As one of the most lauded fishing destinations in the United States, boasting world records on varieties of fish, Florida has proven irresistible to the world’s top anglers for more than 100 years. Florida’s Fishing Legends and Pioneers systematically chronicles the exploits of the most influential men and women of the sport throughout the state. Chosen by Doug Kelly for their contributions to the techniques, equipment, and strategies of fishing--and often radiating colorful personalities--these "hall of fame" legends and pioneers have helped preserve the Sunshine State as a top fishing destination that currently draws nearly five million anglers to its bountiful waters each year. Interviews with such current angling luminaries as Lefty Kreh, Stu Apte, Mark Sosin, Joan Salvato Wulff, Roland Martin, Guy Harvey, Al Pflueger Jr., and a number of other renowned figures are found throughout the book. Organized chronologically, this intelligent and captivating book provides readers a greater and more accurate perspective on how recreational fishing in Florida evolved over more than a century. It also features rare historical information and photographs from past decades. Florida’s Fishing Legends and Pioneers is for everyone, from novice to master, who loves fishing!

"The New River winds its way through a mysterious and tumultuous history, from the whirlpools of a legendary birth to banks stained with the blood of a massacre. Long-lost tribes flourished on the bounty of fish from its crystal-clear water and game from its wooded shores, only to succumb to European weapons and disease ... South Florida's destiny was changed forever when inshore transportation evolved from foot and hoof to inland waterway and steel rails. Schemes to 'drain the Everglades' turned swamp to subdivisions with the New River at its core. Trace the storied arc of Fort Lauderdale's ancient waterway with author Donn R. Colee Jr."--Publisher marketing.

Broadcasting touches almost every person in the United States every day. But like the air we breathe, we seldom give it a second thought. Towers in the Sand is the only comprehensive history of Florida's broadcasting industry, 1922-2016, the people who brought the stations to life, and the events that saw the state grow from boom to bust and back again to now the nation's third most populous. Over a decade in the making and fully referenced and indexed, Towers in the Sand tells stories from over eighty Florida broadcasting pioneers and current leaders, from the Keys to the Panhandle. A celebration of broadcasting's proudest moments through hard-hitting journalism and editorials, lifesaving moments through decades of hurricanes, and lighthearted moments with favorite personalities and promotions. Towers in the Sand also laments the loss of a national treasure as most stations were transformed from local community partners to lines on corporate balance sheets. As broadcasting sits at the precipice of a very uncertain future, the author hopes through this work to engage thought, conversation, and action to ensure its continued relevance in society.

Outdoor tourism is one of Alaska’s biggest industries, and the thousands of people who flock to the state’s dramatic landscapes and pristine waters to hunt and fish are supported by a large and growing network of guides, lodges, outfitters, and wildlife biologists. This book honors more than sixty of those remarkably colorful characters, past and present, people whose incredible skills were their calling cards, but whose larger-than-life personalities were what people remember after the trip is over. Taken together, these portraits offer a history of outdoor life in Alaska and celebrate its incredible natural beauty—and the people who devote their lives to helping us enjoy it.

This fascinating collection of myths, legends and folktales celebrates the diversity of characters and cultures across the Sunshine State. Florida boasts mysterious tales that stretch back more than twelve thousand years. In Florida Lore, storyteller Caren Schnur Neile shares a treasure trove of colorful, curious tales that capture her home state’s history, mystery, and unique personality. Delve into the lives of the proud Wakulla Pocahontas and the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge. Meet local lawbreakers like John Ashley, as well as transplants like Ma Barker and Al Capone. Stalk stumpy gators or Hogzilla as they prowl Florida's swamps and suburbs. Discover the quintessential Cracker cowboy and the Barefoot Mailman, plus the origin of names like Boca Raton and Orlando.

