To Catch a Fish Essays on the Joy, Frustration, Curiosity, and Allure of Fishing

by Kurlansky, Mark

• ISBN13: 9781635869729
• ISBN10: 1635869722
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781635869736
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2026-03-31
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
• More Book Details

Summary

From the award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of Cod and Salt, To Catch a Fish is an entertaining and beautifully written illustrated collection of essays that explore a lifetime fascination with fishing.
 
For as long as there have been humans, there have been humans trying to catch fish. The two species—fish and man—live in constant tension. One chases the other. One tries to get away. Some of us—author Mark Kurlansky included—are hard-wired for that chase. Guiding readers through the waters and into the mind of the fish, Kurlansky considers who fish are and why they behave the way they do, and along the way delves into the many approaches to catching a fish, their ecology, and the ins and outs of cooking and eating your catch. 

 

Whether you’re a seasoned angler or a novice, or simply want to explore the world of fish, the forty short essays in this collection and the dazzling illustrations by Bri Dostie, shed new light on these creatures and our relationship to them.  

Author Biography

Mark Kurlansky is a former commercial fisherman, journalist, and the New York Times bestselling author of Cod, Salt, The Big Oyster, and dozens of other books of fiction and non-fiction. He’s won numerous awards, including the James A. Beard Award, ALA Notable Book Award, and New York Public Library Best Books of the Year Award, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Audubon Magazine, Food & Wine, The Los Angeles Times, and more.  He lives with his wife and daughter in New York City and Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Intrigue

Part One: Catching Fish
My First Fish
The Secret to Catching Fish
Offering Nothing: Fishing Without Bait
Fishing for Money
Fishing from a Boat
How a Fish Fights
What a Smart Fish Knows
Fish Fighting Styles
Face to Face
The Original American Fishers
Surf Casting
Fishing Buddies
Going Out for a Spin
Wise and Humble
The Casting Ballet
Fair Play
Beautiful Bugs
The Mystery of Salmon
Fishing by the Seat of Your Pants
The Bigger the Fish
The Perfect Rod
Women Who Fish

Part Two: What Do I Do with It Now?
Keepers
Is It Cruel to Catch a Fish?
Bleeding a Fish
The Scale of the Task
Keeping a Head in the Game
Showing Some Guts
What Most People Want to Eat
How to Cook a Fish
Catching a Salt Fish
Two Celebrity Fish Dishes
The Seam Bream (and My Favorite Recipe)

Part Three: Fishing by the Book
Believing in Poets
It May Be Wisdom
The Quiet Fish
A Favorite Contemporary: Norman Maclean
That Delicious Pull
By the Banks of the Trailer Park
Big Two-Faced River

Appendix: A Guide for Fish
Ten Tips to Help Avoid Being Caught

Bibliography
Acknowledgments