Capt. Ethan Hamrick
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90 Best Fishing Books of All-time (Non-fiction Edition)

I love reading books, especially books about fishing. Any type of fishing stories, fishing tips, or the like and they’ll keep my attention.

There are literally hundreds of fishing books, but I’ve narrowed this list down to the Top 100 Non-fiction Fishing Books, including my “Must Read List” which you can find at the end.

Let’s jump right in!

Top 100 Non-fiction Fishing Books

Check out the table below for our top picks. You can sort the table by fiction or non-fiction, and you can also search the table for certain keywords or titles.

*You can read the bottom of this post for an explanation of how we ranked the books.

RankCoverTitleCategoryWhere to Buy
1The Total Fishing ManualGeneralAmazon
2The Total Fishing Manual: 317 Essential Fishing Skills (Field and Stream)GeneralAmazon
4The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the SeaTrue StoryAmazon
5The Orvis Fly-Fishing GuideFly FishingAmazon
6Basic Fishing: A Beginner's GuideGeneralAmazon
7Fishing for DummiesGeneralAmazon
8The Orvis Guide to Beginning Fly Fishing: 101 Tips for the Absolute BeginnerFly FishingAmazon
9The Complete Book of Fishing Knots, Leaders, and LinesKnotsAmazon
10How to Think Like a Fish: And Other Lessons from a Lifetime in AnglingGeneralAmazon
11Florida Sportsman Sport Fish of Florida BookFloridaAmazon
12Incredible and True Fishing StoriesTrue StoryAmazon
13Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You DieFly FishingAmazon
14Kids Gone Fishin' (The Freshwater Angler)KidsAmazon
15The Complete Guide to SurfcastingCastingAmazon
16Fishing on the Edge: The Mike Iaconelli StoryTrue StoryAmazon
17Tactical Fly Fishing: Lessons Learned from Competition for All AnglersFly FishingAmazon
18Roland Martin's Bass Catching SecretsBassAmazon
19Fly Fishing for Trout: The Next LevelFly FishingAmazon
20The Greatest Fishing Stories Ever Told: Twenty-Eight Unforgettable Fishing TalesTrue StoryAmazon
21Fishing: A Guide to Fresh and Salt-Water FishingSaltwaterAmazon
22Saltwater Fishing Made EasySaltwaterAmazon
23Freshwater Fishing Tips & Techniques: A Fully Illustrated Guide to Freshwater FishingFreshwaterAmazon
24Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Saltwater FishSaltwaterAmazon
25National Geographic Kids Chapters: Monster Fish!: True Stories of Adventures With AnimalsKidsAmazon
26Saltwater Sport Fish of the Gulf Field Guide (Fish Identification Guides)SaltwaterAmazon
27Knot It!: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering 100 Essential Outdoor and Fishing KnotsKnotsAmazon
28Ken Schultz's Field Guide to Freshwater FishFreshwaterAmazon
29Fish Florida Saltwater: Better Than Luck―The Foolproof Guide to Florida Saltwater FishingSaltwaterAmazon
30Fly Fishing for Beginners (The Freshwater Angler)Fly FishingAmazon
31The Orvis Guide to Leaders, Knots, and Tippets: A Detailed, Streamside Field Guide To Leader Construction, Fly-Fishing Knots, Tippets and MoreKnotsAmazon
32Secrets of a Champion: Bass Superstar Reveals His Winning TipsGeneralAmazon
33Sportsman Best: Offshore Fishing BookOffshoreAmazon
34Sportsman's Best: Dolphin Book DolphinAmazon
35Freshwater Fishes: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar North American Species (Wildlife and Nature Identification)FreshwaterAmazon
36The Pocket Guide to Fishing Knots: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Most Important Knots for Fresh and Salt WaterKnotsAmazon
37Kayak Bass Fishing: Largemouth, Smallmouth, StripersBass, KayakAmazon
38OutdoorIQ Ultimate Fishing Guide Just For Kids!KidsAmazon
39Practical Fishing KnotsKnotsAmazon
