The fascinating story of how angling and World War II came to overlap and the effect each had on the other is told by a noted big-game fisherman, Mike Rivkin.


Rivkin, the current President of Catalina Island's venerable Tuna Club and an International Game Fishing Association Representative, came across the impact the angling community had on the Allied war effort in researching a history of the IGFA. He tells it in "Angling and War: The Collision of Big-Game Fishing and WWII," a limited-edition book available from http://www.silverfishpress.com/ .


"Rivkin's meticulous research and attention to detail has produced a very readable and fascinating book," according to USAF Major General (ret.) William "Bill" Gorton. "This is a great read and one that I heartily recommend to all who wish to learn about a most interesting time in big-game fishing history."


Among other areas, Angling and War examines the explosive growth of big-game fishing during the 1930s, how boat builders and tackle manufacturers turned to vital war production, and the wartime development of materials such as fiberglass and nylon that would change angling forever.


Other chapters explore the development of the emergency fishing kits that saved hundreds of sailors adrift at sea, how the American home front rallied to provide soldiers with recreational fishing gear, and a series of angling-related war stories that are breathtaking in their audacity.


The book's author is Rivkin, 51, a retired catalogue publisher well known for his animated copywriting skills. Recently released, his IGFA history book was widely hailed as among the best outdoor books of 2005.