Zane Gray, known mainly for his European fiction and for his own private journeys exploring the durable Western, was also a prolific fisherman. Once his income in the Westerns provided him free time to explore the world’s oceans, he devoted typically 300 times a calendar year to fishing, according to his boy Loren. Besides the waters of southern California, Florida, and Nova Scotia, he went deep-sea fishing from the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti, with many return trips to his preferred areas. He pioneered the angling of sailfish, and he set up numerous world records on the way.

He wrote many content articles for international sporting magazines highlighting the uniqueness of New Zealand fishing, among other areas. Tales from a Fisherman’s Log contains notes Zane Gray made within the midst of discovering his preferred pastime.