Sucked Dry

A square grouper. A one-eyed eel. A real-life chupacabra. An 800-pound swordfish. The Toilet Paper King of Manhattan. Tarpon season in the Florida Keys…

The young, thrill-seeking Parker McPhee never knows what — or whom — he’s going to encounter on his next fishing adventure, and he likes it that way. Charged by his dying father’s wish for his son to see the world and live life on his own terms, Parker embarks on a rollicking expedition from the blue-water tropics to the Gulf of Alaska to the trout streams of Montana. Along the way he reels in big fish, beautiful women and a lifetime of memories. Parker’s drive to fish extends beyond the goal of catching a “trophy.” He fishes for the experiences. The people. The locations. The stories. An urge to sail off into the unknown in search of the world’s most prized game fish keeps Parker on the move. Armed with little more than a fly, a piece of bait or a lure, and most likely a bottle of rum, Parker continually finds himself in precarious situations that he somehow weaves his way out of. His days on the water include fly-fishing for 100-pound tarpon, trolling for blue and black marlin off Mexico, casting to roosterfish in Costa Rica, reeling in striped bass and bluefish in Long Island Sound, baiting giant bluefin tuna, catching Alaskan halibut, battling New Zealand swordfish, enticing rainbow trout with dry flies and fishing the deep waters off Colombia. And like many traveling anglers who are not opposed to having a good time in the darkest hours of night, Parker lands himself in exciting and sometimes harrowing quandaries. Throughout Sucked Dry, we find Parker embarking on many trips, but we also find him connecting the dots of his relationship with his father. Fishing brought Parker and his father together in life, and their shared passion helps Parker come full circle and rediscover where he comes from and what he’s made of. If you like to laugh and you love the ocean, hop on board for one hilarious, inspiring journey.

Author Biography

Charlie Levine was born and raised in Connecticut, where he developed a love of fishing and boating. After graduating from Western State Colorado University with a degree in English and journalism, he briefly worked in the newspaper industry. Writing about death, murder and mayhem wasn’t his bag, so he made a switch and began to write about subjects he was passionate about, namely the outdoors, adventure and food. He has written hundreds of articles for fishing and travel publications. He currently lives in Central Florida with his wife, Diane, and sons, Maxon and Cooper.