Books
of the Black Bass
Inspirational
Books and Fishing
I receive e-mail all the time with requests for information on Bass books --
one was from a fellow who wanted some current books that tied fishing to religion.
Found more than I expected. I sent this list to a friend and he said if I got
religion from all this then I really would be dangerous. Some of them are
definitely Bass books and some of the Grassi books
are candidates. The Carty book doesn't include any
fishing but this is high praise of the bass compared to the rest of the fishes.
Thought you might find this list of interest. If have any books to add to
this list please let me know about them.
BOLIN, DAN - The One That Got Away: And Other Life Lessons from Fishing.
12mo. 127 pages.
1998. NavPress Publishing. Colorado
Springs CO. A devotional
guide with short fishing stories which include biblical comments. Each
chapter ends with a recommended bible verse with a couple of questions to
answer about that reading.
BROWNLOW, JOHN PAUL (author and compiler) - Catch of the Day. Square 16mo. Pages not numbered (62 pages).
1999. The Brownlow Corp. Ft Worth
TX. Short quotations from famous anglers along with
author's thoughts and some biblical quotes.
CARTY, JAY - Something's Fishy: Getting Rid of the Carp in Your Life.
8vo. 149 pages. 1990. Multnomah Press. Portland
OR. Soft cover. Illustrated with black & white cartoon drawings. He uses
fish to illustrate his teachings. Bass are a sold-out, on-fire, goin'-for-it, Jesus-lovin'
believer. Trout are lukewarm Christians who may or may not be saved. Most
people assume trout are saved, but they could be either carp or Bass dressed to
look like trout. Carp are non-believers and have no chance of going to heaven.
Then he goes into Bass in trout's clothing, carp in trout's clothing, and other
variations. Confusing huh? Being a good Christian he uses the word carp
to identify the crap or dung of the world. No fishing but since Bass are the
star of the show I had to include it here. (Carty was
a professional basketball player with the Lakers) SOMETHING'S FISHY
GRASSI, JIM (James E.) - Promising Waters: Stories of Fishing and
Following Jesus. 8vo. 199 pages. 1996. Harvest
House Publishers. Eugene OR. Soft cover. Illustrated with a few black
& white line drawings. Author was founder of the Let's Go Fishing
Ministries, which later spawned a national organization called the Fellowship Of Christian Anglers Societies (FOCAS). A western Bass pro
in the 1970s he quit the tournament trail to spend more time with his family.
Bass information scattered throughout the book with stories involving Jimmy
Houston, Cotton Cordell, Denny Brauer, Al Lindner, and Hank Parker. LET'S GO
FISHING STORE
GRASSI, JAMES E. - Ultimate Fishing Challenge: Stories of Faith and
Following Jesus. 8vo. 208 pages. 2002. Harvest
Book Publishers, Inc. Eugene OR. Soft cover. Reprint of Promising
Waters see above. I was very disappointed in the way they
handled this book. I had e-mailed Jim's web site asking about the book
and didn't receive an answer. There was no indication on Barnes &
Noble that this was a reprint and it was not yet listed on the Let's Go Fishing
Store web site. People buying in a bookstore would recognize that it is a
reprint with a title change, for those of us who buy on line we were blind
sided and I believe taken advantage of.
GRASSI, JIM (James E.) - Heaven On Earth: True
Stories of Fishing and Faith. 8vo. 223 pages.
1997. Harvest House Publishers. Eugene
OR. Soft cover. Illustrated with a
few black & white photos. Author writes of both fishing and the
lives of prominent modern disciples of Jesus, many of them Bass anglers:
Fishing with - Jay Carty, Adrian Rogers, James
Robison, Norm Evans, Lowell Lundstrom, John Merritt,
Jimmy Houston, Homer Circle,
Hank Parker, Brent Jones, Ron Shearer, Paul Overstreet, Thomas Kinkade, Jack Arthur, and Al Lindner. LET'S GO
FISHING STORE
GRASSI, JIM (James E.) - In Pursuit of the Prize: Finding God in the
Great Outdoors. 8vo. 128 pages. 1998. Harvest
House Publishers. Eugene OR. Illustrated throughout with color photos and other illustrations.
