The Fishing Club Benefits 13 Charities

"The most humble fisherman has this in common with fishermen of all degrees. Even the thousandth trip of the same old familiar fished-out stream begins with renewed hope, with unfailing faith."

"Fishermen are categorically the most positive and optimistic people in the world," says Bob Rich. It's no wonder then that Rich, author of Fish Fights: A Hall of Fame Quest (now in paperback from Lyons Press), who pursues his passion near his home in Islamorada in the Florida Keys, has a lot of friends who fish.

From President George H. W. Bush's fish savvy to baseball Hall-of-Famer Ted Williams' best fishing day ever, Rich has gathered compelling and enthusiastic fishing stories from several notable anglers — a group as diverse as they are insightful to the ways of the world.

In The Fishing Club: Brothers and Sisters of the Angle, Rich's quest is to discover what besides a sunny attitude draws his extra-ordinary group of friends to the water and to the endless pursuit of fish. Is it patience, perseverance, hope? A combination of all three or something else altogether? What life lessons has the pursuit of their passion for angling – season after season — taught them?

Rich’s excursions explore the humble beginnings of Don Tyson, former president of Tyson Foods, who now fishes for 1,000-pound black marlins in the tradition of Zane Grey and Ernest Hemingway. He learns how outdoor legend Bill Dance first realized the importance of proper fly presentation.

You’ll meet English adventurer John Bailey, with 30 books on fishing to his name; Andy Mill, champion ski racer, and star of the Outdoor Life Network's award-winning Sportsman's Journal, and Sandy Moret, saltwater fly fishing guru and founder of the Florida Keys Fly Fishing School.

The Fishing Club is a charming, intriguing and candid look at the world of fishing through the eyes of some of the most patient, persistent, hopeful and passionate anglers Rich has ever met. It’s a must-read for fishing fanatics, or anyone inspired by what makes anglers do what they do.

A man who doesn’t have to depend on writing for a living, the proceeds from Rich’s book is being donated to the 13 favorite charities of the 14 avid anglers about whom he wrote, among them The Jimmy Fund, The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, St. Jude’s Hospital, CF Foundation, the IGFA and SIFE.

In addition to being an avid angler and his extensive work with charities, Bob "Bubba" Rich is one of the nation’s most dynamic chief executives as chairman of Rich Products Corporation, the largest family owned frozen food manufacturer in the United States. He’s in the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1999 Rich became only the second angler ever to be inducted into the "South Florida Fishing Hall of Fame."

His first book Fish Fights is being made into a movie. He’s also written Secrets from the Delphi Café and is a regular guest on ESPN.

For more on Bob Rich, please visit these Websites: www.bobrichbooks.com and www.richs.com . More information is available from Pete Johnson of Johnson Communications, Inc. at (480) 951-3654, JohnsonCom@aol.com.