Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia
& Worldwide Angling Guide
“A treasure” – The Wall Street Journal
“Exhaustive” – USA TODAY
“Indispensable” – Outdoor Life
“Amazing” – ESPN
“A splendid reference” – The New York Times
“The ultimate resource” – Saltwater Sportsman
“Best book of the century” – New York Daily News
“The last word in fishing information" – Field & Stream
“The Compleat Angler for the 21st century." – Book-of-the-Month Club
“Best of the Best” Award – Field & Stream
“Top Reference Book of the Year” – The American Library Association
Featured by The Book-of-the-Month Club, NBC’s TODAY Show, ESPN Outdoors,
Outdoor Life Network, the Weather Channel, and others
Dozens of reviewers and commentators have described Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide as the world’s most comprehensive fishing reference source. Indeed, no other book brings together all of the information that you could possibly want about sportfishing.
Inside Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide: 1,916 book pages, 1.5 million words of text, over 2,000 alphabetically arranged and cross-referenced entries, 422 color illustrations of fish species, 718 detailed instructional drawings, and 470 color photos. All together it’s like having 30 standard-length books in one. (Please see the special note at the end of this page.)
This mammoth, 9 1/4-pound book is all about facts on prominent species, equipment, techniques, locations, and ancillary matters that encompass the angling universe. Every state in the U.S., every province in Canada, and 110 countries are profiled in detail. Nowhere else can you find these matters in total, so well organized, or so thoroughly detailed.
Inside Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide: 1,916 book pages, 1.5 million words of text, over 2,000 alphabetically arranged and cross-referenced entries, 422 color illustrations of fish species, 718 detailed instructional drawings, and 470 color photos. All together it’s like having 30 standard-length books in one. (Please see the special note at the end of this page.)
This mammoth, 9 1/4-pound book is all about facts on prominent species, equipment, techniques, locations, and ancillary matters that encompass the angling universe. Every state in the U.S., every province in Canada, and 110 countries are profiled in detail. Nowhere else can you find these matters in total, so well organized, or so thoroughly detailed.
Media Release
KEN SCHULTZ'S FISHING ENCYCLOPEDIA & WORLDWIDE ANGLING GUIDE
A WORK OF AUTHORITY AND A WORK OF ART
Stranded on an ice floe, confronted by crocodiles, enduring equatorial heat waves one trip, frostbite the next – all this just to go fishing? Yes, if you’re Ken Schultz.
Renowned sportswriter and commentator Schultz has fished for largemouth bass, America’s most popular fish, in the U.S. from California and Washington to Florida and Maine and most states in between; in Canada from Western Ontario to Nova Scotia; and in Mexico and the forbidden lakes of Cuba. He has suffered partial frostbite from fishing in the ice-cold water of Hadley Bay in the Arctic, been stranded on an ice floe in northern Quebec’s Gouin Reservoir; fallen out of a boat in three states (Missouri, Wisconsin, and New York); been rushed by crocodiles in Zimbabwe, caiman in Brazil, and hippos in Botswana. He’s fished on the Hudson, St. Lawrence, Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado, and Columbia Rivers in the U.S.; the Zambezi in Africa; the Amazon and Rio Negro in Brazil; and the Orinoco in Venezuela.
Ken Schultz has been a writer and editor for Field & Stream for 31 years and was a regular contributor to The New York Times sports pages. He’s also given hope to countless fans of Outdoor Life Network on how to retrieve fishing lines out of a tree and get their waders unstuck from the mud.
With the same dedication and love of the sport, and four years of hard work, Schultz has now written the definitive book for anglers, beginning or veteran: Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide.
In the U.S. alone, anglers outnumber golfers more than 2 to 1. The sportfishing population has grown to include over 50 million men and women. And, if sportfishing were a “corporation,” it would rank 13th in the Fortune 500 in terms of revenue – placing it just above Texaco and DuPont.
Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide becomes the definitive reference for those enthusiasts, their cohorts around the world, and all the newcomers who will join them.
“Because there is so much to the sport of angling, plus an increasing profusion of specialized equipment and confusing terminology,” says Schultz, “I wanted to bring order and perspective to all of this in one book. As a result, this encyclopedia is the equivalent of 30 standard-length books, with ample space devoted to species, techniques, equipment, locations, and all the ephemera that encompasses the angling universe.”
