As a child in England, Jeremy Wade was obsessed with fishing. However, as he grew up, the rivers seemed more crowded with fishermen and the catches less mythical, and Wade’s dream faded. A chance discovery in his 20s of a magazine article about a fish in India, the mahseer, a giant golden-scaled carp that lives in thunderous rocky rivers, rekindled his passion. He dusted down his fishing rods and set off with £200 in his pocket to follow his dreams. Decades later, the rest, as they say, is history.
Wade was the presenter of the worldwide hit television series, “River Monsters.” His book of the same name (Orion, 2012) delivers a sometimes jaw-dropping blend of adventure, natural history, legend and detective work. It reads like a hunt for the Loch Ness Monster, but it’s all true! His book “How to Think Like a Fish” (W&N, 2019) teaches the reader how to improve their own fishing skills. Sparse on the details of technique, it is about the simple, fundamental principles – a mindset for success. It’s part science, part art and part elusive something else.
Copies of Wade’s books, “River Monsters” and “How to Think Like a Fish,” will be on sale at Grandfather Mountain’s Wilson Center gift shop prior to the event and on June 27 during Grandfather Presents, as supplies last. A summer reading list for the speaker series is coming soon!