 
nce they passed into the cooler water east of Monomoy, the rythmn of their pace seemed to accelerate. There were a few thousand of them, their flanks glistening slightly among the ones nearer the surface. Still, from most anglers they were ghostlike because their lateral lines caused them to blend with the ever changing strat lines of the water and its bars.
They moved oblivious to the currents of the Monomoy Cut, unconscious to the rise in tide from the north, determined by a course set by a millennium of previous generations.
So begins Frank Daignault's classic book.
A family biography on rod and
reel commercial fishing from the beach for striped bass set on Cape Cod,
Massachusetts during the 60's and 70's. The late Frank Woolner, reviewing
for SaltWater Sportsman in 1990 said that: "Daignault's is
a love story of wonderful fireside reading for all who adore Cape Cod and
its storied mix of striped bass and bluefish. While the author has worked
in many anecdotes, he does not neglect the occasionally different and productive
techniques from years on the beaches. Daignault is a skilled writer who
can combine how-to and romance to ensure pleasant reading. It is the story
of an era that we will probably never see again."
Daignault has woven the rise and
fall of striper populations with the growing up of his four children who
ply the "Striper Surf" during their formative years. The book drips with
the kind of adventure that it would take a lifetime to experience.
Reviewing for the New Jersey Beacon, Rick Heinze said,
"If you think the most
hazardous surf fishing episode is a night on the 8th Street jetty, read
the chapter entitled "Aces and Eights", and you'll be spitting out sand
in your living room."
Twenty Years ... was first published by M/T Publications
in 1989 and soon went out of print. It has been a much sought after striper
book since the post moratorium period of increased interest in striper
fishing which inspired 2nd and 3rd printings. Judith Bowman, New York rare
outdoor books collector, sold a mint copy February '98 at a trade show
for $35 and said that she could have sold a hundred. If you find a first edition, save it!
To place an order for an autographed copy of Twenty Years on the Cape, or another Daignault book, please go to the Direct Book Order page.
|
