John Geiser’s latest book is a rather encyclopedic collection of information about the fish that we encounter in the Shore area. It covers not only the usually targeted game fish but also baitfish and exotics that we may see or catch.

For each chapter there is background on the fish covered including life cycles and spawning habits. There is an amazing amount of detail onthat is available on certain fish. For the striped bass there is even a short history of management of the fishery. One very helpful feature is the identification tags that he gives that can help sort out certain species that are similar. This summer we were catching Hickory Shad and live lining them and there was some discussion as to whether they were shad or sea herring. The book was just the reference to help make an accurate identification.

I thought the articles on some of the baitfish were very interesting too. If you ever wondered where the mullet came from, how do they sneak back to spawn in the bays and rivers, read that chapter and find out. Also there is lots of detail on the killies that the fluke fishermen would find useful.

As with every fishing book there is information on how to catch them with details on rigs and lures that work. I focused on the striped bass chapter and John gives quite a bit of information on a number of techniques for striper fishing. He even gives a detailed description on how to rig an eel and tie it in place that is better than any I have seen in other books.

For just about every fish there is a recipe for preparing and cooking. Yes, there is even information on preparing some of our popular baitfish such as sand eels and spearing.

A book like this cannot contain all there is to know about each fish that is covered because whole books have been written on individual game fish. But there is a surprising amount of information packed into each chapter. I did not sit down to read the whole book from cover to cover; it is not that kind of book. Rather this is a handy reference guide to the fish which we encounter in the New York Bight.

Geiser’s Guide is being sold by John Geiser himself (see the ad in the Asbury Park Press) and also is available at Captain Bill’s. Jerry van de Sande