Short inspirational hunting and fishing stories with a
quotation from the scriptures in each one along with a recommended bible
reading. Several of the stories mention Bass. Mentioned are professional
Bass fishing in Northern California, Homer Circle and Glen Lau and the film
Bigmouth, Jimmy Houston and the joy of fishing, surface plug fishing in
Indiana, Hank Parker fishing for Bass as a young man, etc. LET'S GO
FISHING STORE
HAMILTON, MYRLENE L. J. - All I Need to Know About
Ministry I learned from Fly Fishing. 95 pages.
2001. Judson Press. Soft cover.
Not seen but I picked this description up from the publishers web site.
"An experienced pastor, Hamilton offers charming and probing
stories, such as "The Fine Art of Irritating Fish," "When the
Fish Catches You," and "The Ones That Got Away," that will lead
you into the world of fly fishing and then into the familiar surroundings of
your own ministry." I checked with Reverend Hamilton to see if the
book included anything on Black Bass and here is what she told me.
"I don't fish for bass (except for a few striped bass in Barnegat
Bay), so bass are only mentioned in
passing." The book contains about 40 short chapters or sections and
each section includes a scripture and a story or two from both fly fishing
experiences and real life ministry. ALL I NEED TO KNOW
HOUSTON, JIMMY - Hooked for Life. 8vo. 129 pages.
1999. J. Countryman Books/Thomas Nelson Co. Nashville TN. Mentions a couple of
other species but this is definitely a Bass book. Each chapter begins with a
quote from the scriptures and ends with a prayer. Profusely illustrated with
color photos, about half of them include a Bass and the others show Jimmy in
his boat.
HOOKED FOR LIFE
HOUSTON, JIMMY - The Reel Line: An Angler's Guide to the Ultimate
Catch. 8vo. 127 pages. 2001. J.
Countryman/Thomas Nelson Co. Nashville TN. Consists of 30 short chapters of
Bass fishing tips. Fishing chapters also include spiritual thoughts by Jimmy.
At the end of each tip is a one page inspirational reading with a scripture
quotation, authored by Dr. Andy Bowman, pastor of the First Baptist Church of
Keys, Oklahoma. Illustrated with color photos, many are full page, like the
above book most of them are either of Jimmy fishing in his boat or of a leaping
Bass. THE
REEL LINE
HOUSTON, JIMMY – Catch of the Day: Spiritual Lessons For
Life From the Sport Of Fishing. 8vo. 400 pages.
2005. J. Countryman/Thomas
Nelson Co. Nashville
TN.
Features a Daily Scripture, a Daily Fishing Tip, and a
brief devotional thought that applies insights from the art of fishing to daily
spiritual growth. Padded hard cover. CATCH
OF THE DAY
LINDNER, AL
& RON – First Light on the
Water: Lessons On Life From Al and Ron
Lindner. 8vo. 127 pages. 2003. Bronze Bow Publishing. Minneapolis
MN.
Illustrated with color photos. Autobiographic in nature
but not a complete history of their life. Some discussion of Lindy’s Tackle
Co., In-Fisherman magazine, fishing in Bass tournaments, their early television
program, Ron’s battles with alcohol, up to the recent launching of a new
television show, Lindner’s Fishing
Edge. Throughout the book they
tell how God has influenced their lives including some places where they felt
he protected them from danger.
Chapters are alternately written by one and then the other. Each chapter includes a Reflection section with a short
sermon. FIRST LIGHT
ON THE WATER
LINDNER, RON – The End of the Line!: A Fisherman’s True Story. 5 1/2 X 13 sheet folded to 3 3/8
X 5 1/2. 2001(c). American Tract Society. Garland
TX. Covers some
of the history of Al and Ron’s success in the fishing and publishing
areas. Details Ron’s
problems with alcohol and how a renewed faith in God solved that problem.
MURRAY, HARRY W. - His Blessings Through Angling.
4to. 64 pages. 1997. Shenandoah Publishing. Edinburg VA.
