A plain guide for the freshwater angler

Read the Water

Rods, bait, fish, weather and water, for the angler who wants to know why some days work.

You have a rod, a bait somebody recommended, and a spot that is easy to park near. Some days it works and you don't know why. Most days it doesn't, and you don't know why either. This is a 78-page book about the five things that decide it: what you hold, what you tie on, which fish you are after, when you go, and where you cast. It arrives as a large-print PDF and an EPUB, so it reads properly on a phone, a tablet, a Kindle or a computer.

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Pages

Chapters

Charts

Tables

I · The problem

Most blank days come down to the same few things.

People who struggle to catch fish are rarely doing anything foolish. They are usually missing one of a handful of plain facts that nobody explained, and each one has a fix you can use the same afternoon.

In your hand

A rod that does not fit the lure

A rod only casts properly with a lure inside the weight range printed above its handle. Put a 1/16 oz jig on a heavy rod and it lands at your feet. Part One explains the label, and names the one setup that covers most fishing.

On the line

The wrong depth, not the wrong color

Changing lure color is the first thing most people try and the last thing that matters. The book gives the order that works: depth first, then place, then speed, then size. Color comes last.

On the bank

Good bait in empty water, at the wrong hour

Fish bunch up along edges, in shade, on the wind-blown bank and at the temperature that suits them. Parts Four and Five show how to read the hour, the weather and the water before the first cast.

II · What you get for $10.99

One complete book, in two formats

✓Read the Water, 78 pages. Five parts and 19 chapters: the gear, bait and lures, the fish, when to fish, and where to fish. Supplied as a PDF set at 6 by 9 inches in large readable type, and as a large-print EPUB.
✓One starter setup, spelled out. The exact rod length, power and action, reel size and line strength that cover most freshwater fishing, with the reason for each piece and an honest list of what it won't handle.
✓Ten fish across five chapters. Bluegill, crappie and perch; largemouth and smallmouth bass; trout; catfish and carp; walleye and pike. Where each one lives, what it eats, the tackle, the baits that work most reliably, and how to handle it.
✓4 charts drawn from the book's own numbers. Feeding temperature by fish, line strength by fish, running depth by lure type, and a summer temperature profile of a layered lake.
✓17 tables, including rod power and lure weight, bait and how to hook it, hook size by fish, what to tie on in which conditions, weather and how to adjust, and how to fish each lake and river feature.
✓Three knots and four rigs, step by step. Described in words you can follow at the water's edge, from the improved clinch to the Texas rig.
✓A Quick Reference section at the back. Line, hook and water temperature for ten fish on one page, a water-clarity table, four questions to ask before the first cast, a tackle box checklist, a before-you-leave list and a twelve-month tracker.

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III · What is inside

Five parts, in the order you need them

These are the real part and chapter titles from the book's table of contents.

Part One

The Gear

1What a Rod Actually Does
2Spinning, Baitcasting, Spincast, Fly: Which Rod for Which Job
3Reels, Line, and Three Knots That Hold
4One Setup That Covers Most Fishing

Part Two

Bait and Lures

5Live and Natural Bait
6Lures: The Six Families
7Matching the Bait to the Fish, the Water and the Day
8Hooks, Weights and Four Simple Rigs

Part Three

The Fish

9Panfish: Bluegill, Crappie and Perch
10Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass
11Trout
12Catfish and Carp
13Walleye and Pike

Part Four

When to Fish

14Dawn, Dusk and the Middle of the Day
15The Four Seasons and Water Temperature
16Weather: Fronts, Wind, Cloud, Rain and Pressure

Part Five

Where to Fish

17Reading a Lake or Pond
18Reading a River or Stream
19Clear Water, Stained Water, Deep Water

IV · A look at the pages

Real pages. Real numbers.

Set in a large readable serif with clear headers, a printed contents page, and charts drawn from the book's own figures. These are screenshots of the actual PDF.

The printed contents page of Read the Water — The contents

A part opening page from Read the Water — A part opener

A page of Read the Water carrying a chart — A chart page

V · The honest version

What this book does, and what it will not pretend to do

Before you spend anything, here is exactly where it stands.

This book does not promise you fish. Nobody honest can, and it says so on the first page.
The numbers in it are the ones experienced anglers commonly work from. They are starting points, and your own water will adjust them.
It covers freshwater fishing with a rod and reel for common North American fish. It does not cover saltwater, ice fishing, or how to cast a fly rod.
It will not replace time on the water. It tells you what to look for and why. Turning that into habit is your part.
Where the evidence is mixed, as it is on barometric pressure and moon phase, the book says the evidence is mixed.

VI · Is it for you

Written for a specific angler

This book is for you if

You are new to fishing, or have fished for years without knowing why some days work
You fish from the bank, a dock or a small boat
You want one sensible setup, not a garage full of tackle
You want the reasoning in plain words, with the numbers shown
You would like a short book you can finish in an evening and keep in the tackle bag

It is not for you if

You fish tournaments and want advanced electronics and boat tactics
You fish saltwater, through the ice, or with a fly rod
You want a named lake or a secret spot
You want brand recommendations
You want to be told that you will catch fish

“It will not promise you fish. Nobody honest can. What you can do is tilt the odds, and that is what every chapter here is for.”

Mike · Fishing With Mike · from the book's welcome

Mike runs Fishing With Mike, where he teaches fishing skills, tips and tricks.

He wrote this book for people who would like to catch more fish and understand why they did.

VII · Questions

Before you ask

What exactly arrives after I buy?

Two files, immediately. Read the Water as a 78-page PDF, set at 6 by 9 inches in large readable type, and the same book as an EPUB. You get a download link on screen the moment the payment clears, and the same link by email. Both files are yours to keep, and you can download them again whenever you like.

Which file should I use?

The EPUB for a phone, a tablet or a Kindle, because the text reflows to fit the screen and you can change the size. The PDF for a computer, or for printing the tracker and the checklists.

Can I read it on a Kindle?

Yes. Send the EPUB to your Kindle with Amazon's Send to Kindle, by email or through the app, and it appears in your library like any other book.

Is checkout secure?

Yes. Payment is handled entirely by Gumroad, which processes the card and sends the receipt. The card details never reach this page and are never seen by Mike.

Is it for complete beginners?

Yes. It starts with what a rod does and assumes nothing. If you have fished for a while, the chapters on timing, weather and reading water are where you will find the most that is new.

Does it cover my country?

The fish are the common North American freshwater species, and measurements are given in imperial units with metric in brackets. The gear, bait, weather and water chapters apply to freshwater fishing anywhere. Fishing rules are local everywhere, and the book tells you to check yours.

Will this make me catch more fish?

No book can tell you that honestly. It will help you choose better gear, bait, times and places, which tilts the odds. The fish still get a vote.

What is the refund policy?

All sales final — but if a technical problem stops you from opening the file, reply to your receipt and we'll make it right.

The whole point

Right bait. Right water. Right time.

78 pages. 5 parts. 19 chapters. 4 charts and 17 tables. Plain words, real numbers, and no promises about what ends up in the net.

$10.99

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