Fishing Dogs: A Guide to the History, Talents, and Training of the Baildale, the Flounderhounder, the Angler Dog, and Sundry Other Breeds of Aquatic Dogs (Canis piscatorius)

If you’re familiar with the world of hunting, you know how important dogs are in the field. Less known, however, is how vital these canines are to fishermen. For many anglers, packing your tackle and wading through the river without a trusted fishing dog is a recipe for disaster.

In Fishing Dogs, Raymond Coppinger sheds light on the true value of fishing dogs of every size, shape, and color. Monsoon dogs, for example, lay in the bilge of boats until they are disturbed by the shipping of water. At that point, they rise up out of the bilge and unleash with tremendous power a series of epicentric rotational reciprocations, thus expelling inches of boat-threatening water. Coppinger also introduces readers to the Maine bowplunk dog, which received its name from its deeply ingrained habit of standing, proud and brave, on the bow of his master’s boat as it moves through the choppy waters off Maine’s coast.

As a biologist, distinguished fisherman, and a known storyteller and fan of satire, Coppinger is more than qualified to discuss the various breeds of fishing dogs, in addition to topics as the evolution of dogs from wolves, the dangers of crossbreeding, and finding a fisherman’s perfect fishing dog.

Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for fishermen. Our books for anglers include titles that focus on fly fishing, bait fishing, fly-casting, spin casting, deep sea fishing, and surf fishing. Our books offer both practical advice on tackle, techniques, knots, and more, as well as lyrical prose on fishing for bass, trout, salmon, crappie, baitfish, catfish, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Raymond Coppinger is an author, biologist, and dedicated fisherman. He is a professor emeritus of biology at Hampshire College, where he began teaching in 1969, shortly after receiving his PhD in biology from Massachusetts University. With his wife, Lorna, he founded the Livestock Guarding Dog Project. He is also the author of DOGS: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution. He resides in Montague, Massachusetts.