"This is a combination "coffee table" and
"how to" book with many, striking color photographs showing the
beauty of God's creations on the streams. The text covers tactics for
fishing for trout and smallmouth bass all across the country." Illustrated by Dave Whitlock. Carefully selected scriptures
serve as captions for the photographs with brief personal comments. HIS
BLESSINGS THROUGH ANGLING
NELSON, KEVIN - The Angler's Book of Daily Inspiration: A Year of
Motivation, Revelation, and Instruction. 12mo. Vi, 378
pages. 1997. NTC/Contemporary Publishing Co. Chicago
IL. Not illustrated. "The Angler's
Book of Daily Inspiration combines practical advice, folk wisdom, and
motivational thoughts for lovers of this solitary and often frustrating sport.
Contributors include Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Norman MacLean, John Gierach, and others. Each of the 366 entries features an
inspirational quotation, a discussion of a related topic, and an affirmation to
put into practice for better fishing every day of the year." Some of the
discussions feature Bass, many however just feature
fishing and could apply to any fish and any fisherman.
PARKER, HANK - More Than Winning & Losing.
5 1/2 X 13 sheet folded to 3 3/8 X 5 1/2. 1993(c). American Tract Society. Garland
TX. Front picture of Hank holding a
"big one." This is a religious pamphlet by Hank with a bit about his
success in Bass fishing.
SAMS, JONATHAN C. – Reflections Of A Fishing
Parson. 12mo. 96 pages. 1973. Abingdon Press. Nashville
TN.
Illustrated with drawings by Roy Wallace. Author provides his thoughts on both
fishing and God. There are short
chapters on both Largemouth Bass and the Smallmouth plus he mentions bass throughout. Reading this brought back some memories
of the three years I spent in Virginia. Great fishing in the area from Newport
News to Richmond
until they found Kepone in the local rivers and the damage
it had done. We left shortly before
it was discovered but worried for a while about any damage this poisoning might
have done to our children. We served
up a lot of fish and other seafood on the dinner table in those days.
SAMS, JONATHAN C. - Chickenbone Lake:
Myths, Fishing Stories, and Theological Asides. 8vo. 70
pages. 1988. Anadromous Press. Griffith IN.
Softbound. Illustrated with black and white drawings.
One chapter, The Great Delaware River
Float Trip in which author catches his largest Smallmouth Bass. Also
includes fishing for salmon, musky and other fishes. Scripture quotations
throughout, author is rector of an Episcopal Church.
WRIGHT, H. NORMAN - The Perfect Catch: Lessons For
Life From A Bass Fisherman. 8vo. 287 pages. 2000. Bethany House Publishers. Minneapolis
MN. Illustrated by Sheryl
Macauley. Includes bass fishing tales and tips
along with biblical application and quotations from other authors, some of
those listed in my Books of the Black Bass are: Jim Grassi;
Shaw Grigsby; Jimmy Houston; Al Lindner; and Shawn Morey. Sixty devotional
readings and most of them include Bass fishing with some humor sprinkled in. Definitely a Bass book. THE
PERFECT CATCH
WRIGHT, H. NORMAN - That's A Keeper:
Reflections on Life from a Bass Fisherman. 8vo. 267
pages. 2002. Bethany House Publishers. Minneapolis
MN. Illustrated with fish
drawings by Sheryl Macauley. "Sixty devotional readings that combine faith, humor,
poignancy, information and fishing tips." Bass
fishing throughout. THAT'S
A KEEPER
YELAS, JAY – Jay Yelas: A Champion’s Journey of
Faith, Family, and Fishing. 8vo. Xv, 189 pages. 2003. Cool Springs
Publishing House. Nashville
TN.
Soft Cover. Illustrated with black
& white photos. An unnumbered section of 16 pages of color photos. An autobiography, beginning with his
fishing experiences as a youngster growing up in Hawaii
and taking him up to winning the 2002 FLW® Tour Angler of the Year and Bassmasters® Classic Champion. About halfway through the book he found
Christianity and God is credited for his success
through the rest of the book. After
winning the Angler of the Year title, Yelas used the
$100,000 prize awarded by Busch Beer to buy an estimated 20,000 copies of his
book and gave them away free to Bass Fans.
I guess this was repentance for fishing in a tournament sponsored by a
beer company.
Updated – August 3,
2006