Not only is Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide full of wise advice for learners and old hands, it is full of beauty. More than 400 species of fish are depicted in delicate four-color watercolors. Over 700 detailed hand-penned line drawings catch the mood and glory of the outdoors and the emotional highs of the sport. Four hundred and seventy color photographs, the majority taken by Schultz himself, show the true expanse of the world of angling, literally worldwide, in every body of water imaginable. More than a third of the 1,916 pages are devoted to worldwide angling.
Regarding methods and equipment alone, Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide contains the most current information on basic elements of big-game tackle to conventional rigs; bait and baitcasting; flycasting; spinning; and spincasting techniques. Schultz also includes loads of the “what to do when it goes wrong” tips for which he has become famous, and which his fans credit with saving their lures, lines, and peace of mind.
That’s just one aspect of the more than 2,000 entries. Five hundred of the entries cover some 800 species of fish. Schultz reached out to colleagues worldwide for expertise in technical fisheries matters, regional angling, specialized sportfishing topics, and the latest in conservation and environmental concerns. For example, there is an extensive, thoughtful review of the principles, methods, and pros & cons of catch-and-release, which Schultz feels was the most important conservation development in the sport in the 20th century, and one that anglers have especially embraced in the last 25 years.
The beginning angler will find answers to the questions he or she might feel embarrassed to ask “one of the pros.” The accomplished angler will find a wealth of information – certainly more than he or she already knew – on a sport that has changed dramatically in scope, equipment, and technique within the last quarter century. All of it is written and organized with attention to detail, clarity, and ease of understanding.
“Angling is not nuclear physics,” says Schultz, “and if it was half as complicated as some people try to make it, no one would enjoy it or have success.” It is also a sport everyone, young and old, can enjoy. Schultz considers angling the most democratic recreation; and he likes to quote President Hoover, that the fish don’t care who hooks them. Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide is written and illustrated with that in mind, and to showcase the sport Schultz loves for the widest possible audience.
Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide is available in bookstores and from online booksellers.
Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide
Hardcover originally published by John Wiley & Sons, acquired by Turner Publishing.
John Wiley ISBN: 9780028620572
Turner Publishing ISBN: 9780028620572
$60 hardcover; 9.0 x 11.25; 1,916 pages; 3 inches thick & 9 1/4 pounds (!)
SPECIAL NOTE FROM KEN SCHULTZ: In 2021, Turner Publishing decided not to re-print this book as a one-volume encyclopedia, or to make the one-volume encyclopedia available as an eBook. Instead, they broke it down into seven separate volumes, at a high cost per volume ($36 minimum per volume), with the result being that readers must purchase all seven volumes, and spend over $250 minimum, to get the same - unrevised and not updated - information contained in the original encyclopedia.
I've received many inquiries about this. The author had no control over, and no input into, Turner's decision. Although I would prefer to revise and re-publish this fishing encyclopedia, the publisher is unwilling to do so, and I cannot change that or produce a similar, current work. Therefore, I recommend that you look for the original single-volume encyclopedia on the used-book market. While that will not result in any royalties to me or payments to the publisher, it would be the best value for you.
There is no similar all-encompassing work that has been published since I originally wrote this, despite the fact that the world of fishing and boating has changed substantially in the past three-plus decades. This encyclopedia still contains much useful information, however, and perhaps you can find a used one in good condition. If your main interest is information about fish species, I suggest you look at my field guides, which are also published by Turner and remain very popular.
KEN SCHULTZ'S FISHING ENCYCLOPEDIA & WORLDWIDE ANGLING GUIDE
A WORK OF AUTHORITY AND A WORK OF ART
Stranded on an ice floe, confronted by crocodiles, enduring equatorial heat waves one trip, frostbite the next – all this just to go fishing? Yes, if you’re Ken Schultz.
Renowned sportswriter and commentator Schultz has fished for largemouth bass, America’s most popular fish, in the U.S. from California and Washington to Florida and Maine and most states in between; in Canada from Western Ontario to Nova Scotia; and in Mexico and the forbidden lakes of Cuba. He has suffered partial frostbite from fishing in the ice-cold water of Hadley Bay in the Arctic, been stranded on an ice floe in northern Quebec’s Gouin Reservoir; fallen out of a boat in three states (Missouri, Wisconsin, and New York); been rushed by crocodiles in Zimbabwe, caiman in Brazil, and hippos in Botswana. He’s fished on the Hudson, St. Lawrence, Mississippi, Missouri, Colorado, and Columbia Rivers in the U.S.; the Zambezi in Africa; the Amazon and Rio Negro in Brazil; and the Orinoco in Venezuela.
