Surprisingly, A History of Baitcasting in America is the first comprehensive history ever written about this truly original American angling method. It tells the story of a major component of sport fishing, beginning in the days of King James I, when British methods of still-fishing and fly-fishing migrated to the American colonies.The story travels through the frontier days in the Blue Grass Region of Kentucky, where a new kind of fishing reel, handmade by gunsmiths, watchmakers and silversmiths, launched a revolution in sport angling. There, along the shoreline of Kentucky’s 62,000 miles of streams, baitcasting was born.Later, baitcasting became a beneficiary of the Industrial Revolution, our country’s westward expansion, and the support of some of America’s most esteemed and influential citizens who championed the new sport. During the Civil War days in Kentucky, some of the most revered anglers in the country met and fished there and the impetus for transforming American freshwater angling had begun in earnest.Following the Civil War, when the Smith Age of hand-made tackle production ended and mass production methods began; new business models (used by Apple over a century later) facilitated baitcasting’s growth and guided it to national prominence. Throughout the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, the sport grew exponentially as new, affordable tackle became available for the everyday person on the street.By the onset of World War II, baitcasting was the most popular angling sport in America. Prior to and following the war, development of newly engineered materials and advanced manufacturing processes further improved the baitcasting system and the watercraft that carried the anglers deploying it.In the twenty-first century, millions of Americans practice the now-global sport.Some major themes addressed in the book:•Colonial and Post Revolutionary Angling •The Legendary Kentucky Reel•Transition from Still-Fishing to Baitcasting•Forging American Angling Ethics•Anglers Making the Most of Possibilities•Mass Production and Advances in Tackle •Fishing Lures that Added Functionality•New Techniques to Improve the Sport•Watercraft from 1881-2017•Coming to Grips with the Baitcasting Reel How did fishing and the subsequent fishing industry in the U.S. become so pervasive and be regarded as a sport for citizens of all ages? Emmett Babler's impressive A History of Baitcasting in America tells readers the story with an easy style and humor.This is a well-written, concise, easy to read and fun look at fishing. Even if you are an expert, you will learn from and appreciate A History of Baitcasting in America. It gives the reader just enough information to form an overall understanding of this influential sport. It is a must read for your teenager who loves to fish and your grandparent who grew up with the sport.Thank you, Emmett, for this valuable book.Betty BarrCollector of Kentucky ReelsImmediate Past President, Old Reel Collectors Association Review by Roberta L. Gibson, It's a Mystery Blog For full disclosure, Emmett is an acquaintance, and because I've heard about this book from almost the time of its inception, I've been curious to see how it turned out. I should also disclose that I'm not a fishing expert. Baitcasting is one of the five types of angling. The others are still fishing, fly fishing, spinning, and spincasting. The key aspect of baitcasting is a specific kind of reel that must be controlled when the line is released. If not properly controlled, the line can loop and tangle, which experts call "backlash." Its main advantage is that is it useful for heavier lures and heavier fish, although it can also be better under certain fishing conditions than other methods. This is a complete and well-researched book. The back matter includes "Works Cited," "A Tribute to Stanley Fagerstrom," and an Index. Overall, A History of Baitcasting in America is engaging and informative. Anglers will find it particularly useful, but anyone interested in history may enjoy it, too. What do you want to know about Baitcasting?This is a "well-written and definitive angling source...If you doubt that now, you won't after you get very far into this book."Stan FagerstromMember of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame andthe National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame