CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — A man in Citrus County is hoping to spread his love of kayak fishing with his new book titled "Finding the Treasures of the Trails: Kayak Fishing."

The goal is to bring more tourists to the area and expose people to something they may never have tried before. 

"Just being out in the boonies and being out in nature, it's just a blast," said author Gary Rankel. 

Rankel got into kayak fishing 13 years ago, picking it up as soon as he retired. 

"Kayak fishing itself is one of the fastest growing sports in the country and it’s growing really fast here. A lot of the retirees are getting into it," he explained.

Gary Rankel said it took him about a year to write his book. It has been out for a few days.

And now he's hoping even more people will take on the sport after reading his new book explaining everything from how it works to the best places to go in the county. 

"We're hoping that folks who might want to get into fishing don't really want to get a power boat with the economy of getting a kayak, plus the enjoyment of being able to paddle in the backcountry and peace and quiet and enjoy nature," Rankel said. 

The book has only been out for about a week. 

"It took me a year to write it. It was much more of a challenge than I thought. Putting the maps together was an especially big challenge," Rankel said. 

Rankel and his publishers are planning to distribute them to kayak fishing clubs across the state. 

They also plan to have them available as a reference guide for tourists in the Welcome Center in Citrus County.