Need a fix...with a book

[BlueSnow]

Starting with the obvious:  The weather so far this winter has sucked.  No snow or ice...egads.

So while I wait for the cold air to arrive I am thinking about finding a decent book to read that has some ice fishing references, but I'm only finding children's books in my adventures with google. 

Anybody have any recommendations? 

[sploke]

Not really ice fishing specific, but Jack London has some great short stories about the arctic and battling the winter.  There's a book called Tales of the North which is a collection of his short stories which are all excellent IMO.

[Raquettedacker]

Since your from NY..   

[Gunflint]

Great book that makes you grateful for an easy afternoon in -30 and a stiff wind.

[BlueSnow]

Very nice...I hope to never be in a Shackleton situation.

The Last of the Breed by Louis L'amour is another good one about appreciating being warm.
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez is an interesting glimpse into the arctic.

Thanks

[sploke]

There are the writings of Thoreau which contain some good outdoor themes, including this one from his journal:

It is remarkable that many men will go with eagerness to Walden Pond in the winter to fish for pickerel and yet not seem to care for the landscape. Of course it cannot be merely for the pickerel they may catch; there is some adventure in it; but any love of nature which they may feel is certainly very slight and indefinite. They call it going a-fishing, and so indeed it is, though perchance, their natures know better. Now I go a-fishing and a-hunting every day, but omit the fish and the game, which are the least important part. I have learned to do without them. They were indispensable only as long as I was a boy. I am encouraged when I see a dozen villagers drawn to Walden Pond to spend a day in fishing through the ice, and suspect that I have more fellows than I knew, but I am disappointed and surprised to find that they lay so much stress on the fish which they catch or fail to catch, and on nothing else, as if there were nothing else to be caught.

[Gunflint]

There are the writings of Thoreau which contain some good outdoor themes, including this one from his journal:

Great quote from Thoreau, but I always interpreted that to mean that he was a lousy shot with a gun and that he couldn't fish anyways, at least he didn't expect to catch any.

[sploke]

Great quote from Thoreau, but I always interpreted that to mean that he was a lousy shot with a gun and that he couldn't fish anyways, at least he didn't expect to catch any.

Ha!  Funny way to look at it.  But either way, I agree with what I think he's trying to say, that there's a lot more to be gotten out of the activity than what we claim is the main goal.  Like they say, a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work.

[Gunflint]

Ha!  Funny way to look at it.  But either way, I agree with what I think he's trying to say, that there's a lot more to be gotten out of the activity than what we claim is the main goal.  Like they say, a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work.

I like to read Thoreau, he has a calming affect and certainly appreciated the beauty of nature.

[Unclegillhunter]

Very nice...I hope to never be in a Shackleton situation.

The Last of the Breed by Louis L'amour is another good one about appreciating being warm.
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez is an interesting glimpse into the arctic.

Thanks

Last of the breed was a very good book!
Keep it safe! JDL

[brownkr111]

Regarding Thoreau, whose writing I love, he makes a huge assumption here: "many men will not SEEM to care for the landscape". How does he know what they care about or what they're thinking? He doesn't, hence the word seem. Did he take the time to introduce himself to these men and speak with them? Every man is different as is every fisherman. What about nobility? How many of the men were fishing to feed their families? Thoreau SEEMS to believe he has a better appreciation and understanding of nature (and creation, God, philosophy, etc.) than those that he sees fishing which in turn makes him feel smarter or superior. Personally, every single body of water I fish I automatically (and continuously) take time to view, contemplate, and appreciate the nature around me - flora, fauna, geography, sky, clouds, sun, moon, and much more. I take it ALL in and enjoy every second of my time outdoors, not just fishing, which is the highlight, the icing on the cake. I believe the majority of fisherman throughout history have done this, they continue to today, and appreciation of nature increases with age. Thoreau is rather egocentric and obtuse on this  - he's being a pessimist rather than an optimist. That's my two cents.

[BlueSnow]

Edwin Teale wrote a book called Wondering through Winter where he and his wife take a pretty ridiculous road trip across the US to see all that winter has to offer across the various environments.  It was written when the Sultan Sea was still a resort.

I like the idea that a bunch of people can be doing something at the same time, enjoying it in a non-disruptive way, and all get something different from it.  If those fisherman don't SEEM to enjoy it the same way that HDT does....so what? 

I think we evolved to need environmental stress (being cold, or hot etc) in order to be happy and when we live in a static environment it negatively impacts our quality of life.  There are some interesting tidbits along these lines in So Human an Animal by Dubois and even a bit in the Human Zoo by Desmond Morris.

[bearlake16]

The Cheechakoes by Wayne Short Awesome true life adventure!  Alaska pioneer family fishing, hunting. You will be in tears on how funny the boys are. Shooting a bear bear charging with a 22-250.  One of those books you wished would never end.

[whitetail]

Ice Fishing Secrets by Al Linder.

[BlueSnow]

I am going to have to pay the local library a visit - thanks for the recommendations. 

[hawg]

Grays Sporting Journal has some great writings in them also.

[Sylvanboat]

In Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

[bearnoob]

It's been a while since I read it, but Paddling to Winter is a true story about a couple who take their canoe north. It is a good read.

For fiction, I enjoyed a book called Jimmy Bluefeather. It won the NOBA (National Outdoor Book Award) a couple years back. After reading it, I decided to read more books on the NOBA list.

http://www.noba-web.org

[winterbuddy]

The Left Hand of Darkness has some themes that play into spending time on the ice.

[BlueSnow]

It's been a while since I read it, but Paddling to Winter is a true story about a couple who take their canoe north. It is a good read.

For fiction, I enjoyed a book called Jimmy Bluefeather. It won the NOBA (National Outdoor Book Award) a couple years back. After reading it, I decided to read more books on the NOBA list.

http://www.noba-web.org

This looks awesome - I hadn't heard of this awards list, but it looks like something I will need to do some review of.  Thanks for sharing.

[BlueSnow]

The Left Hand of Darkness has some themes that play into spending time on the ice.

Sci Fi and winter....seems like a perfect fit for me.  I haven't had luck getting into her stuff in the past, but perhaps this will be the gateway.