40Trout MagicTroutAmazon
41250 Amazing Fishing Tips: The Best Tactics and Techniques to Catch Any and All Game FishGeneralAmazon
421,001 Pearls of Fishing Wisdom: Advice and Inspiration for Sea, Lake, and StreamGeneralAmazon
43Fishing Stories (Everyman's Library Pocket Classics Series)True StoryAmazon
44Encyclopedia of Fishing Knots & RigsKnotsAmazon
45The Ultimate Guide to Kayak Fishing: A Practical Guide (Ultimate Guides)KayakAmazon
46First steps in fishing: a beginners guideGeneralAmazon
47Amazing But True Fishing StoriesTrue StoryAmazon
48Winning Strategies of the Bass ProsBass, KayakAmazon
49The Pocket Fishing Basics Guide: Freshwater Basics: Hook, Line, and SinkerFreshwaterAmazon
50South East Guide to Saltwater Fishing and BoatingSaltwaterAmazon
51Kayak Fishing: The Complete GuideKayakAmazon
52Sportsman's Best: Kayak FishingKayakAmazon
53The Complete Book of Saltwater FishingSaltwaterAmazon
54Kayak Fishing: A Guide to Freshwater Rigging, Lures, Baits, and Techniques for Kayak Fishing SuccessKayakAmazon
55Caught Me a Big'Un...and Then I Let Him Go!: Jimmy Houston's Bass Fishing Tips 'N' TalesGeneralAmazon
56Sportsman Best: Inshore Fishing BookInshoreAmazon
57Sportsman's Best: Baits, Rigs & TackleRigsAmazon
58Inshore Salt Water FishingInshoreAmazon
59Fishing Stories: A Lifetime of Adventures and Misadventures on Rivers, Lakes, and SeasTrue StoryAmazon
60Kid's Incredible Fishing StoriesKidsAmazon
61Bass Fishing: Tips and Tricks for Catching Largemouth Bass (Fishing Guide, Freshwater Fishing, Bass Fishing Books, How to Fish, Fishing Tackle)BassAmazon
62Offshore Pursuit: A Complete Guide to Blue-water Sport FishingOffshoreAmazon
63Kayak Fishing: The Ultimate Guide 2nd EditionKayakAmazon
64Tuna: An Angler's Guide to a Great GamefishGeneralAmazon
65101 Bass Fishing Tips: Twenty-First Century Bassing Tactics and Techniques from All the Top ProsBassAmazon
66Sportsman's Best: SailfishSailfishAmazon
67Sportsman's Best: Snapper & GrouperSnapper, GrouperAmazon
68Offshore Salt Water FishingOffshore, SaltwaterAmazon
69Sportsman's Best: Surf FishingSurfAmazon
70How to Bass Fish Like a ProBassAmazon
71The Total Fishing Guide For A Novice: Saltwater To FreshwaterSaltwaterAmazon
72Fishing for Kids: A Complete Guide 100 PagesKidsAmazon
73A History of Baitcasting in AmericaCastingAmazon
74Fly Fishing Made Easy: A Manual for Beginners with Tips for the ExperiencedFly FishingAmazon
75The Everything Fishing BookGeneralAmazon
76Sportsman's Best: SnookSnookAmazon
7Bass Pros' Season by Season TacticsBassAmazon
78The Ultimate Fishing BookGeneralAmazon
79Bass Fishing 101: Your Guide To Largemouth Bass FishingBassAmazon
80Sportsman's Best: RedfishRedfishAmazon
81Sportsman's Best: TroutTroutAmazon
82Bass Fishing: A Beginners Guide to Bass FishingGeneralAmazon
83How to Fly Fish: Your Step By Step Guide To Fly FishingFly FishingAmazon
84Bill Dance's Fishing Wisdom: 101 Secrets to Catching More and Bigger FishGeneralAmazon
85Florida Bass Fishing: Locations and Techniques for Largemouth and Peacock Bass Fishing in FloridaBassAmazon
86Sportsman's Best: Sight FishingGeneralAmazon
87Inshore Fishing: A Guide to Baits, Lures, Tackle, and Targeting Saltwater SpeciesInshoreAmazon
88Bass Fishing: A Guide to Mastering Freshwater Bass Fishing TechniquesBassAmazon
89Saltwater Kayak Fishing: Inshore Fishing Tactics and TechniquesSaltwater, KayakAmazon
90Orvis Guide to Family Friendly Fly FishingFly FishingAmazon

7 Must Read Fishing Books

1. Incredible and True Fishing Stories

The best fishing book I’ve ever read, and my top pick is a book full of fishing stories. The book is titled “Incredible and True Fishing Stories” written by Shaun Morey.

