By Val Kells and Kent Carpenter

What’s that thing on the end of my line? Have you ever caught a fish and wondered what it is? I know I have caught many species that I didn’t know the name of or what they were. I was recently sent a copy of the above mentioned book for review and found it both fascinating and very helpful. From the time I opened it I couldn’t put it down and leafed through every page of illustrations. The book is 448 pages with 1,079 illustrations and over 1,000 marine and brackish water species from Maine to Texas. Besides illustrations, there is additional information like features, biology and habitat.

I was able to identify quite a number of fish I’ve caught over the years but didn’t know the names. It also helped me add a bunch of species to my kayak caught list, which is something I’ve been compiling as I have a goal to reach 100. I didn’t realize there were both northern and southern summer flounder. I’ve caught both but assumed they were both the same species. Well they’re not. So that added a species to my list I had missed. With the help of the book I was able to add names to many fishes I’ve caught but hadn’t listed. This got me to within 5 of my goal. If you fish the salt and brackish waters from Maine to Texas you’ll find this book a welcome addition to your collection. I know I’m very glad it’s part of mine. Now I just need a similar book for the west coast. MSRP is $25 and it’s available from a lot of folks online and I’m sure from major bookstore chains.