Books & Resources

[Jon]

Books

Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual by Nigel Calder.
This is a 500+ page hardback which has very in-depth information on boat electrical systems. It has a small sections on engines, which isn't of much use if you have a book on engine mechanics. There's a lot about sailboats and rigging, which I didn't find useful.

Troubleshooting Marine Diesels by Peter Compton.
Short and very simple to understand. It has flow diagrams to track down common problems and lists the most common causes. I've found it useful, especially in learning what is likely to fail and where to put my maintenance efforts.

[tacorajim]

A good way to show what makes a troller/fisher tick, might be to share what’s in their own library, beyond the utility of tech/mech books. Like what real fishermen read. About real fishermen.

Some books (alphabetically) I find hard to part with or won’t loan out for fear of losing are:

Breakers
First Time North
Following The Alaskan Dream
Highliners
The Hungry Ocean
Neptune’s Apprentice
Pacific Troller
The Perfect Storm
Wildest Alaska
Working On The Edge

Some of these may be out of print, but available online through Powell’s Book Store in Portland.

[Salty]

I have read most of these, but tell me about Breakers? Have you ever read "Sitka Man" or "Hand loggers"?

[tacorajim]

Author William (Bill as we knew him) McCloskey did a sequel to Highliners titled Breakers. that came out in 2000. His writing, though he prefers the novel genre, describes us and our way of life better than, say my neighbor Spike Walker, who can really get you fired up.

Thanks for the lead to Sitka Man. I'll order it from Powell's tomorrow. As for Hand Loggers, I think I'll pass because I still bristle with animosity between the logging and the fishing.

BTW, my copy of Following The Alaskan Dream is autographed by your mom. Really shaky, but legible. A treasure.

[Salty]

I was just thinking about a couple of other books. Have you read "The secret life of Lobsters"? A great book about lobsters, lobster fishermen, and lobster scientists. The way it relates to trolling is that this is a small boat, often family based, fishery. And it treats the working tension between managers and fishermen and the importance of them listening to each other and working together as well as any book I have read. Another interesting book is "Cod" the fish that changed the world. Interesting history of the importance of the fishery in world politics and the rapid destruction of a centuries old hook and line fishery after the introduction of the trawl fishery.
An amazing herring opening here this week that will no doubt become the subject of many stories and legends over the years. I have not heard the full details yet but the word on the dock is that the fleet of 50 seiners caught 10,000 tons in the afternoon opening. That some of the sets exceeded 1,000 tons with rumors of a set in the 1500 ton category.
Price is $550 per ton plus fifty for each point above 10%. The herring were huge, 200 gram, for Sitka and most of the sets were in the 12-13% range. Thus these fish were worth up to $700 per ton. They were still holding herring in the Shoals Pt. area today, two days after the opening, waiting for tenders to arrive. I guess the really big sets were in 4-10 fathoms of water.
King salmon trolling is still very slow with a lot of skunks or one fish. Three guys were at the house to watch basketball. Their total for three days of fishing was three fish, not three apiece. Pretty tough scratch.

[John Murray]

Jon thanks for the book and site review.I use my Nigel Calder book alot,great troubleshooting resoures.His revised engine book is also a good one. Both are must have's on a troller.
thanks again

[hopeless chuck]

I would recommend, Salmon on My Mind, by Francis Caldwell, a great read of his start in the hand/power trolling industry in the early-mid 50's and another is Alaska Blues by Joe Upton, it goes through a season of trolling and gillnetting the S.E. I don't normally don't read fiction but my wife bought me, The Last Fisherman by Gary Colvin, a great composite of the many stories and information that salmon fisherman should be aware of. Hopeless Chuck.

[tacorajim]

If books about trollers and their lifestyle appeal to you, you’ll be fascinated with a recent title, In Poseidon’s Pocket, a memoir of a fishwife’s harrowing tale of five years aboard a forty-footer. Just google Rocky Sherwood and up comes her website complete with sample chapter and how to get your hands on the book. It is a wonderfully written saga about a young couple who gave it all they could.

[Salty]

Thanks Jim? Going to Fish Expo?

[tacorajim]

If books about trollers and their lifestyle appeal to you, you’ll be fascinated with a recent title, In Poseidon’s Pocket, a memoir of a fishwife’s harrowing, true story of five years aboard a forty-footer. Just google Rocky Sherwood and up comes her website complete with sample chapter and how to get your hands on the book ($15.00 incl. S&H). It is a wonderfully written saga about a young couple who gave it all they could.

[mydona]

HUNGRY? I just received an entertaining cook book that has been written by Tomi Marsh from the tender "F/V Savage". http://www.fishesanddishes.com/ They even have a section on "on-board fashion tips"

[TomD]

Afternoon everyone,
I ordered a few books a few days back and today when the mail came I had a package ! And when I opened it out came two of the five I ordered ! I got PACIFIC TROLLER BY Francis E. Caldwell and Following The Alaskan Dream by Marilyn Jordan George ! Now what one to read first haha. Both of these books from the little bit I have read so far in the last hour look like there gonna be great reads. Well thank you everyone for the leads on good books to read. Cant wait for the others to come now

TomD

[Trnaround]

Hello, have you read " The Wave" by Susan Casey? It starts with big wave surfing but keep reading, it gets into some interesting things about Lituya Bay,quakes and Tsunamis. Interesting book and well written.

[Abundance]

I just finished "The Deadly Triangle", the newest book by Francis Caldwell. I always admire his style, and his research here is meticulous. I actually don't agree with his assertion that northern B.C. and southeast Alaska are more dangerous than the rest of the coastline, (care to visit Shelikof Straits, anyone?) but as a collection of stories from this area it's unparalleled, going back to the age of the early explorers and working forward. I also loved his "Pacific Troller" and "Land of the Ocean Mists". Other fishing books that I have found enjoyable are "As the Sailor loves the Sea" by Ballard Hadman. It's a fascinating first person account of trolling in southeast during the thirties to the fifties. "Through Spanish Eyes" by William M. Olsen is a translation of the dairies of the Spanish explorers who came to Alaska in the 18th century. It is enjoyable to read the mundane details of trading with the natives, gathering supplies, and the sheer wonder that these men had at the experience of exploring someplace completely foreign and new. You get to look from their perspective as they try to piece together all of the information they can about the natural history and geography of this area, and how much they actually got right just from skilled guesswork. "The Perfect Storm" may not be about this coast, but its a great read and truly captures a good view of the history and methods to the offshore fishery over there. For what it's worth, I actually think that the movie, despite it's obvious inaccuracies such as jumping overboard after somebody, captures fishing with more truthfulness than anything else that I have seen come out of Hollywood. "Moby Dick" Is another great read, with a good main plot and a meandering structure that covers everything from debates over whether whales are fish to the oddity of the Great Lakes. There are so many others yet to read, many of them already listed on here, a guy needs to get into winter trolling just to have the free time to read them all.

[Trnaround]

Those sound interesting Garret thanks. Another you may enjoy if you haven't read is "Hooked" by G. Bruce Knecht. It's about poaching on the high seas and how the restaurant/ fish trade relates to commercial fishing. It's well written and keeps you reading and what's scary is it is a true story.

[Ruff Rider]

Just came across another good book, The Greybeards by T.B. Botts. He is a Hoonah, AK resident. Lots of good stories from old-time fishermen.