Safari Press Inc.
15621 Chemical Lane
Building B
Huntington Beach, CA 92649

WEBSITE: Safari Press.com
COST: $34.95; hardcover, dust jacket, maps, b/w photos and drawings. Safari Press titles are sold only through the company, and are not for sale in bookstores.
TELEPHONE: (714) 894-9080

Russell (Rusty) Annabel’s stories are timeless. Although many of today’s sportsmen may never have heard of Rusty Annabel, that would be their loss. I grew up reading his outdoor stories in the outdoor magazines during the 1940s and 1950s.

Born in Tacoma, Washington, Rusty moved to Alaska at an early age when that U. S. territory (now a state) was a frontier. He homesteaded at Toonaklut, where he married, had children, acted as a guide, trapped and wrote magazine articles about some of his countless adventures.

This man became a legend in his own time. He forged a literary career that captivated kids like me in the 1950s, and he made adults yearn for a chance to hunt Alaska and experience some of the same experiences that Rusty wrote about.

His hair-raising prose may now seem a bit over the top, but in those years, such stories were the engines that helped drive outdoor magazines to success. They were easy to read, laced with wild adventure and filled with characters that only Alaska could produce.

He had a way with words. Annabel could describe a wilderness filled with majestic Dall sheep, ornery moose, dumbbell caribou and enraged grizzlies. As perfect as Annabel was at describing fishing, hunting, bear encountered and other animals at close range, his personal life was far from perfect.

At heart, Rusty was a man in love with the frontier life. After many years in Alaska, he left under a dark cloud, apparently one step ahead of the law. He rambled around Mexico, trying to pull together what remained of his life, and at the end he led a very frugal existence.

Annabel, a gifted writer with an imagination as big as Alaska, cadged stories from everywhere, and seemed to believe in the old adage: “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” His stories captivated sportsmen for many years, and he would often write one story a week from Toonaklut, and send them off by train to his New York agent to peddle to the outdoor magazines.

He created his own personal legend, which was a mix of myth and truth, and made a living for years digging into his memory for more story material. Each month, this tow-headed kid would read a Russell Annabel article and dream of Alaska, the land of the midnight sun. Many years passed before I hunted his beloved Alaska.

I never met Annabel but have read many of his stories and some put the taste of fear in my mouth as he climbed the mountains and fought for the life he wanted. A simple life of fishing, hunting, trapping and writing about his and others exploits.

This is a book that will keep a person up late at night, savoring each chapter like a glass of fine wine. Rusty Annabel’s legacy was his ability to write a good story, and keep the reader hanging on his every word. Return To Toonaklut gives us an in-depth look at the man, the legend, and his talent for writing good outdoor stories.

CONTACT:

Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

WEBSITE: Stackpole Books
COST: $34.95+ postage; cover w/ dust jacket
ISBN Number: 0-8117-3176-6

Some flies are beautiful, some are functional, and some are a melding of both beauty and the ability to catch fish. These factors are what first attracted me to Atlantic salmon flies back more than 40 years ago when I made my first trips to New Brunswick for Atlantic salmon.

I marveled at the wondrous beauty of some of those flies tied on turned-up eye, and on single and double hooks. Some flies seemed, to my untrained eye, too gaudy to catch Atlantic salmon. That thought was quickly proven wrong. Then came a 10-year career as a fly-fishing steelhead guide on Michigan’s Great Lakes tributaries.

My twin brother and I became the first two Chinook and coho salmon fly fishing guides in Michigan. My twin brother George, the fly tier, invented many patterns that worked for anadromous brown trout, salmon and steelhead. Thus, my love affair with flies of beauty and functionality was cemented after writing a color Photo-filled book on Great Lakes steelhead flies.

Enough about me, and this was mentioned only to show why I find Mann’s book so pleasing. The simple flies of yesteryear’s steelhead fly fishermen are slowly being replaced with delightful hairwing ties and tube flies. We are seeing a cautious birth in the use of many of the materials once considered suitable only for Atlantic salmon flies, and they are now being incorporated into steelhead patterns.

This 224-page glossy book is filled from cover to cover with the author’s delightful color photographs. The author carries us along with an informative chapter called History & Development Of The Hairwing Fly. To show just how cosmopolitan this book is, the next large chapter is European Hairwings and Tube Flies. Next is North American Hairwings, then the Catalogue Of Dressings, and ending with a Bibliography. Between the two covers is a wealth of information from a distinguished cast of expert tiers.

The European flies come from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland and Scandinavia. The big chapter on North America covers both Atlantic salmon and Steelhead patterns. The chapter on dressings covers salmon hairwings and tubes and steelhead hairwings.

Make no mistake about it. This book is the best treatment I’ve seen on these flies for these game fish, and its historical significance is a matter of great importance. It’s no secret that fly fishing came west across the Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to North America. Great strides were made during the 19th and 20th centuries as the British methods became common to this country, and were then expanded or improved upon.

Some of the world’s greatest fly fishermen were originally from Great Britain, and we owe them a great deal for instilling within Americans a love of fly fishing. However, in a typical American way, we have produced many wonderful fly tiers and fly fishermen. Many contributors to this wonderful work came from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

This is truly one of the finest books on these specialty flies. And, since steelhead are running in Michigan as this is written, the timing is perfect for state anglers to study the photos and fly pattern recipes in the back of the book. This is a book to fall in love with.

CONTACT:

Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

WEBSITE: Stackpole Books
COST: $29.95 +P/H; Hardcover, dust jacket, 220 pages with index, and beautiful color photos throughout
ISBN Number: 978-08117-o288-1

The author, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is an active and prolific outdoor writer, and this book is a real-life adventure story that covers Donarski’s experiences while hunting wild African game during a 21-day safari/. The awe of the so-called Dark Continent is evident in each chapter.

