Fishing Books for Kids - The Golden Guides

My very first books about fish and fishing were Golden Guides, compact yet detailed little books with great illustrations and good, straightforward advice on fishing tackle and techniques. (I also owned their books on various other subjects, like birds, mammals, and reptiles and amphibians - fine reads, all.) A fellow named Herbert S. Zim was a common denominator in all the books; I think he did most of the illustrations.

One nifty feature of the books was that they fit perfectly in a tackle box, making them easy to bring down to the fishing hole with you. (Though they would often come back from a fishing trip quite a bit dirtier and a good deal damper than when they started.)

The other day I got to wondering whether Golden Guides were still being published, and was happy to discover that St. Martin's Press had relaunched the series in 2000, with Mr. Zim's now decades-old work still prominently featured. If it ain't broke, why fix it?

So if you're looking for excellent introductions to fishing for a child (though I'm sure adults would enjoy them too) check out the Golden Guides...

Golden Guide to Fishing

Golden Guide to Fishes

I remember this one about ponds and wetlands was also pretty cool:

Golden Guide to Pond Life

Lots of interesting facts about turtles, crayfish, frogs, muskrats and other aquatic wildlife.