Fishing has never been just a quiet afternoon by the water. It has involved ancient bone hooks, medieval fish thieves, bizarre homemade bait, monster catches, heated feuds, government fish trains, questionable records, and enough magnificent lies to fill the world's largest tackle box.STRANGE BUT TRUE: THE WEIRD HISTORY OF FISHING takes readers on an entertaining journey through thousands of years of angling history-from the first people who fashioned hooks out of bone and shell to modern fishermen armed with sonar, specialized boats, and lures that cost more than an old pickup truck.Discover how medieval communities protected their fishing grounds, how bass fishing became an American obsession, and how Florida-strain largemouth bass were planted across the United States and around the world. Learn why the government once transported live fish by rail, how trout reached remote mountain lakes, why carp were introduced into Utah, and how early hatcheries collected and fertilized salmon eggs by hand.The book also explores fishing presidents, legendary sport fishermen, record-breaking catches, strange contests, dangerous adventures, ice fishing, noodling, unusual laws, ridiculous baits, and the sea lamprey invasion that nearly devastated the Great Lakes fishery. Along the way, you will meet bold innovators, determined conservationists, colorful characters-and a few fishermen whose stories grew considerably faster than the fish they supposedly caught.Informative, funny, and just cheeky enough to smell suspiciously like a fishing camp, this book is written for anglers who appreciate the history behind their favorite pastime-and for anyone who enjoys strange but completely true stories.Whether you fish from a bass boat, a riverbank, a frozen lake, or a lawn chair beside a questionable farm pond, there is something here that will make you say: "You're not going to believe this-but it's true."
