Lifelong fisherman and author Bill Sisson takes us on a journey to fish the finest striped bass waters along the Atlantic coast. This is the story of America’s beloved saltwater sport fish and the millions of anglers who pursue them. Drawing on three decades of notebooks full of observations and interviews, as well as hundreds of hours spent pursuing the “striper,” “linesider,” or “rockfish”—as they are known regionally—through each season, from spring through late fall. The essays and photographs illuminate the fish through these seasons and highlight their pursuit from the surf and boats, day and night. Accompanying essays, or fish tales, are told in Sisson’s unmistakably authentic voice and share stories of history, the seasons, and friendships. These tales transport us from the Gulf of Maine to Albemarle Sound in North Carolina, and from the Chesapeake Bay to Montauk, the Jersey Shore, Martha’s Vineyard, and Cape Cod. “Fishing made magical. William Sisson’s Seasons of the Striper is a hefty coffee-table book, an addition to that genre where the illustrations had better be good—and in this book, are they ever—and where the text is often disposable. Here, however, the prose might be even better than the lavish, stunning photographs… The images almost feel wet to the touch. The pages almost smell like salt.” – The Wall Street Journal “Somewhere between the patrician glamour of fly fishing for Atlantic salmon and the tropical glamour of pursuing tarpon lie the blue-collar rewards of fishing for striped bass. William Sisson knows stripers. After reading his vividly illustrated memoir, Seasons of the Striper , I’d guess he casts for striped bass in his sleep. And catches them too. Sometimes. A prose poet of saltwater in the vein of John Hersey ( Blues ) and John Hay ( The Run ), Sisson knows that the poetry of angling and of fish and coastal waters is rooted in facts, not metaphors. Sisson’s vivid memories are accompanied by one magnificent photograph after another of stripers and the world of striper fishing, many of them by Tom Lynch.” —Gray's Sporting Journal “From the first page, it’s clear that Bill Sisson has been afflicted with the striper bug since his youth. Thankfully, Sisson’s skills as an angler are matched by his writing chops, allowing us all to enjoy a rollicking, remarkable journey that stretches from his first striper to the striper of a lifetime—and many late nights in between.” —David DiBenedetto, editor in chief of Garden & Gun and author of On the Run: An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast “Bill Sisson clearly has the wealth of experience on the water—along with plenty of sand in his waders—to be able to so eloquently impart the heart and soul of a fish that so many of us consider the holy grail of saltwater angling. Every striped bass aficionado will immediately identify with Bill’s beautifully worded and thought-provoking perspectives on this wonderful gamester. And the photos are just astounding!” —Barry Gibson, charter captain and former editor of Salt Water Sportsman “What a thrilling book! With lively writing and captivating photography, Sisson has created something that is an absolute must for every striper angler.” —Monte Burke, author of Lords of the Fly: Madness, Obsession, and the Hunt for the World-Record Tarpon “The book is magnificent, filled with gorgeous writing and photographs to match. Just a total pleasure to flip through, to read, to consider, to display proudly on the coffee table for folks to gawp at, and to learn about this species we chase and love.” —Sam Sifton, The New York Times “Now striped bass enthusiasts have a new book that takes on this fish and the devoted anglers that take them on. Seasons of the Striper: Pursuing the Great American Gamefish from William Sisson is a beautiful 220-plus page book that is filled with stories and great photos about striped bass and striped bass angling. Like steelheaders, striper anglers are often willing to put in a lot of hours and a lot of work for few fish. Some chase birds, some chase the migration, and others put in countless hours of casting big rigs in the surf. And as we’ve seen in recent years, there are even anglers who pole shallow flats in bays on the Atlantic Coast for these fish. All of these practices are well documented in this book, and every aspect of striped bass fishing gets a good look. From the history of fishing for striped bass to the characteristics and distribution of the fish itself to fly angling and night fishing, William Sisson takes on everything striper in the book. And for those who want plenty of photos, the author includes a generous amount of photos from a number of outstanding photographers. Good coffee table books that pay homage to a species come around only every so often. When they do, they are a must-have for enthusiasts. Seasons of the Striper is such a book, and Sisson’s work will be considered by many the definitive book on fishing for striped