I once wrote a blog titled, “Three Books for Fishermen”, however, this is a tad different. These are three fishing authors.
1. Lefty Kreh:
There simply isn’t enough room in this blog to do the man justice, as there is perhaps no bigger name in the realm of outdoor writing than Lefty Kreh. Essentially, in a time when flyfishing was a blank slate, Lefty created so many things. The organizations, the flies, the books, the knots – he made endless contributions to the sport. You can point to at least a dozen things in flyfishing and trace the origin back to Lefty in some way.
The Flylords film, “Time”, is a tribute to his life. It doesn’t discuss his 32 books, his time as the outdoor editor for the Saint Petersburg Times, his 126 species of fish caught on six different continents, or his various adventures with Flip Pallot, Chico Fernandez and others. It isn’t about him running the famous Miami MET tournament, co-founding “Florida Sportsman Magazine”, or inventing a fly so tried and true that it was featured on a postage stamp. “Time” is Flip reflecting on his life and what Flip meant to him as a friend.
The below video from the IGFA further discusses his contributions to fishing.
Other facts about Lefty, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and survived anthrax poisoning. He was the lead member of the Temple Fork Outfitters rod design team and two rods specifically have ties to him that are worth mentioning, the “Lefty Kreh Legacy” and the “BVK”. There is a statue of him in Culler Lake, Baker Park Maryland that was erected by the organization, “Friends of Lefty Kreh”.
2. Mark Sosin:
Mark Sosin is about as accomplished as they come. Author of over 20 books, he is also director emeritus of the Billfish Foundation and a past president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Sosin received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Outdoor Writers Association and has been inducted into four Hall of Fames including the Freshwater Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Hall of Fame.
Taken from the IGFA, “Sosin launched his famous television series “Mark Sosin’s Saltwater Journal” in the early 1980s after serving in the US Navy and working for a radio station in New York, USA, where he provided outdoor content. Before the launch of this successful television series, Sosin worked for the Salt Water Fly Rodders of America, which at the time was the authority of rules and record keeping for saltwater fish caught on fly tackle. Sosin handed this responsibility to the IGFA in the late 1970s under the leadership of past IGFA President Elwood K. Harry. For decades, Sosin served as the consummate “angling educator,” publishing several books, hundreds of articles, and nearly 30 years of his television series. Sosin was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame in 2004 and served as the emcee of the prestigious event for several years.”
We are lucky enough to have an interview with him on the Mill House Podcast from the year before he died in 2022. He tells tales of fishing for tarpon in Africa, catching a 1,000-pound great white shark and many other angling adventures.
3. Tom McGuain
In the days before Key West became the tourist destination that it is today, it was a haven for many people, fishing authors included. Tom McGuain, Jimmy Buffet, Russell Chatham, Richard Brautigan and others ate, drank (heavily) and fished for tarpon. One of their famous haunts was “The Chart Room” – I’ve been there, I understand why they would’ve loved it. He writes often of fishing, “The Longest Silence” tells tales of fishing all over the world, but the tarpon of Key West are certainly unforgettable. His novel, “Ninety-two in the Shade” is a fictional story with fictional characters, but it encapsulates their time in Key West perfectly.
Ultimately he has written numerous novels, short works of fiction and screenplays. He is an avid outdoorsman and still lives and fishes today in his home in Montana.
Honorable Mentions
I can’t conclude this without mentioning these famous fishing authors:
- Earnest Hemmingway: A man who needs no introduction – seriously I am not explaining why he is on this list. Go read, “The Old Man and the Sea”
- Zane Grey: Known for writing Westerns, he also wrote over a dozen works about his fishing adventures around the world. He was the first person to catch a 1,000-pound marlin on rod and reel. He was once vice president of the prestigious Tuna Club of Avalon, the oldest and most prestigious fishing club in America.
- Norman Maclean: See “A River Runs Through It”
In Sum
There are so many fishing authors out there, that you can’t name them all or give them all their flowers. In this little space, it is hard to do these guys justice. However, I highly suggest you read some of their works.
Until next time, tight lines.
