Pat Rose’s book leaves you on the hook
From The Ring To The Reel: The Pat Rose Story is a quick read, at just under 100 pages not including photographs.
It reads like a journeyman’s journal, spelling out where, what, who, and sometimes how much. This can be of interest to those interested in the “old days” of 1980-1990.
For the uninitiated, Rose wrestled from 1979 to 1994, retiring due to neck issues, a tale he detailed on our 2022 interview, Pat Rose trades boots for fish hooks. Then he moved into competitive fishing.
If one was to pull out a map it will be immediately obvious that the 5-foot-10 Rose traveled quite a bit. He might be described as a cut above the typical enhancement talent because he was given titles in various areas. Becoming friends with stars like Don Fargo was invaluable.
To his credit, I did not once read Pat badmouthing any of the various characters he came across in the wrestling world.
That covers the wrestling part.
As an avid fisherman myself, I came up disappointed in the “set the reel” portion. It was two pages long, and other than naming some prominent professional bass fishermen, I read nothing of special interest. What got Pat into this business? Was he an avid fisherman? Through all his wrestling travels, did he wet a line during his infrequent days off? What did he catch, where did he fish, and what equipment did he use? Had he been planning on doing a bass fishing show while on his wrestling travels? Somebody had to have taught him what he knew about fishing — it just doesn’t come from watching TV. Experience is everything.
For what it was, I enjoyed The Ring To The Reel, which Rose wrote with former law enforcement officer Brian Boney, and edited by Kristen G. Nixon.
It was simply too short and left out too many stories that could have helped make it a more interesting read.
NOTE: From The Ring To The Reel: The Pat Rose Story is only available through Pat Rose and his son, Camden Smith. It’s $25 for a regular copy, and $40 for a personalized autographed copy in the US. For more details, contact Pat’s son, Pat Rose trades boots for fish hooks.