It’s filled with exciting tales of some amazing fish catches. Everything from a crew hauling in seventy-five marlin in a single day, to a man battling a tuna for over seventeen hours, this book has it all!

I read this book over and over throughout my childhood and couldn’t get enough of the stories within it. I would recommend it to anyone who loves reading about fishing.

2. Kid’s Incredible Fishing Stories

Also written by Shaun Morey, “Kid’s Incredible Fishing Stories” is another awesome read. This book is all about kid anglers with unbelievable fishing tales.

From the boy who fished very day for more than 1,200 days, to the youngster that caught a fish while riding home on his bike. This book is filled with some epic fishing adventures of young anglers.

3. Amazing But True Fishing Stories  

The book “Amazing But True Fishing Stories” is also made up of a number of insane fishing stories. Everything from one man catching nearly 600 fish in less than an hour using a single fishing rod to the group of anglers who managed to land eighty-three sailfish in one day.

If you enjoy reading tales about fishing, this book is for you.

4. Roland Martin’s 101 Bass Catching Secrets

If you love catching bass and want to learn more about the great sport of bass fishing, this book is for you. Roland Martin is a very experienced and skilled bass angler. He has won many bass tournaments and Angler of the Year titles throughout the course of his career.

His book is includes endless tips and tricks on how to catch more bass, plus a few of Martin’s fishing own stories. If your looking for an all around interesting and entertaining read, be sure to check this book out.

5. Secrets of a Champion

Kevin Vandam is considered by some to be the greatest bass fisherman of all time. He has won 25 major bass tournaments, throughout his seasoned career, including 4 Bass Master Classic championships. Plus, Vandam has also won 7 Angler of the Year titles.

His book reveals some of his secret tactics when it comes to catching bass. If you want to learn how to catch bass even on the toughest days, you should give this book a read.  

6. Sportsman Best: Inshore Fishing Book

If you’re a saltwater angler and enjoy catching inshore species, I would definitely recommend this book full of tips and tricks.

It includes valuable information about how to effectively target and catch a wide range of inshore species, such as snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, flounder, and more. This is an awesome book for the anglers who wish to further their inshore fishing knowledge

7. Sportsman Best: Offshore Fishing Book

If you prefer offshore fishing and targeting pelagic species, this book is certainly one you should read. It includes a number of tips and techniques for catching variety of offshore fish, such as sailfish, mahi, marlin, tuna, kingfish, wahoo and more.

This book is a great read for anyone who wants to go beyond the basics of offshore fishing. 

*Ranking System*

We used a combination of Amazon star ratings and review counts to rank the books. The formula creates a point system on a 10 point scale.

Star rating. Number of star rating points X 2. For example, a book with 4.0 star rating receives 8.0 points.

Review count. The book is given points based on number of reviews. (> 500 = 10, > 250 = 9, > 200 = 8, > 150 = 7, > 100 = 6, > 75 = 5, > 50 = 4, > 25 = 3, >10 = 2, > 0 = 1) For example, a book with 127 reviews would receive 6.0 points.

The points from the star rating and review count are then averaged to give a final score. Books are ranked using this final score.

Example 1. Book 1 has a 4.5 star rating and 125 reviews, Book 2 has a 4.5 star rating and 50 reviews. Book 1 in this scenario will be rated higher.

Example 2. Book 1 has a 4.5 star rating and 1,000 reviews. Book 2 has a 4.9 star star rating and 10 reviews. Book 1 in this scenario will be rated higher.
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