When you've read and reread all your fishing books, check out Eric Jay Dolin's "Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America." There's a lot about whaling in early Massachusetts, and how it developed over time. I got it from the library.

If you love Cape Cod, try The Outermost House, by Henry Beston. He spent a year in a cottage on Nauset during the 1920s, and details the changing seasons. Some amazing stories of storms covering the beach with fish, and the early life saving/coast guard guys walking the beach 24/7 through the winter to watch for wrecks.

Yes, The Outermost House is a wonderful book. I will re-read it occasionally.

Just a fun read with no info you will use in fishing but lots of history of the Coasties and their life saving jobs in the past.

I 3x the motion. Read this several months ago and loved it

I have it on my bookcase for a while and I have not read it...hmmm

excellent Thread, John, and THANKS for the reminders.
:claps: :claps: :claps:

New to me:
i picked these books up 2yrs ago and have yet to get to them;

1993 ed, "Secrets of Surf Fishing at Night" by William A Muller
1992 ed, "To Catch A Bass" by Tim Coleman
2007 ed, "The Surfcaster's Guide to The Striper Coast" by DJ Muller

Rereads:
try to do these every year,,,,,,,,,,,,,last year was the exception.

"On the Run" by David DiBenedetto~~ THE first Striper book i ever read, a veritable primer about the whos, wheres, and whens that is chock full of anectdotal gems!! i love the familiarity that DiBenedetto brings and how accessable he makes surfcasting seem, while still imparting the mystique that is inherent to meandering the Striper Coast. a definite page turner and very easy reading.

"A Season on the Edge" by John Skinner~~ his story telling is VERY direct and he puts you in HIS waders with the type of ease and understanding that will have you baling trophies in your sleep as he equips you with the confidence to land them ~out there~ in the surf. between these lines you will garner a knowledge of water reading, jiggology 101 to Doctorate, eeeel rigging, and the insider's guide to MTK. for me, it is up there with Frank Daignault's "Striper Surf", an annual rereader also, as others have mentioned.

"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway~~ imho, the GREATEST fish story ever written, and about so much more than fishing. EVERY Winter, without fail~ since three yrs ago. once i open it, there's NO puting it down. it's interesting to me that he was BOTH a world class writer and world renowned fisherman,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i've often wondered which pursuit inspired him MOST, or did they sort of "feed" each other??

"BassLawgs, Seminars, and Personal Notes & Quotes" by McKenna, Knie, Pickering, DJ, Zombratta, Everrin, Luccini, Veracka, Carlow, Pollock, Montoya, Hromin, Gardell, MikeP, DrGeee, Scrazy EdEEEE, Saltwater Magazine, OTW, et al~~ the Lawgs i delve into closer to Spring, the Seminars as often as possible, and the personal N's&Q's i keep as a subliminal underflow in the cast thoughts/surf sciences/Striper Talkin' cranial SECTION that is the ever-present, metamorphic, subtle voice, raging beast, and maniacal master of my multilayered angling psyche. part of the Gemini, funkily wired, territory i guess??

Not a READ:
a very integral part of the Surfcaster's Primal Library, imho;

"Stripers Gone Wild" by Mike Laptew~~ be careful and view at your own risk!! too soon/too often and you'll be seeking outflows of powerplants in the dead of Winter. this epic film and consumate work from the eyes of stripers and Mike's passionate dedication to our haunts will have you thinking like our beloved linesiders and place you inside THEIR approach to ocean, structure, current, forage, lure, and migration from the cozy confines of your couch. trouble is,,,,,,,,,,you won't want to stay there once you've seen this amazing footage!! this dvd, ALWAYS, starts my new season and winds up in the digital player at least once or twice a Winter!!!
:grins: :grins: :grins:

The Nick Karas book is good. Once he got into all the different hybrid bass. That was a little too much for me. Its been a while but I think there was some info on the bass that were stocked in Jersey. Although some of these hybrids in freshwater can get to large.
The book realistically reads half the size if you cut out the hybrid bass stuff. More along the lines of a read for a studying marine ichthiologist.

If you want a great winter read try "Six Frigates" by Ian Toll. The book is about the beginning of the US Navy and the building of the first US frigates.

The book explains a lot about the way the American people are and the crazy things we did. It shows how many things haven't changed from our early days. The chapter on how one of our ships breaks free from the English blockade of New York and sails over to England and captures a town is just perfect.

Never understood just how huge the American merchant fleet was when the country was founded. Also contains some good stories on the USS Constitution which was one of the first six.

One of my all time favorite is Cape Cod by William Martin. ( i think the author is correct)
Reads like a Michner book. Go's over some facts and fiction in regards First Encounter beach (first landing) and ties in native american history with contemporary life on the the Cape. He brings in the target site off Rock Harbor into a dramatic chase scene at the end of the book. I won't say any more. Just stocked with all sorts of fictional and historical info.