4The Common Angler taps into the passion that simmers in the souls of anglers and celebrates the primordial connection of people to fish and fishing. Author Jack Wollitz set out to explain the "why" behind the fact that so many people are passionate about fishing and along the way discovered a book's worth of experiences and stories. Early chapters cover the foundation of Jack's own passion for fishing and explore the connection we have with water and the creatures that depend on it for life. Also included is a whimsical piece that personifies two common waterside fixtures. A key chapter draws parallels between the legendary River Lea in Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler, written in the mid-seventeenth century, and Northeast Ohio's Mahoning River and the mighty Ohio River. The Common Angler also provides an insider's perspective about what makes certain people great anglers, featuring Ernest Hemingway, and baseball stars Ted Williams and Wade Boggs.