Three stories are woven together in Cast, Catch, Release. Marina Gibson ties her personal life, her professional ambition, and the lifetime of the salmon into an approachable and enjoyable read.
Fly fishers and non-anglers alike will be able to pick up and go through Cast, Catch, Release. Along with the biographical nature of the book, Gibson pulls back the curtain on what it takes to get into the business of fly fishing. It is something that real people do, and they have to work to make it happen. It involves sacrifice. But as the subtitle says, it can lead to finding serenity and purpose.
While not explicitly stated, balance is a theme of the book and her life. This might sound bizarre, seeing as she is a professional fly fisher. But as anyone who works in this space will attest, there is a big difference between fishing and making money from fishing. She shows that fishing and fishing work need to be balanced. She rightly attributes her success to her work ethic and to family and friends. She displays how helping others learn fly fishing is best accomplished when she’s helped herself be as ready as she can be to do so.
Continue reading for more on Cast, Catch, Release, including how you can win a free copy.
The book does a good job of exploring the grind required to be a professional angler. While bass tournaments pay decent sums and billfish teams sport high end sponsorships, most fly fishers don’t have that kind of support. There is certainly a dark side to the world of social media influencers in the outdoors space, but today it is a path that must be travelled. Along with that, Gibson shares her interminable cycle of casting practice, business planning, and fishing itself. Never once does she lament these choices. Neither does she sugarcoat what was a true challenge. Her satisfaction is evident, but it was a challenge nonetheless.
Her elocution of the path of her life, high and low, is quite refreshing. There is a palpable maturity in the way she assesses what are certainly emotionally charged moments and memories. One gets the sense that she perceives that the genuine heartbreak and distress she experienced were all pressing her forward to the next opportunity; that redemption from mistakes was to be appreciated and learning from them should not be taken for granted.
Another facet of the balance that I appreciate from Cast, Catch, Release and Gibson is her holistic approach to fly fishing. She is all about catching fish. But a corollary passion is a desire that others catch fish. Through a nonprofit, she assists those who are fighting cancer. In her native England, she advocates for salmon and the state of the country’s rivers. In short, she’s doing “professional fly fisher” the right way.
All that said, I’d recommend reading Cast, Catch, Release if you want a fly fishing book that is change of pace from the technique volumes or typical narratives that define the genre. Once more, it isn’t so technical that a non-angling friend or spouse wouldn’t enjoy it. For anyone, it is a pleasant and quick read that illustrates how one woman’s passion puts her directly downstream from her purpose.
Cast, Catch, Release, by Marina Gibson, is available now through the publisher or any major bookseller.
Want to win a free copy of Cast, Catch, Release? I have five copies to give away. All you need to do is subscribe to Casting Across. Along with being entered into the drawing, you’ll get one email a week with a quick rundown of the week’s content. That’s it! Winners will be notified in mid-June. Here’s the link to sign up for the subscription and the giveaway: