A Jerk on One End Reflections of a Mediocre Fisherman

'In some ways it's a ridiculous human passion, ' Robert Hughes writes of fishing but, for him, it has been a lifelong obsession and the pastime that he loves best. In A Jerk on One End he brings the wit and insight that have characterised his art criticism and his other writings to bear on the subjects of fish and fishing. He traces his love of fishing to his boyhood on Sydney Harbour and recounts the high and low points of his career with rod and reel, from his first catch to the hair-raising tales of shark hunts he has picked up from other fishermen. Mixing memoir and history with folklore and anecdote, he has produced a book that is a celebration of the delights and beauties of fishing and, in its final pages, a powerful and reasoned plea for the protection of the ecology of the ocean.