Casting into the Light: Tales of a Fishing Life

A moving, inspiring portrait of making a dream come true–the (unsentimental) education of a champion surfcaster (catching fish by casting a line from the shoreline).

The midnight (and early morning) tales of a young woman hell-bent on following her dream and learning the mysterious and profound sport–and the art, of surfcasting on the small, legendary island of Martha’s Vineyard, breaking through the strictly enforced male-bastion of fishing life to become a world-class sportsman at a time when few women fished. Janet Messineo writes of mastering surfcasting during the daylight and struggling with it on the beaches at night … She writes of the Vineyard fishermen she’s fished with and the fishing women who’ve forged the path for others. She describes the unspoken fishing ethic and the age-old secrecy behind fishing techniques, lures and baits, fishing locations, and writes of her own favorite spots on the island and on Chappaquiddick, of her Derby years and dreams of catching that prize-winning elusive striper; about acquiring, not only the skill of hooking and landing a big fish, but the skill of finding them. Full of adventure and daring–a rich portrait of following one’s vision and heart.