Fishing is a pastime for many. Authors Michael Tougias and Adam Gamble found their shared pastime became a gateway to a long-lasting and profound friendship that helped see the two through life’s choppy waters. In their new book, “The Power of Positive Fishing: A Story of Friendship and the Quest for Happiness,” Tougias and Gamble explore fishing and the importance of male friendship.

Tougias, who grew up in Longmeadow and Springfield, has written or contributed to more than 50 books, including a series for young readers. While much of Tougias’s subject matter focuses on against-all-odds stories of survival, he has also written memoirs and books about his childhood and family.

Tougias said it is much easier to write about himself than about the experiences of others. “It’s just flowing better. You don’t have to worry about writing something that will offend someone.” That said, he and his co-author did not pull any punches. “It’s a brutally honest book,” Tougias said.

The authors became friends many years ago when Tougias invited Gamble, who was working as a publisher, to his home to discuss the potential of working together. When Tougias walked him out, Gamble commented on fishing rods in Tougias’s vehicle. The two decided to go fishing together on Gamble’s boat.

“On the water, I saw a metamorphosis,” Tougias said of Gamble, who was quite reserved during their meeting. Fishing allowed him to relax and be himself.

The two found they had much in common beyond their love of fishing. Both were married fathers with careers in the literary field. Over time, the men experienced the upheavals of divorce, financial challenges, addiction and other major life changes. Their fishing trips offered an opportunity to confide in each other.

“I call Gamble’s boat the floating therapist’s couch,” joked Tougias.
Fishing is an activity that lends itself to talking, Tougias said. “I like to say there’s one minute of high adrenaline and 59 minutes of hunting for fish. You have time to talk. You better like the person you’re fishing with because out on the water you have a lot of time together,” Tougias said.

Activities are often an important catalyst for male conversations, Tougias said.

“Men have their conversations side by side, they’re not even looking at each other for [fear] of appearing weak,” he said, adding that younger men appear to struggle with confiding in others more than their older counterparts. “I think it’s societal, where we’re brought up to be macho or stoic,” he reflected.

Still, it is important for men to have the outlet and connection that deep friendships provide. The National Institute for Mental Health states, “men are less likely to have received mental health treatment than women in the past year,” and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men are more likely to die by suicide than women.

Even so, Tougias said, the book is not solely about his and Gable’s lives. Much of the book is about fishing, including tips and often humorous stories. In one such story, Tougias had plans to give a presentation but took some time beforehand to see if he could catch any fish. After spying some from shore and realizing he could not reach them, Tougias shed his dress clothes and went into the water in his underwear, only to emerge further down the shoreline and not be able to find his clothing. “There I was, walking through a neighborhood in my underwear, soaking wet and carrying a fishing pole,” he recalled.

He eventually found his clothes.

Every couple of weeks between May and October, Tougias and Gamble can be found on the latter’s boat, fishing in the waters of Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay. Tougias said he has been told he takes fishing too seriously, “which is true,” he acknowledged, but he is learning to “let go” and go wherever life and the fish take him.

“The Power of Positive Fishing: A Story of Friendship and the Quest for Happiness” is available from Amazon at tinyurl.com/3tsnj7mr or at michaeltougias.com.