What is it?

[hanson]

For the last two and a half years of my life, I’ve developed an addiction. Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a pill, therapy, or a hypnotist that will cure this addiction. Its not a fishing addiction, but maybe it is. Its not a hunting addiction, but it could be that as well. Has it created a change in my lifestyle? It sure has. Has it adversely affected my personal and professional life? I hope not, but it might be getting close. So what is this addiction? I’m not quite sure how to describe it.

I feel that it started innocently enough. A picture. A simple picture was all it took to plant the seed that still continues to grow today. Now this wasn’t the type of picture that many of you are thinking about right now. It was a picture of a fish, a really big fish! How big? I can’t tell you but there aren’t many anglers in Minnesota that have caught a fish this large in the state of Minnesota.

I can tell you that this fish is a predator, a top of the food chain predator. All fish in the state of Minnesota tend to be predators of something, that is smaller fish. But what happens when you are the ultimate predator in the environment you live? You eat. And you eat with complete disregard. The picture of the fish I saw was eating quite well. It was this ferocious appetite and being king that caught my attention. That’s right, caught the attention of an avid bluegill, crappie, and walleye angler like a blue light special at K-Mart.

So I decide to get my feet wet, and test the waters that would ultimately lead to this addiction I have. I went into the game undergunned. I brought a knife to a gun fight, and sent home in a pine box. My brand new rod & reel combo, my superline, and my selection of hooks that inched into the “ought” range were not sufficient enough for this game. How could that be? I have fished successfully my entire life with fishing line that was less than 10lb test. I have caught 10” bluegills, 15” crappies, 40” northern pike, and walleyes over 28” without being pushed to my limits. I landed my 40” northern pike on 6lb Fireline. But on this day, I had two separate fish show me how weak 50lb superline can actually be. And I was devastated.

Now it was already time for therapy and I just started on this quest of mine. May I remind you that I was only one day into it! I retreated back to my support group here at Fishing Minnesota and started to ask questions. Unfortunately, there weren’t too many answers. I was expecting the knowledge pool to overflow but quickly came to realize that good, specific, information would be hard to obtain. The methods behind catching these fish, I soon realized, were almost as mysterious as the fish itself.

So building on the bigger is better theme; I bought a longer and heavier rod, and a bigger reel which I spooled with heavier line. That’s right, I moved right on up to 80lb superline and learned the hard way how fun it really is to tie a Palomar knot in 80lb braid. A friend suggested I use larger hooks as well, and noted that a 10/0 hook was not “too big”. I’m not going to describe the size of the bait you have to use because the recreational fisherman just won’t understand, or maybe they will, but just wish they were catching fish as big as the bait we use.

Ever since the day I learned what a fish can do to 50lb superline, I have been staggering into bed on the weekends between 4-6am. Eyes are tired and weary from scanning the water for wood in the fog while navigating a boat, tired from driving down the highway, and tired from sitting in the dark waiting for the telltale sign of a rod twitch, or a clicker sounding off. Days went by. Months went by. Even years went by before I hooked into a fish the size of the fish that broke me off on day 1 of this adventure.

Along the way, I met some great people. Many are my best friends right now. Some I look up to admirably but may not be aware of it. Because it was these guys that planted that seed years ago. It was one of these guys in that picture I saw years ago. But I can say this, this group of anglers is the most unselfish group of people/fisherman that I have ever associated myself with. And I am proud of that. They love to fish. They are extremely knowledgeable. And they take the time to help out others. That is a quality that is hard to find in people now days. Its not about money to them. Its not about sponsors. Its not about driving a glittery, high horsepower boat. Its not about winning tournaments. Its about fishing, and having fun!

So what is it? It’s the addiction that goes along with chasing the mysterious gamefish known as the Flathead Catfish. I was sitting in the dark on a river with a fisherman that I’ve never met before last week, when my rod tip went “thwang”. We both looked at each other and knew exactly what happened. I picked up my rod, with my heart beating faster, and waited to feel something. It took about 3-4 minutes before I felt the weight, and then I felt more weight. I said “he’s got it!” and set the hook like Barry Bonds swinging for the fences. A couple minutes later, the flathead cat surfaced beside the boat and slid into the net. This flathead only weighed 15lbs but it didn’t matter. My heart was racing and knees were shaking like I caught a new state record. And that’s what I love about it, every time you set the hook, you have no idea if that fish will break the current 70+lb state record. I shook hands with my new friend and he congratulated me on a great fish.

