As he describes the eccentricities, obsessions, and tribulations of dedicated anglers, he also uncovers the values that unite them. He reveals the healing qualities of fishing, how it binds the generations, how the angling business has grown, and how the future of fishing is threatened. But most of all, Fly-Fishing for Sharks is about the unforgettable characters Louv meets on the water and the stories they tell. From them, Louv learns about our changing relationship with nature, about a hidden America -- and about himself.

Amazon.com Review
"When you're fly-fishing for sharks," observes Richard Louv from an 18-foot aluminum boat 12 miles off the coast of San Diego doing just that, "the line between lunacy and sanity is pretty thin." The truth is, most anglers, whatever they're fishing for, live fairly close to that line, and it's that proximity that leads Louv on a provocative quest. "The waters we fish, and how we fish, reflect larger political, ethical, even spiritual issues," he writes. "How shall we reconnect to nature? How should we treat fellow creatures of other species? How do we hold fast to what is old, timeless, and slow?"

As he travels from the Pacific to the Atlantic and the Gulf Coast to the frozen lakes of Northern Michigan, Louv ponders the ways and whys of pretty much the whole teeming democracy of rods and reelers--fly-fishers, ice-fishers, big-game fishers, guides, tournament bassers, even poachers--and their impact on American culture and the environment. He heads out into streams, lakes, and oceans with them, attends expos with them, buys bait with them, and sits down in coffee shops with them to better understand who they are, what lures them, what they take from the waters, and what they give back. He meets a marvelous group of players, among them the sons of Ernest Hemingway and R.F.K.; fly-fishing's incomparable first lady, Joan Wulff; and the less well-pedigreed, too, like a Texas woman who poignantly describes how bass fishing saved her life after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and her church shunned her because she was a lesbian. He explores how fishing has traditionally tied together generations--including those of his own family--and even how finding a long-forgotten strain of trout in Southern California could halt future development in its tracks. Louv might easily have gotten skunked on such an ambitious fishing trip; instead, his journey reveals much about America and its love of angling. --Jeff Silverman

An Angler gives a State-of-the-Union on Angling   December 23, 2002

The single knock I would give the book is the focus given to the "fishing industry" and not the average angler. The book isn't so much about the average American who you'll find fishing their weekends away as it is about the well-known personalities who have shaped fishing and promoted the sport.


Buy this book or die a loser   July 22, 2001
  4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Fly Fishing for Sharks

I hate fishing. It's like spitting at birds, or something. Fish are morons who can't tell food from death. Who cares?

This book is about fishing like the Grand Canyon is about holes in the ground. First and foremost and forever, this book is about people: brave, interesting, eminently resourceful, good-hearted, intense people-who, for reasons as varied as ...well, types of fish ... are SERIOUSLY connected to what I was surprised to find was the pretty damn interesting world of fishing.

The thing is, Louv has the touch: he's delicate (without being precious), admiring (without being fawning), intelligent (without being pompous), reflective (without being ponderous), insightful (without being self-congratulatory), and, WAY most importantly, of course, is that he's nothing less than a superb writer (without being...um...a non-superb writer).

Buying books is tough; you never know what you're getting. But buy this one. It's not possible for you to regret it. You'll read it; you'll treasure it; you'll pass it along to a friend and never see it again--and your inner life, and the inner life of the person you passed it to, will actually, tangibly improve. That's what books are for--and only really, REALLY great books, of course, can do it. This is one of them. Don't let this one ... um ... get away. Seriously. Don't.


I was there   August 1, 2000
  9 out of 18 found this review helpful

I am Richard Louv's son. For those of you who read the book, the one who was fishing in the humidifier. If you don't buy this book, that's one less meal for me, so get out those credit cards!


This is the best book I ever read!   June 29, 2000
  11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Hi I am Mike Cooper and I'm 13 years old I loved reading Fly Fishing For Sharks. When I first got the book I thought that it was going to be very hard for me to read and take a while, but I finished the book in around a month. It was very interesting becuase I am from San Diego and I have fished at some of the lakes that the author fished at. I also learned a little bit about fishing. I think the most interesting thing about the book was all the interesting people that he would meet on his journey. This is a really good book and it is one of those that you can't put it down you just have to keep reading it. So if you like fishing or just like reading about interesting people this is well worth it and I recomend and buying it today.


Louv Captures the "Love of the Game"   May 22, 2000
  5 out of 5 found this review helpful

With out a doubt, one of the best books I've read--ever. Louv captures the true passion of his subject fly-fishermen (and women), then steps back and releases the stories of their spirited lives with the interpretation of a painter to canvas. As a daughter of one of the fly-fishermen Louv interviewed, I can say without hesitation, he revealed my father's knowledge and love of fishing in a way no one but a family member could.