Deep Waters Press • 77 Court St.• Laconia, NH 03246 • Phone: (603) 524-2585
• FAX: (603) 825-0399 • www.deepwaterspress.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 2008
Dr. Harold C. Lyon’s book, Angling in the Smile of the Great Spirit, was named last week at the annual meeting of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA), the oldest outdoor writers association in America, as the winner of the 2007 “Best Book Award.” This revised collector’s edition was published in 2007 by Deep Waters Press of Laconia, New Hampshire.
For 68 years Dr.Lyon has been fishing the healing waters of Lake Winnipesaukee -- an Abenaki Indian name for "The Smile of the Great Spirit." In this unique book he and the other 14 Master Anglers share 600 cumulative years of learnings and yearnings about the Lake and the often-evasive fish in it. This book, a “must have” for every angler, reveals the secrets and tips from 15 Master Anglers on best lures, depths, speeds, and techniques for angling as well as the philosophy which drives anglers. What better guide for novice or experienced anglers than to have these secrets of fishing in northern glacial lakes, shared for the first time in this revealing book? The book includes 350 pictures of angling, tips for each fish, and even great recipes for cooking fresh water fish!
Dr. Lyon is a former director of education for gifted children, project officer for “Sesame Street”, assistant to the president of a university, faculties of Georgetown University, Antioch, Dartmouth Medical School, Notre Dame College, and Universities of Massachusetts and Munich, where he is now a guest professor for several months a year. He received the Gold Medal in the 1990 International Film & TV Festival; of New York. He’s a West Point graduate and former Ranger Paratrooper Army Officer, has served in high positions in government and in the academic world. This is his sixth book. He is a popular speaker around New England including having been selected for the Humanities Council “Humanities on the Go” speaker program. In accepting the award, Dr. Lyon stated that he is humbled that his peers in the NEOWA, who are among the most noted outdoor writers in America, have chosen his book for this honor.
Angling in the Smile of the Great Spirit and its DVD supplement, “A Love Affair with Angling have taken off across the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and spread to become the definitive book on northern glacial lake fishing. The first 4000 soft cover copies sold out fast during the first year of publication. The revised editions were published in 2007. The limited collectors’ hardback edition (numbered from 1-1000) which won the NEOWA prize, has been selling fast in New England along with a quality revised paperback edition. Also in 2007 a popular and unique DVD, the first disk in a series, was released by Deep Waters Press which introduces rare interviews with the colorful 15 Master Anglers sharing their rich stories, lore, tips, secrets, and history. Three of them have died since the project began, but both the book and DVD capture their histories, humor, and spirit. Talented angling musicians composed an original music score for the DVD. The second disk in the DVD series, which will feature ice fishing and fly tying and fishing, is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2008.
Published Praise for Angling in the Smile of the Great Spirit:
http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/GJNEWS02/45990304
“Part angling memoir, part history - the kind of book you can dip into at a moment's notice, or read straight through as you would a …novel. …You'll enjoy the warm positive tone registered by author Lyon's insights. It'll make you want to fish. It'll shape your view point in ways you didn't expect. Something for everyone…Scientific angling information for those who want that. Hilarious anecdotal material you'd only get by knowing these people firsthand. It's the perfect book to be sitting on your lakefront coffee table….It's there when you want a dose of insights into New England glacial water. It captures in words -- and with great feeling -- what the big lake has to offer." Steve Hickoff - Outdoor Columist and Writer
“To his credit, author Lyon has invested a lot of humanity in his book. The profiles of anglers will touch your heart and remind us all of one of the reasons we fish: to share solitude with people we care about. The book never lets you forget that the Lake Winnipesaukee Legend is built upon the life and times of people who loved to fish. As Lyon says "Life is not about fishing. Fishing is about life." One of the Master Anglers is a 94- year- old angler named Barbara Cotton who operates a tackle store near the lake. She is the oldest Orvis dealer in the country. In his epilogue, Lyon lets it all hang out and faces head on the question that dogs him thoughout the book, "Why do I fish?" He draws a distinction between the angler and the fisherman. And his prose here really does rise to the "level of literature," as they say. He writes: "Some measure of respect, and even of spiritual reverence, is required to become an angler as opposed to being a fisherman. If we treat the spirituality of angling lovingly, and with a certain tenderness, it will not be lost on us. Then, in a wonderful fish story, he recounts his angling epiphany: the moment when he made the transition from fisherman to angler. I won't spoil it for you. You'll share the moment with him when you read "Angling in the Smile of the Great Spirit."
V. Paul Reynolds- Editor, Northwoods Sporting Journal, Maine Guide, and host of weekly radio show, “Maine Outdoors.”
"THE bible for big lake fishing in the North East. …A must have for every serious angler's library!"
Ron Comtois - New England fishing guide
"As an historian in the Lakes Region, I was impressed with the quality of this well written romance - a story not told, but experienced. Angling in the Smile of the Great Spirit is a very dynamic, inspiring, and a most entertaining adventure for the lover of fishing in Lake Winnipesaukee."
Dr. Bruce Heald - Historian and Author
"Angling in the Smile of the Great Spirit by Dr. Harold Lyon is a warm, thought-provoking journey through the mystical world of "big lake" angling. "Hal" has compiled a blend of scientific facts and great tips from master anglers into a "must have" book for anyone who wants to fish Lake Winnipesaukee or any northern glacial lake." The historical accounts of Hal's childhood on Winnipesaukee evoked my own memories of fishing off the "big" rock at my grandfather's camp on Lake Winnisquam in the 1950's."
Don Miller - Big Lake Fisheries Biologist, New Hampshire Fish & Game Department
Angling in the Smile of the Great Spirit gathers entertaining accounts from a broad array of Winnipesaukee master anglers, who provide helpful tips on catching fish in the big lake. In addition it offers historically valuable perspectives on fishing practices and attitudes as they've evolved from past decades on into the 21st century.
Jack Noon - Author and historian
"Sixty-five years of fishing this beautiful lake was the inspiration for Harold (Hal) Lyon to produce Angling in the Smile of the Great Spirit. In addition to the history of Lake Winnipesaukee, the sixth largest natural lake within the United States, 15 Master Anglers are interviewed, sharing their fishing experiences and expertise. The welcomed knowledge contained in this quintessential angling book will fascinate any reader." Bob Harris - Outdoor Writer
"The fishing stories in this book are about much more than fishing; they are about trivial events -- a dog that drinks beer on the fishing boat, how to keep a 50 year-old outboard motor running, proven recipes for cooking lake fish, about where the fish are and aren’t when and how and under what whether conditions. And they are about times remembered, about the human condition as expressed on the waters of New Hampshire’s greatest lake, remembered parents and old friends, and philosophies developed in the course of life itself. Along with forgivable lies, the stories contain great truths. There are moments of sadness, of remembrance, of re-creating old tales told by long-dead grandparents. Worries and concerns about children and grandchildren, and whether they too will be able to experience the good simple life of angling. And concerns about our own aging as the cycle of life continues." Dr. Vincent Giuliano - Artist and videographer
The award winning books and DVD are available online at www.deepwaterspress.com and at local independent New England book stores. Book sellers and libraries can order the award winning collector’s hardback edition (list $39.95), the revised quality paperback edition (list $24.95) and the DVD (list $24.95) by FAXing or by phoning Deep Waters Press: FAX: (603) 524-2339; Phone: (603) 524-2585, or by emailing deepwaterspress@yahoo.com