Beth Fish Reads: Guest Review

Today we have a first at Beth Fish Reads: Mr. BFR comes out of hiding to give us an interview review.

If you fish, you may have thought about keeping a record of your fishing trips. If you're like most people, you started with a blank-page journal, made a few entries, and gave up. But what if the journal's pages prompted you for information, making record keeping a breeze? Louis Gary Lamit's Fishing Journal and My Fishing Journal (for children) do just that.

Each journal entry consists of two pages. On the left is a chart with spaces for everything from location, fishing buddies, weather, and water conditions to bait/lure/flies, equipment, species, and size of fish. The right page offers a blank area for a photo, sketch, or map and a lined area for entering thoughts.

The journals also contain pictures and facts about sport fish, photos of equipment, and sample pages to guide the user. The children's journal is exactly like the adult version but is half the size, is in full color, and has two additional pages of different kinds of fish.

Because I don't fish (well maybe from a boat if someone else will take the fish off the hook), I asked Mr. BFR, a lifelong fisherman, to give me his opinion.

Me: What do you think about the setup of the journal pages?

Mr. BFR: I think the setup is good. The chart seems to cover all the important data, and each person can fill in what matters to him or her. I really like the blank area; I'd use it to draw a map or to add a photo.

I particularly like the fact that the journal can be used for all kinds of fishing. I've seen flyfishing journals before, but I also like to surf fish and bass fish on occasion. The chart covers everything, so I can use one journal for all my fishing.

Me: What about the children's journal? What do you like about it?

Mr. BFR: I think most kids would like the pictures of the different fishing equipment and the information about the sport fish. I think it's great that the journal is just like the adult journal but in color. The journal is not simple or too cute, which is good thing—when a kid has a love for fishing, he or she wants to keep a serious record. Most kids would soon tire of something that seemed like a toy or a game.

Me: Is there anything you don't like about the journals?

Mr. BFR: I might like a spiral binding better because the books could be opened flat. The charts might ask for too much detailed information for children. . . . Well, actually, I was the kind of boy who would have filled out every bit of information in the chart, so I take that back.

Me: Would you use this journal now? Would you have liked this when you were a kid?

Mr. BFR: Yes and yes. In fact, I'm going to keep one of these in the car, and I'm going to put the other one with my surf fishing gear. They're mine, right?

Me: Anything else you want to say?

Mr. BFR: I think the journals would make a great joint gift for a parent (or other adult) and child. Most kids would immediately notice that their journal was just like Dad's (or Mom's), and I think that would make them feel pretty grown up and give them motivation to keep a record of their fishing adventures.

Thanks go to Mr. BRF, who in turn would like to thank WalkingFish Books for sending him the journals for review.

Lamit has a website where you can see sample journal pages, learn about his children's books, and find links to fishing resources. There is also information about buying the journals.

Published by WalkingFish Books, 2008
ISBN-13: 9781439217702
Rating: A

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