Beneath The Surface: A Natural History of a Fisherman's Lake

by Bruce M. Carlson

Each summer millions experience the beauty of America's lakes-the whirl of sights and sounds as boats cut through the water and birds call to each other from surrounding trees. Now biologist and ichthyologist Bruce M. Carlson takes nature lovers to the side of the lake that few will experience firsthand-a dynamic world where fish feed and spawn, loons dive deep to snap up perch, and light disappears one wavelength at a time before reaching the ink-blue bottom. With clear-eyed and engaging prose, Beneath the Surface explores the inner workings of Ten Mile Lake in Cass County, Minnesota. And from this intimate study, complemented by elegantly detailed illustrations in pencil, ink, and watercolor, we learn how the physical characteristics of a lake affect the plants and animals within it and how the various forms of life inhabiting a lake interact. Carlson explores how the dynamics of a lake shift from day to night and from season to season. He outlines the effects of a storm on the wildlife below and explains the impressive intricacies of a beaver's lodge design. And through special chapters that reveal the rhythms and constraints of various species of fish, Carlson shows anglers how to hone techniques to heighten fishing success. Bruce M. Carlson regularly contributes articles to In-Fisherman magazine that integrate scientific principles with fishing techniques. He holds a masters degree in ichthyology and an MD-PhD with a focus on regeneration from the University of Minnesota. He has been fishing and studying Ten Mile Lake since 1955. Bruce Granquist specializes in ecologicalillustrations and cartography. His work has been widely published in Southeast Asia.

Genres: Science

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jim Krotzman]

Now that I have gotten into Beneath the Surface, I enjoy it. I’ve been trying to read it for three or four years because a friend of mine wrote it about the lake we have a cabin near. Bruce is a Professor Emeritus at the U of Michigan in the the medical school. Much of his info is very scientific. What I like best is he tells what lures to use for what fish at what times of the summer. He also tells where the fish are at what time in the summer and how deep. He is an interesting man because he does most of his fishing between 10:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. when hardly anyone else is on the lake. He is a catch and release fisherman. He fishes mostly for walleye.