Susan Daignault, 62, of Harpswell, with a catch. Her debut book, “A Full Net: Fishing Stories from Maine and Beyond,” was recently published by Islandport Press. Courtesy of Susan Daignault
A week before finishing a two-year tour with the U.S. Coast Guard, at the end of a grueling eight-hour watch, Susan Daignault caught a 150-pound halibut. There were 56 people aboard the ship, and she was the only woman.
Susan Daignault, who, among her other pursuits, teaches fly casting at L.L. Bean, said her book “is not a how-to. These are just true stories from my head and heart of the things I’ve done and the fish I’ve caught.” Courtesy of Islandport Press
“The guys helped me land it,” said Daignault, who was henceforward inducted into the unofficial “Hundred Pound Plus Club.” For her efforts, she got a ball cap.
This and other fishing tales can be found in Daignault’s debut book, “A Full Net: Fishing Stories from Maine and Beyond.” Daignault spent 30 years of service in the Coast Guard; she is also a Maine Guide and a Certified Casting Instructor who teaches courses at L.L. Bean.
“I am a teacher, an instructor of fly fishing, but this (book) is not a how-to,” she said. “These are just true stories from my head and heart of the things I’ve done and the fish I’ve caught.”
Daignault began writing those stories during the COVID-19 pandemic, never expecting they would gel into a full-length book.
“I just started spilling the stories out at my computer, sort of by accident,” she said. “Before I knew it, I had, like, 25 short stories.”
Daignault hopes the book will inspire other to pursue their passions, fish related or otherwise.
“A full net is a metaphor for a full heart and a lot of gratitude for the many opportunities I’ve had in my life to do a lot of things, including fishing,” Daignault said. “If it feels right, you enjoy it, it brings you pleasure and solitude, then I guess my message is, I hope you follow it.”
“A Full Net: Fishing Stories from Maine and Beyond” will be stocked by local bookstores starting this month. It is also available on Amazon and from Islandport Press at islandportpress.com/product-page/a-full-net. At 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 2, the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick will host a book launch celebration, including a conversation with Daignault and author of the “L.L. Bean Fly-Casting Handbook,” Macauley Lord.
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