View Full Version : The never ending story


beachwalker
12-13-2003, 11:49 AM
I have just finished my first reading of Robert Post's "Reading The Water".

Wow, what a great book. Thanks Joe and everyone at the site for letting me obtain a copy of what must be on all of your bookshelves. I had been hearing about it since I began fishing Nantucket 13 years ago but never went out and picked one up. Probably the old Nantucket vs. Martha's Vineyard rivalry that long ago didn't allow my bias mind to read a great story. I am sure that I will read it over and over again this winter while I tune my gear and outfit my strategy for next Spring.

I expect anyone who fishes hard on MV has read, and probably most have, a copy. You folks must reflect often on the history of that beautiful island and all the important mentioned and unmentioned people that have shaped it's heritage. I imagine there are many who have the spirits of these anglers within them everytime they head out. That is the ethic that makes us all tick and it is a great pleasure to experience this story.

We have our list of characters both past and present on Nantucket but it doesn't hold a candle to what goes on and did go on over on the Vineyard. That island is a place unlike all others in the region and its ever changing contours are a prominent test of an anglers mettle. The Vineyarders knowledge of the sea and their dedication to the experiences it delivers is a testament to the commitment that was required in order for stories such as these to unfold. Our impact on the world is felt in so many ways and the mistakes and triumphs of the past should be embraced and nutured so we can continue to progress in our efforts to find harmony in the world.

Thank you for the oppurtunity to peruse a bit of the Vineyard experience and share my thoughts with all. I feel blessed to be able to live in the region and be a part of a never ending story.

piemma
12-13-2003, 05:49 PM
I always thought that Reading the Water was one of the best fishing books ever written. I have literally hundreds of fishing books in my library from Ernest Hemingway to Nick Karas and Mr. Post's book gets pulled open the most.

Bob Post did an extrodinary job on writing Reading the Water. I have re-read it several times and I am again in the process of reading it. I am not certain what it is about the stories that make me re-read them. Perhaps the honesty with which they are written. Maybe it is the excitement the writer conveys that we, who chase Stripers, all feel in the middle of a pitch black night in October on a lonely stretch of beach when we feel the take and the pull of a moby fish.

Just a great book!

Mr. Sandman
12-13-2003, 07:56 PM
Beachwalker,

For a guy from Nantucket that was pretty well said ;)

Honestly, having spent quite a bit of time on all the islands around here IMO Nantucket wins for shear beauty (and the best resturants anywhere!). Unfort in the last few years the build-out on your island has gone crazy. I read an article this past summer that said Nantucket was the the 2nd busiest airport in New England. (carrying builders each day) But in all honestly we are lucky to live where we do.

When I moved here, I hadn't read Post's book either...And I had trouble getting my hands on a copy for myself and ended up buying a used one over the net. Most of the people I know or met out here knew Bob Post well (in fact Post was their Dentist) and everyone read the book years ago and just assumed I had because I liked to fish. They refer to passages in the book in during conversation....I had to find this book!!!

He connected with a lot of fisherman and was able to get the tight-liped guys to open up because he was their friend and he ejoyed fishing as much as they did.... I enjoyed reading it but it was a bit of a let down cause I already had heard most of the stories.

When I lived on the mainland of course I heard about the derby and never really paid it much attn. I was not interested in competitive fishing, and for the most part still not....but you really don't grasp the sprit of this event here until you live here and fish it. For one month this island fishes hard. You would be hard pressed to get a plumber to come to your house during the derby. The line is "I'm all tied up" this means he is fishing. Having fished now a few times I have to say I got the fever bad this year. Next season I plan to take 5 weeks off without pay to fish 24/7 for the entire thing. I don't want any distractions. I am going to really put some time in like the old days at Block.....I am already preping for it!

The one thing I really like about living here are the number of people that fish. And besides the shear number of fisherman, everyone out here understands fishermen and their quirks. I felt like I fit in and everyone understood me a week after I was here.

Nantucket is not that much different I gather and is not lacking for great fishing either, surf or boat. Nearly every year the biggest bluefish in the MV derby comes from the Nantucket rips. Not to mention great point which IMO is unmatchaed anyplace on the east coast. What an amazing spot all the way out to the harbor entrance. Then you have all those gin clear flats on the west end where you can sight cast to fish as if you were in the bahamas. MV has it spots no doubt, but Nantucket is not lacking for its own honey holes. Not to mention in mid summer the offshore action out your way is something to behold when it lights up!