Ken Schultz has been a writer and editor for Field & Stream for 31 years and was a regular contributor to The New York Times sports pages. He’s also given hope to countless fans of Outdoor Life Network on how to retrieve fishing lines out of a tree and get their waders unstuck from the mud.
With the same dedication and love of the sport, and four years of hard work, Schultz has now written the definitive book for anglers, beginning or veteran: Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide.
In the U.S. alone, anglers outnumber golfers more than 2 to 1. The sportfishing population has grown to include over 50 million men and women. And, if sportfishing were a “corporation,” it would rank 13th in the Fortune 500 in terms of revenue – placing it just above Texaco and DuPont.
Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide becomes the definitive reference for those enthusiasts, their cohorts around the world, and all the newcomers who will join them.
“Because there is so much to the sport of angling, plus an increasing profusion of specialized equipment and confusing terminology,” says Schultz, “I wanted to bring order and perspective to all of this in one book. As a result, this encyclopedia is the equivalent of 30 standard-length books, with ample space devoted to species, techniques, equipment, locations, and all the ephemera that encompasses the angling universe.”
Not only is Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide full of wise advice for learners and old hands, it is full of beauty. More than 400 species of fish are depicted in delicate four-color watercolors. Over 700 detailed hand-penned line drawings catch the mood and glory of the outdoors and the emotional highs of the sport. Four hundred and seventy color photographs, the majority taken by Schultz himself, show the true expanse of the world of angling, literally worldwide, in every body of water imaginable. More than a third of the 1,916 pages are devoted to worldwide angling.
Regarding methods and equipment alone, Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide contains the most current information on basic elements of big-game tackle to conventional rigs; bait and baitcasting; flycasting; spinning; and spincasting techniques. Schultz also includes loads of the “what to do when it goes wrong” tips for which he has become famous, and which his fans credit with saving their lures, lines, and peace of mind.
That’s just one aspect of the more than 2,000 entries. Five hundred of the entries cover some 800 species of fish. Schultz reached out to colleagues worldwide for expertise in technical fisheries matters, regional angling, specialized sportfishing topics, and the latest in conservation and environmental concerns. For example, there is an extensive, thoughtful review of the principles, methods, and pros & cons of catch-and-release, which Schultz feels was the most important conservation development in the sport in the 20th century, and one that anglers have especially embraced in the last 25 years.
The beginning angler will find answers to the questions he or she might feel embarrassed to ask “one of the pros.” The accomplished angler will find a wealth of information – certainly more than he or she already knew – on a sport that has changed dramatically in scope, equipment, and technique within the last quarter century. All of it is written and organized with attention to detail, clarity, and ease of understanding.
“Angling is not nuclear physics,” says Schultz, “and if it was half as complicated as some people try to make it, no one would enjoy it or have success.” It is also a sport everyone, young and old, can enjoy. Schultz considers angling the most democratic recreation; and he likes to quote President Hoover, that the fish don’t care who hooks them. Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide is written and illustrated with that in mind, and to showcase the sport Schultz loves for the widest possible audience.
Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide is available in bookstores and from online booksellers.
Ken Schultz’s Fishing Encyclopedia & Worldwide Angling Guide
Hardcover originally published by John Wiley & Sons, acquired by Turner Publishing.
John Wiley ISBN: 9780028620572
Turner Publishing ISBN: 9780028620572
$60 hardcover; 9.0 x 11.25; 1,916 pages; 3 inches thick & 9 1/4 pounds (!)
SPECIAL NOTE FROM KEN SCHULTZ: In 2021, Turner Publishing decided not to re-print this book as a one-volume encyclopedia, or to make the one-volume encyclopedia available as an eBook. Instead, they broke it down into seven separate volumes, at a high cost per volume ($36 minimum per volume), with the result being that readers must purchase all seven volumes, and spend over $250 minimum, to get the same - unrevised and not updated - information contained in the original encyclopedia.
I've received many inquiries about this. The author had no control over, and no input into, Turner's decision. Although I would prefer to revise and re-publish this fishing encyclopedia, the publisher is unwilling to do so, and I cannot change that or produce a similar, current work. Therefore, I recommend that you look for the original single-volume encyclopedia on the used-book market. While that will not result in any royalties to me or payments to the publisher, it would be the best value for you.
There is no similar all-encompassing work that has been published since I originally wrote this, despite the fact that the world of fishing and boating has changed substantially in the past three-plus decades. This encyclopedia still contains much useful information, however, and perhaps you can find a used one in good condition. If your main interest is information about fish species, I suggest you look at my field guides, which are also published by Turner and remain very popular.