Jonathan Herbert is an award-winning writer who grew up in Englewood. His
novels, Banyan Street and Silver King, have won multiple literary awards,
including recognition from the Paris Book Festival. You can follow him on
Twitter @herbertnovels or on the web at herbertnovels.com.
January/February 2019 GASPARILLA ISLAND 55
has continued to grow over the years. Growing
up, I spent countless hours fishing in the creeks
and ponds around our farm. Occasionally, my dad
would take my brother and me fishing on Lake
Erie to catch perch and walleye, which further
kindled my passion for fishing. My biggest
disappointment as a young boy was when I cut
my hand with a knife and my dad had to cancel a
family fishing trip Canada.”
The author talks about a time when his faith
was tested. “I think the closest I came to doubting
my faith was when my wife Dorothy’s parents
were killed in a commercial plane crash while
visiting us in Venezuela. Dorothy was pregnant
with our second child, and her parents came to
visit. On the way back to the U.S. the plane
crashed, killing all on board. It would have been
easy for us to be resentful and angry at God, but
we concluded that, through good times and bad,
either God is in control or He isn’t. Our decision
to trust God and stay in Venezuela created the
life trajectory that formed the basis for my two
books. We have never looked back, and our faith
is stronger today than ever.”
Dennis has a true passion for fly-fishing. In the
book, he mentions that “fly-fishing can be a
snobbish sport if you let it.” And that “fly-fishing
is to fishing as ballet is to dancing.” When asked
to elaborate, he points out, “The snobbish part
of fly-fishing is when a fisherman associates having
the most expensive fly-fishing equipment, attire
and traveling to overseas destinations as the
essence of fly-fishing. There is nothing wrong with
having expensive equipment, but if it becomes the
main criterion, you have missed the point. To a
purist like me, fly-fishing is almost a religious
experience. The movie ‘A River Runs Through It’
says it best. It is the art of tying a fly, a fine cast to
a tailing redfish, the satisfaction that you have
outsmarted your wary prey and the beauty of the
environment that defines fly-fishing. There is a
difference between catching a fish on a fly and flyfishing.
You can troll a fly behind the boat if you
just want to catch a fish on a fly. If you want to
fly-fish, that is an entirely different subject.”
Fishing has had a personal effect on the author
over the past 20 years. He is still tying his own
flies. “I have many friends who started out as
customers. Most were avid fishermen, and over
time many of these customers brought their
children and grandchildren on our fishing trips; it
was like being part of the family. Today, for many
of the younger generation, fishing is not a passion,
it is something to do once in a while. Fishing is
more a form of entertainment and has to
compete with many other activities for a person’s
discretionary time and income. I mention in my
book the five stages of fishing: catching your first
fish, more fish, bigger fish, testing your skill (light
tackle and fly-fishing) and finally teaching others
how to fish. I knew I was in the final stage when
I enjoyed guiding customers to catch fish more
than catching the fish myself. I stopped fly-tying a
few years ago due to arthritis in my hands, but I
still like to stop by the fly-tying booth at fishing
shows to see the new materials and techniques.”
He is confident about the future of Florida
fishing, “I believe the future for Florida fishing is
excellent. There may be fewer fishermen, but
more people will prefer to pay someone to take
them fishing rather than the cost of boat ownership.
Kayak fishing is becoming more popular.
More access to the water without a boat, such
as fishing piers and wading. There will be more
awareness of the environment and increased
conservation efforts to maintain/improve the
fishery. The challenge for those involved in the
recreational fishing industry is to increase the
awareness and participation of the younger
generation in fishing.
“This memoir has been well received by
friends, family and fellow fishing guides, partly
because it relates to the more recent years that
many can identify with. Also, most everyone I
know loves to fish. I have received calls and emails
from people I haven’t heard from in years,
wanting to buy a book or commenting on the
great times we had fishing together.”
You can purchase Dennis Blue’s
second memoir, “Through the Eyes of
a Fisherman,” on amazon.com and in
bookstores.
G
M
/herbertnovels.com
/amazon.com