Island living (here or there) is not for everyone but for me I don't think I could go back. I like the winters out here and I really enjoy the quiet and the empty ocean beaches. Also, during heavy weather island living is exciting...when it blows 50 and the seas are up it is a blast to explore the island and see whats happening. I really want my kids to grow up here. I don't expect them to stay here forever and probably would not want them to but when they grow up this will be an experience they will remember me for. The quality of life on these islands IMO is unmatched if you like the outdoors and the water.
When I mentioned to a RI neighbor of mine (who I guess did not know me that well) that we were moving to MV, he asked me..."Thats an island..you can't be serious, how can you do this to your kids?...with his wife nodding. My response was...You don't understand, I am doing it FOR my kids.

Politically speaking I am on the wrong island...during the summer the liberals take over the joint and have their fund raises and parties...I really try to ignore all that crap...Like I really care about Spike Lees fundraiser for Louis Faracon or Hillary's book signing. It upsets me to see all these wack-O's but that the summer here. I just avoid that aspect of it.

Squid kids Dad
12-13-2003, 08:26 PM
Mr. Sandman,
Very well said...I have been going to the MV for the derby for about 10 yr.s..My brother has been going a lot longer..He has even lived there for a while...Everytime I go there I wish I could stay...It is a beautiful island with beautiful people..I was brought up in Eastham on the cape during the summers but MV tops that,,I am sure your kids will thank-you..And I agree the winters there must br awesome, even without the fishing,
I am going to try to get a copy of Post's book...Sounds like a good read

beachwalker
12-13-2003, 10:24 PM
Thanks or the nice words Sandman. You are right, this island is also amazing. It's just everytime I go to the Vineyard I marvel at the miriad of different salt water fishing environs. Diversity of habitat is the words that come to mind.

The build-up over here hasn't been as bad as one might read. Anyone can still go to the beach on any summer weekend and have it all to themselves. Good surf, great fishing incredible restaurants and a winter that sends all the transient folk packing their bags every fall. We like to say that "Winter is the great equalizer" meaning that for all the loving to death that the island is going through it is a tourists fear of winter that keeps them away in the offseason. People often ask us "How can you live here in the winter ?" My response is usually "Because I am not a tourist ?" :laughs:

Regardless, it is a special region with live in and the two islands have much in common. I fish super hard and will continue to until the flame burns out. Midnight walks on the beach are a dose of solitude I find no where else and their is never a crowd, if not a soul, at any of the popular fishing spots after dark. There are few of us that are really nuts about shore fishing but for the most part there isn't much pressure. No hiding from people tailing you. No doubt of where you caught a fish. If someone says "I caught it here" You can guarantee that the next day there will be 20 trucks there. I stress day because so few actually work it hard at night. Offshore fishing is a TOTALLY different story. We have got some nutbags here. As you know going offshore is one of the most exciting trips a person can make and information is guarded with tight lips.

I look forward to fishing Musgeket and the west rips this spring. Hopefully we will see each other out there.

:)

Mr. Sandman
12-14-2003, 10:03 AM
Originally posted by beachwalker
I look forward to fishing Musgeket and the west rips this spring. Hopefully we will see each other out there.

:)

Indeed!

bassmaster
12-14-2003, 10:04 AM
Yuppie can I order my 45$ ham and eggs now:happy:

beachwalker
12-14-2003, 10:22 AM
I'm going to open a breakfast spot with one stool (turned upside down :laughs: ) and sell $45 ham & eggs to Bassman everyday.

I won't have to work again !

beachwalker
12-14-2003, 10:41 AM
Or to Bassmaster or whoever the hell you are :laughs: :laughs: :laughs:

Joe
12-14-2003, 11:00 AM
Yes….a great read…
I'm glad someone got it who "gets it."
It was only printed once and it was not given much in the way of a push - but it has captured the imagination of virtually everyone who has read it. But of course, sales and distribution are more the concerns of living writers – I don’t think Dr. Post was entertaining thoughts of a big seller. I suspect he was simply looking to chronicle the culture of some great fisherman. I also expect that in a hundred years, Reading The Water will still be in the top five of the best books of the genre – what a legacy.
From what I hear – it is (finally) scheduled for a second printing this spring.
Personally, I really like that the multiple-perspective take on the sport proves the fact that the different methods used by a host of people (with strikingly different personalities) are viable. There is more than one answer to the questions we all pose - and it is a good thing that there is.
I don’t think that it’s over, and we missed the greatest era in surfcasting, or that today’s fishermen are bland in comparison. Don’t discount the value of the living before we’ve introduced ourselves. I’ve met a lot of different fishermen, and I can say with certainty that the sport is still populated by a host of quirky, or funny, or classically educated, or maniacally obsessed characters -who are every bit as interesting as those Dr. Post profiled.