There is much more to this book than killing game animals, although it is a hunting book. The author, on his first African hunt, kept meticulous notes. This title is filled almost to overflowing with helpful suggestions about planning a similar hunting trip. He offers tips on bullet and rifle preferences, travel insurance, clothing, and much needed details on pre-safari preparations including physical fitness and how to fill out the numerous forms required for taking firearms and other gear into Africa.

Donarski discusses the fatigue of travel from home, and reveals the fact that unlike other writers who get complimentary hunting trips, he paid full price for his hunt, air travel, hotel rooms, hunting licenses and meals. He compares his experience with those of Robert Ruark, who spent his own money on safaris. Ruark, for those who don’t know, authored Horn Of The Hunter and Use Enough Gun, two very famous African hunting titles by this famous author.

Donarski writes of hunting springbok, oryx, bushbuck, eland, impala, nyala, red hartebeest, reedbuck, wildebeest, and some game. His stirring account of taking a kudu after a long and strenuous hunt is a large part of the hunting in this book, and his big kudu is featured prominently inside and on the front panel of the dust jacket.

His three weeks in South Africa was the beginning of this man’s thrilling love affair with Africa. He writes profoundly, and with great passion, and his words thrill the hunter inside of me. I may never go to Africa, but if I do, I shall read Donarski’s words of wisdom again about what to take, what to expect and how to enjoy the experience.

This is, in addition to being a terrific read by a wonderful writer who can make each experience come alive for the reader, intertwines the fabric of Africa into the human flesh and soul of the hunter. There it will rest until a trip to the Dark Continent unlocks its mysteries and someone else falls in love with that massive continent for all the same reasons it has appealed to hunters for more than 150 years.

CONTACT:

Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

WEBSITE: Stackpole Books
PHONE: (717) 796-0411
ISBN #: 1-8531—888-X (for bookstore ordering)
COST: $39.95+ postage; Hardcover w/ dust jacket and illustration with color photos & b/w drawings

This 312-page book should become the Bible for anglers who fish for these game fish around the world. These species, the author maintains, are mysterious fish spread across the northern hemisphere.

Let’s make this abundantly clear. This book is a major study that explains the origins, evolution, migratory instincts, diet, territories, breeding patterns, and management of these fish. The wider issues of the commercial fishing industry, over-fishing and conservation measures of these species are also covered.

Here in one book are in-depth chapters that focus on the Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon, brown trout, rainbow trout, Arctic charr (the British spelling), brook charr (known in North America as brook trout even those they technically a char), and other salmonid species such as lake charr (lake trout) and cutthroat trout are covered.

Many of the color photos are spectacular. There are quality photos of limestone streams and other types of rivers, including some big brawling waters, and the maps show the current range of these game fish. Quite a bit of this coverage applies to fish found in the Great Lakes, which would make it of interest to Michigan anglers. The black-and-white illustrations are well done, and add a greater dimension to the text.

It’s been years since I fished for and caught cutthroat trout, but the illustrations of a Paiute and Lahontan cutthroat trout offer excellent detail that an angler should know when fishing these species.

Some relatively unknown salmon and trout species are included in this book. The Masu salmon is discussed, and trout species that are discussed in depth (besides those listed above) include bull charr, Arctic charr, white-spotted charr, Mexican golden trout, and the Gila/Apache trout.

Anyone who loves to fish for salmon and trout will find this book to be wonderfully informative. It is a great title, and deserves to be placed in a prominent spot on any angler’s bookshelves.

AUTHOR: Richard A. Minich

PUBLISHER: All Exox Publications

CONTACT:

PO Box 493
East Aurora, NY 14052

WEBSITE: All Esox Publications
COST: $37.50 + postage; Hardcover with dust jacket

The author, a deeply addicted muskie fisherman, has taken a mighty leap from his earlier how-to books on catching muskies to a fast-paced novel. The novel, the first in a series of three to be announced on a yearly basis, features a new and unusual action figure in Indian angler Joe Gaspe. The FBI uncovers a scheme to bring death and destruction to our northern frontier between the United States and Canada.

Gaspe seems the most inept and illogical person to piece together a viable network of other anglers and guides along that poorly defined International Boundary. This group of guides and others have one purpose: to keep Gaspe informed about any unusual happenings along this poorly marked and watery border.

Minich’s characters are well defined, and the Homeland Security adds a modern hook to this well-written story. Gaspe’s loose group of informants consists of cousins, old friends, hangers-on and others among the local Indians and other folks on both sides of the border. They report to Gaspe, who in turn reports to the FBI and Homeland Security.

It’s a rollicking ride of counter-terrorist actions. There are bombings, murders, attempted murders, and believe it or not, a scalping as well. I read a novel each week for recreation, and this one is an excellent first attempt. It has a few flaws, but my biggest complaint is the dust jacket illustration.

It shows a bearded Joe Gaspe with long hair, beard,, soul patch and an exploding boat. The scheme of the terrorists is to blow up the Friendship Bridge between the U.S. and Canada, and like most novels, the hero helps save the day and thwart the bad guys.

It’s got just enough muskie fishing in it to make the book a collectible one for those anglers who love to muskie fish and love to collect books about muskie fishing. I buy and sell muskie titles, and read everything muskie-related, and this book fills my two major needs – a good read and another book for my collection. Buy this first book in the Joe Gaspe series, and you’ll be notified when the next two titles come out. – Dave Richey

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