The muskellunge is known as literally “the fish of 10,000 casts”. People responding to surveys have reported spending well over 150 hours for one contact. At times a muskie, that could be a husky four-feet long or more, will follow a bait to the boat, just below the surface like an incoming torpedo, then will pause, seeming to make eye-contact, before waving good-by with its forked tail fins. When one is hooked it can explode heavily into the air. Going out for muskie is as often referred to as ‘hunting’ as distinct from ‘fishing’. A national magazine, two national organizations, and several websites are devoted to the challenge.
In this story three men nearing the end of a week of luckless long days reluctantly agree, on their last day, to be guided by the teenage son of their host guide who has been taken ill after a day in the rain. The son, a month short of being 18, is taking on his first solo guiding at sufferance. He’s long been embarrassed by his father’s business of taking the money of people willing to pay for such seldom results, and is anxious to reach 18 to qualify for joining a friend in the more productive work of logging. Yet he very much wants to perform well, and even better, to be able to ring the old school bell that is sounded to celebrate whenever a muskie is brought in, so that he can resign from the family business having proved himself at it.
The men are friends, though like the son, they each react differently among themselves to the different events they initiate or encounter, and in the end are caught up in a deadly situation drawn from a real experience I once had on a lake in the northern timber country.
Part of the story is told from the point of view of a large post-spawning female muskie that they manage to get into their boat.
In this story three men nearing the end of a week of luckless long days reluctantly agree, on their last day, to be guided by the teenage son of their host guide who has been taken ill after a day in the rain. The son, a month short of being 18, is taking on his first solo guiding at sufferance. He’s long been embarrassed by his father’s business of taking the money of people willing to pay for such seldom results, and is anxious to reach 18 to qualify for joining a friend in the more productive work of logging. Yet he very much wants to perform well, and even better, to be able to ring the old school bell that is sounded to celebrate whenever a muskie is brought in, so that he can resign from the family business having proved himself at it.
The men are friends, though like the son, they each react differently among themselves to the different events they initiate or encounter, and in the end are caught up in a deadly situation drawn from a real experience I once had on a lake in the northern timber country.
Part of the story is told from the point of view of a large post-spawning female muskie that they manage to get into their boat.
I really love this book, my father, who read it when he was a kid, recommended it. It's a much easier read for me compared to others i've read recently, but does not lack in excitement or interest. One of my favorite things about the book is the point of view of the muskie itself. I found myself rooting for both the anglers and the fish, and it was interesting to hear the descriptions that the author gave about the depths of the lake and the other fish in it. It's also somewhat about growing up, the boy, Aaron, struggles to explain to his father his contrasting aspirations for life, but also does not want to disappoint him. It's an interesting dynamic, and a quick, fun read.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds very interesting, was it a good length? I've read good stories that got boring because the author thought they needed to be longer.
ReplyDeleteNo it was pretty short, It took me about a week with light reading. It doesn't get boring either. Whenever the story starts to begin to breach the cusp of interest, it switches over to the fish perspective, and vice versa. I think it's really good transfer book when you're in the process of finding something tot read.
ReplyDeleteIt sounded for a second like it was a true story but then when I saw the fish was talking I understood. Do you have a favorite character and if so what is the reason does it even involve the character or the way the author writes the character into the story?
ReplyDeleteI have the muskie itself is my favorite, because she is expressed as a character. In every alternate chapter she is expressed, and there are a lot of interesting things present that aren't in human characters. For instance, the author describes her body structure very well, how the water brushed past her fins, how her instincts are what ultimately control here. It was a very good insight into a kind of character we never see, and it was done very well.
ReplyDeletegood job of teling us what you liked about your book.
ReplyDeletewhat part of the book did you likr the most
ReplyDelete