I began my fishing career--though I didn't know it then--surf fishing on the beaches of Long Island. Then, for about six years, I gave up fishing. After my mother passed away, I picked up my surf rod and headed to the Hudson River. Fishing a beautiful river, feeling comforted by the beauty of nature, helped me come to terms with my mother's passing, with my failure to become a published novelist, and with a world I couldn't always understand.
Though I caught few fish, I was hooked! So I started fishing for bass with a spinning rod in Central Park. Wanting to cast farther, I experimented hour after hour with different casting techniques. As fall approached, I was concerned that, during the the long New York winter, I would forget what I had learned; so I wrote the casting techniques down. Then I got the idea to turn
to my notes into an article that would help other anglers.
Afraid of more rejection, I reluctantly sent the article out. Surprisingly it was accepted! Thrilled at finally seeing my words in print, I wrote and published more and more articles, some on long-distance fly casting. Eventually, I wrote memoirs about the spiritual side of fishing.
Today, I often fish the streams in Westchester, the lakes in Central Park, the Hudson River and, of course, the famed Beaverkill. Besides fishing, I also enjoy reading about history and science, listening to music, collecting vinyl records and watching college football.
Presently, I'm working on an historical fly-fishing and fly-casting novel titled, for now, THE FLY CASTER WHO TRIED TO MAKE PEACE WITH THE WORLD.
