Fishing's Best Short Stories

These 25 unforgettable fishing stories boast fast action, dramatic plot twists, and intriguing characters, from the sinister to the hilarious. Spanning the entire 20th century, they offer a bounty of fishing adventures: the solitary sportsman casting in a fast trout stream; expensive ocean charters seeking grouper; a couple of kids with bamboo poles and high hopes for the big one. The world-class authors include Stephen King, Bob Shacochis, Thomas McGuane, and E. Annie Proulx; timeless storytellers such as Guy de Maupassant and the Brothers Grimm; and early- and mid-century favorites like Stephen Vincent Benét, Philip Wylie, Henry Van Dyke, and others. Sports enthusiasts and story lovers alike will find this collection irresistible.

A handful of sinister characters and dark plots pepper this collection, but for the most part, these 25 tales portray fishermen as endearing folk, good humored and quick with a yarn, eager to help a novice, and famously prone to exaggerate. The scenery includes roiling oceans, still ponds, swift rivers, and bubbling brooks, and the fish themselves range from the noble trout to salmon, tarpon, bass, dolphin, permit, flounder, grouper, weakfish, northern pike, and even a sea monster. Humor, chicanery, the surprise ending, love of the sport and skill at the craft, friendship between old and young, and romance in unexpected places -- all are found here. This collection includes three timeless stories: the Grimm fairy tale "The Fisherman and His Wife," first published in 1815; "A Fishing Excursion," by the mid-19th-century French writer Guy de Maupassant; and Henry Van Dyke's 1899 tale, "The Fatal Success." The remaining stories span the 20th century and represent contemporary favorites such as Stephen King and E. Annie Proulx; early-century masters Stephen Vincent Benet and John Taintor Foote; and Philip Wylie, P. J. O'Rourke, Robert Traver, and more.

Island Fisherman Magazine

Interesting and entertaining . . . humorous to thought provoking . . . skillfully executed in a fashion that makes for enjoyable reading.

Paul D. Staudohar is a professor of business administration at California State University–Hayward; the editor of Baseball’s Best Short Stories, Boxing’s Best Short Stories, Football’s Best Short Stories, and Golf’s Best Short Stories; and the author of Playing for Dollars: Labor Relations and the Sports Business. He lives in Lafayette, California.