty-free shop when we arrived in San Jose the day before. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but we over-imbibed like excited tourists and put a sizable dent in the bottle of vodka after dinner. Steve was feeling the weight of it. Dehydrated and dejected, the fish had him pegged in the corner of the transom, his feet slipping on the wet soles of his flip-flops. Steve is not…
Owen James Burke grew up fishing and working on Long Island Sound and has chased fish, waves and stories around New Zealand, Fiji and South-east Asia as a freelance writer. He has written for such publications as The Atlantic, Outside, Surfer and Men’s Journal. He is a contributing author of The Ocean: The Ultimate Handbook of Nautical Knowledge and senior editor of Power & Motoryacht. Owen explains why it’s time to give blues their culinary due in “Reconsider the Bluefish.” Outdoor writer and photographer Gary Caputi specializes in fishing and boating. A founding member of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, he fishes his New Jersey home waters, and his travels have taken him throughout the Americas. “Grander Man” is Gary’s profile of Capt. Kevin Nakamaru, a native Hawaiian who has spent…
UNDER THE WEATHER I was recovering from a bout of Lyme disease, so had the opportunity to read the Summer issue cover-to-cover. Twice. A great issue. I particularly enjoyed the story about catching giant cod off Norway [“Colossal Cod”], though I admittedly felt a little queasy reading about the rugged conditions one has to endure. And, of course, I loved “Block Island Bruisers,” since that is one of my favorite spots on the planet. I was wondering what happened to the old “God Bless Go Fish” sign I used to see on the trail to Old Harbor Point. Dennis Zambrotta is its caretaker. Stephen Sautner SERENDIPITY We survived the deluge that soaked South Florida in mid-June, but the subsequent easterlies put the notion that I might fly-rod a snook in…
Cast, Catch, Release By Marina Gibson Scribner Anglers can always spot another angler. Sometimes it’s a certain piece of clothing, or a bit of bait caught under a fingernail, or a tan line that betrays neglect for skin health when the fish were feeding. Or it might just be a shared look at a party, and so you gather and talk fishing. Marina Gibson is an angler’s angler. You feel the draw of the rod and the line going tight in her words. Gibson’s memoir, Cast, Catch, Release, is one of realization and introspection. Her family’s trips to the River Spey for Atlantic salmon set the stage for a life of obsession that this fish often demands. Yet as we learn Gibson’s story — one of falling into and out…
As a kid, I’d fish everywhere there was water. I was a terrible non-academic. I loved basketball, and I loved fishing, and neither of those brought me any interest in reading or writing. When I was in the Army, I found a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s Selected Works and read Big Two Hearted River. It had an amazing affect on me. Writing about fishing could be as profound as anything else. That was the great change in my life. I became fascinated by fly-fishing quite late, around 25, and just fell in love with it. I enjoyed meeting so many of the writers I grew up with. Lefty Kreh was so human, so much fun with the endless jokes. The part of fly-fishing that interests me the most are the…
CAPT. DICK HARRIS IS A WELL-SEASONED OUTER BANKS, North Carolina, skipper who’s plied the offshore waters for the last 44 years. Plainly put, this man can catch tuna — it doesn’t matter what kind. Harris and I are longtime friends, having fished out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center for more years than we care to admit. We speak almost daily. Harris owns and operates Fintastic, a 55-foot sportfish built by legendary captain and Carolina boatbuilding pioneer Omie Tillett. This past February, Harris invited my wife, Capt. Sarah Gardner, and me tuna fishing with one of his best clients, who was fishing alone and wanted some company. There was a nice weather window with two clear days, so we gladly accepted the invite. Winter weather on the Outer Banks is notoriously…
