“Angling In the Smile of the Great Spirit,” Deep Waters Press, $29.95

Having heard a number of big-lake fish stories from New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee, I have long wanted to wet a line in the “Winni,” New England’s largest lake next to Moosehead. Traditionally, big lakes give up big fish, and this lake over the years has lived up to tradition.

Despite the unrelenting drizzle and hard northeast wind outside my window, I had a chance to fish this big lake vicariously. I did it with the help of New Hampshire author and master angler Harold C. Lyon Jr., whose new book, “Angling In the Smile of the Great Spirit,” brightened my day.

Billed as “six centuries of wisdom from the master anglers of Lake Winnipesaukee,” Lyon, who is a historian, psychologist and insatiable angler, (as well as a West Point graduate and former Airborne Ranger) has assembled a wonderful book that is as informative and useful as it is inspiring and thought-provoking.

The book’s forward by Lyon’s friend and fishing buddy, Dr. Vincent Giuliano, sets the stage nicely. He writes, “Above all, fishing is a major folk opportunity for subtle story telling, indications of a folk culture from the past that is still with us. The fishing stories in this book are about much more than just fishing.”

Lyon has devised a wonderful approach. He first writes about the lake’s formative years and its historical background. Although the book is grounded in facts and fishing tactics, the author lets you know in the beginning that he is fascinated with the mystical or spiritual aspects of angling. “I confess that I am trying to capture some of the elusive essence, spiritual and otherwise, of angling,” he writes.

He has chosen 15 highly experienced master anglers and given them the ink and the space to recount their lifelong affairs with Winnipesaukee. And with mixed results he tries to rely on these anglers to get at the question: “Why do you fish?” Some of his subjects have advised that he should not concern himself with the “why” of angling. Just get out there and enjoy, they say.

Each of the 15 master anglers willingly share their personal stories as well as many of their practical fishing tips and secrets. For example, some of the subtitles include: Favorite Fishing Months, Favorite Fishing Lures, Best Trolling Speeds, Top Five Tips, Best Fish Story, Leadcore Vs. Downriggers, Favorite Salmon Streamers, Favorite Fish, and so forth.

Among other things I learned from the Chart of Secrets:

• Average trolling speed for salmon is 1.8 mph.

• Average trolling speed for Lakers is 1.6 mph.

• Best depth for salmon in May is 8 feet, which is about 2 colors of leadcore line.

• Best depth for salmon in June is 18 feet, which is about 4 colors of leadcore line.

The hottest salmon hardware includes the Winni Top Gun, created by Bill Abrahamovich, and the Sutton Spoons, which are commonly used in New York’s Finger Lakes region. To my surprise, Maine’s ever popular Grey Ghost streamer was the last choice among the master angler’s top five.

To his credit, Lyon has invested a lot of humanity in his book. The profiles 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 profiles 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 the question that dogs him throughout 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.

“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.”

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This book can be ordered online: www.deepwaterpress.com or by e-mail at: [email protected].

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].