Behold, the evolution of a salty dawg.
Jamie Golden grew up in the suburbs west of Boston, but he heard the siren song of the sea at a very young age. Here, Jamie writes of his journey beginning as a young boy in the mid-1970s, when his family spent summers bouncing from his grandparents' house on Cape Cod to visiting aunts and uncles on Cape Ann. Whether he was catching black eels from the creeks that dump into Little Pleasant Bay, snorkeling in a salt creek, or snatching lobsters and flounder by hand, he was hooked. From the first moment he smelled the salt in the air and tasted it on his lips, he knew this was his place. In these pages, the author traces the evolution that took him from freshwater fishing holes teeming with bass and trout to the salty landscapes of the surfcaster, where giants dwell in the form of stripers and bluefish. Meet the colorful cast of characters who accompanied him as he shares his obsession with the silver bullets that tease him from the waves, the heartbreaks he'll never forget, and the broken lines, bent hooks, and triumphs of life on the banks and shores of New England. Venture with Jamie Golden beyond his home waters as well, as he regales readers with tales of tropical expeditions in Costa Rica and Mexico in search of sailfish, mahi-mahi, and roosterfish, including close encounters with pirates and expatriates. His travels also take us in search of tarpon in the Florida Keys, from the chill, hippie vibe of Islamorada to Key West, where would-be rock stars, treasure hunters, and fishermen are part of the fabric, along with the vices served along the waterfront bars.
It's the tale of a lifetime searching for the next cast, a spirituality unlike any other. As the author tells us, "These are the times when I'm at my church, for no heaven can surpass that which is revealed through the sea."