Explore the Wonders... Face the Reality The medical definition of INSULT is: to cause some kind of physical or mental injury. Through the eyes of this psychiatrist and his raw, existential passion for the planet, a web of insult is untangled to expose environmental degradation we face today, and its impact on the human spirit. For over fifty years Dr.Weinstock has lived in the Florida Keys fishing the Atlantic and the Gulf waters off of Key West. A prize-winning angler, he shares exciting stories of the past in this sport-fishing mecca. You’ll feel the humidity as he fights the Permit on Boca Chica beach, hear the screeching of the terns while bonefishing on Marvin Key. Through twist and turns, and stories of the mind, the author demonstrates the healing power of nature. Hundreds colorful photos display the glorious diversity of fish, and natural beauty from Key West to Alaska, exploring the uplifting and the dismal view. At the helm are many years of research that uncover abuses of nature in the Florida Keys as a metaphor for global environmental tragedies.

Marine biologist Doc Ford helps his uncle and his uncle's friends fight land developers in Florida and gets involved in an unusual kidnapping.

Raw, gritty, rich, and captivating, the stories in this book will astonish you. High Seas Wranglers presents real scenes from the lives of some of Florida's best-known commercial and charter fishing captains. Through Terry Howard's interviews, Captains Tristram Colket, A. J. Brown, Ray Perez, Glenn Cameron, and George Kaul tell true stories about hunting swordfish, kingfish, sharks, tuna, and billfish. They describe falling overboard alone many miles offshore, riding out deadly storms, navigating angry east coast inlets, orchestrating dangerous rescues at sea, struggling to land huge fish, playing pranks on other captains, and how they ended up living the lives that some only dream of. These fishermen have long been a part of the maritime life and culture of Florida, but today their livelihood is challenged and their industry fading. In this book, you'll hear in their own words the reasons they've chosen a life away from land, as well as their opinions about drift nets and falling fish populations. Their firsthand accounts of commercial handline mackerel fishing, commercial longline swordfish and shark fishing, and the growth of charter fishing on Florida’s eastern seaboard provide insights into a fascinating world. Gutsy fishing exploits like the ones in High Seas Wranglers are usually passed down through storytelling alone. This book preserves a thrilling history that would otherwise be lost.

From the bestselling author of Saban, 4th and Goal, and Sowbelly comes the thrilling, untold story of the quest for the world record tarpon on a fly rod—a tale that reveals as much about Man as it does about the fish. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, something unique happened in the quiet little town on the west coast of Florida known as Homosassa. The best fly anglers in the world—Lefty Kreh, Stu Apte, Ted Williams, Tom Evans, Billy Pate and others—all gathered together to chase the same Holy Grail: The world record for the world’s most glamorous and sought-after fly rod species, the tarpon. The anglers would meet each morning for breakfast. They would compete out on the water during the day, eat dinner together at night, socialize and party. Some harder than others. The world record fell nearly every year. But records weren’t the only things that were broken. Hooks, lines, rods, reels, hearts and marriages didn’t survive, either. The egos involved made the atmosphere electric. The difficulty of the quest made it legitimate. The drugs and romantic entaglements that were swept in with the tide would finally make it all veer out of control. It was a confluence of people and place that had never happened before in the world of fishing and will never happen again. It was a collision of the top anglers and the top species of fish which would lead to smashed lives for nearly all involved, man and fish alike. In Lords of the Fly, Burke, an obsessed tarpon fly angler himself, delves into this incredible moment. He examines the growing popularity of the tarpon, an amazing fish has been around for 50 million years, can live to 80 years old and can grow to 300 pounds in weight. It is a massive, leaping, bullet train of a fish. When hooked in shallow water, it produces “immediate unreality,” as the late poet and tarpon obsessive, Richard Brautigan, once described it. Burke also chronicles the heartbreaking destruction that exists as a result—brought on by greed, environmental degradation and the shenanigans of a notorious Miami gangster—and how all of it has shaped our contemporary fishery. Filled with larger-than-life characters and vivid prose, Lords of the Fly is not only a must read for anglers of all stripes, but also for those interested in the desperate yearning of the human condition.