Big: the 50 Greatest World Record Catches

Description

The first illustrated gift book about the top 50 world record game fish catches, written by the historian for the International Game Fish Association. The universal human interest in world records is nowhere more evident than in the world of sports. Every fisherman, from the seasoned professional to the most casual weekend angler, dreams of catching "the big one" and "Big: The 50 Greatest World Record Catches" delivers. Artist Flick Ford and International Game Fish Association (IGFA) historian Mike Rivkin have combined talents to present the stories of the fifty most incredible record fish catches from around the world. The catches, selected for their sheer size, popularity, beauty, and exciting story, are presented in an oversize format, where the meticulously painted fish span double-page spreads. Amazing stories range from Dr. John Cook's legendary 1916 brook trout to fifteen-year-old Sara Hayward of Texas, whose catch was an astonishing thirty pounds bigger than the previous record-holder. World record catches are compelling, often for the normalcy of the setting--a day like any other, a fisherman on the last cast. This book salutes the sportsmanship of fishermen, the history of angling, and the fine art that keeps it alive.

About the Author:
Mike Rivkin is a veteran offshore angler, past president of the venerable Tuna Club of Santa Catalina Island, and has served as an International Game Fish Association International Representative. Mike has written extensively on the history of angling, including the widely acclaimed books "'Big-Game Fishing Headquarters: A History of the IGFA"' and "'Angling and War: The Collision of Big-Game Fishing and WWII"'. On the water, he has caught every type of marlin that swims, including a 1,226 pound black marlin taken off Australia in 1984. Rivkin lives in La Jolla, California, and plies the Pacific waters nearby on his boat, Silverfish.

In the early 1990s, concern about the effects of pollution, over-development, and acid rain in the Northeast inspired Flick Ford to keep a record of the fish he caught. The Greenwich Workshop Press published Ford's first book, "'FISH: 77 Great Fish of North America"', in 2006 to wide acclaim. His watercolor paintings of fish are represented by the J. Russell Jinishian Gallery in Fairfield, Connecticut' and J. N. Bartfield Galleries in New York city. Ford lives on the Hudson River near Albany, New York.