"F" is for Fishing began with a fishing trip. Larry and Melissa Barker invited Sarah and Josh Jones on a fishing trip on Lake Tarpon, Florida, about two years ago.

Their grandmother, Marje Monach, Melissa, Larry and the two children had a great time on the lake that day. The children each caught their first fish and were "hooked" from then on.

Larry has been a tournament bass fisherman and outdoor writer for years, and asked Josh and Sarah if they would like to help write a children's book about bass fishing. The children had no idea at the time what they were getting into, but both said "yes!" without hesitation. Over the past two years, the authors, Larry, Josh and Sarah have taken several exciting fishing trips. The photos at chapter openings were taken on some of those trips.

The writing process developed over time. The first few sessions involved talking through some of the possible topics to include in the book. After each session, Larry would write a draft and both children would read it and suggest improvements. Eventually, Marje, Melissa and her mother, Pat Fisher, became involved in the editing process. After many drafts and numerous inputs from all contributors, the book was completed. At this writing Sarah is 11 years old and Joshua is 13. They live in Clearwater, Florida. In addition to fishing, Sarah loves acrobatics. Joshua enjoys computer games and the outdoors. Both are enthusiastic readers.

Although some parts of the book are completely fi ctional, many scenes are based on real life fishing adventures. We hope that you enjoy reading the book as much as we enjoyed fishing and writing it!

-BEI Outdoor Publishing