[honky kong]

great way to explain it. my first flatty was 15 lbs. and it changed me forever.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Amen Brother!!!

"My heart was racing and knees were shaking like I caught a new state record. And that’s what I love about it, every time you set the hook, you have no idea if that fish will break the current 70+lb state record. I shook hands with my new friend and he congratulated me on a great fish."

Very well spoken!

[Flaco651]

We are all addicted. It's funny how all my other fishing gear just sits in the garage and collects dust now. It has been used some this year, but not nearly as much as my catfishin' gear.

[Guest]

Dont let hanson fool you! He got addicted when he learned there were fishing spots we could have pizza delivered and catch numbers of flatheads!

I had to edit the post, I couldnt leave it that simple. Hanson hit the nail right on the head. I knew hanson from the beginning of his catfish career and got to observe the moment he came addicted(and earned name mr breakoff ). Hanson has always been a good guy, but I think this sport actually made him grow as a person as much as it did a fishermen. He started as the aggressive fishing run and gun type fishermen chasing the hot bite with a single objective.. to target and catch the biggest and most fish within the least amount of time... It took him all of about 15 minutes to learn that a specie of fish can have the upper hand when fishing the worst of conditions To any avid fishermen, chasing flatheads is a constant learning curve, and the fish your trying to find will elude you more often than not. In the end, it can be the ultimate in the *thrill of the chase*, and nothing else will compare.

The fishing aspect of it.. its very easy to get addicted to fishing flatheads. They will challenge the best of fishermen over time and leave you standing there heartbroken at times, other times you get some of the most memorable moments in a lifetime getting a photo of one of your *fish of a lifetime*.. just to watch it swim away shortly after. After chasing these fish for a while, your outlook goes far beyond success of a fishing outing and you lose expectations even though the energy of pursuit is always high, and your ready for any movement on the rod tip that isnt your bait and your hopes are high.

Add the developing friendships associated with chasing these illusive beast.. what can a person really say? In the *metro cat crew*, I am lucky enough to be a part of the circle of friends that regularly get out there and fish. At 1st it was just a few people who liked to chase flatheads, eventually it developed into friendships and the group grew.. these days I have more true *friends* than I did when I was 12 years old(and I was a popular kid).

So what should a persons measure of success be while fishing? The fish are going to bite when and where they want to, there are going to be good times and tough times.. but can a money value really be put on getting on the water with a couple good friends and enjoying a fishing experience? Even though I am not a financially gifted person, its really difficult to find a person happier than myself when I am fishing with the company of fellow catfisherpeople... or my friends(same thing) and having a quality experience in the outdoors.

I guess there are really no words to decribe the lifestyle catfishing can bring.

[Dan Thiem]

LOL Dave!

Good post Hanson. I too have felt the force!

[mplspug]

You guys said it. As much as I would love to catch a 70# record breaker, I have yet to be dissappointed by the size of any flat I have brought in and I won't ever be, unless for some reason the fish is unreleasable. There is something about the fish that is magic. I think it is everything said here and more. I think just holding one is something special.

[Wiskers]

Hello, My name is Wiskers and I'm a Fishaholic. Group hug.

Well put Hanson.

[Tyler Holm]

Hanson,

That entire post can basically be summed up by the look in your eyes and that upside down frown in the picture.

You have a way of putting that stuff in inspirational words and expressive passion.

In one word… SuperExcellentAwesomePost

[ec30_06]

Nice fish Hanson, and I would love to slide the net under another one for you.

[DARK30]

Very good read Hanson! Enjoying the dark side are ya?

I call it The Quest. Right now its Mudeye time and the walleyes are soon coming.... but its the river in general that has lured me...The River.. everything in it and along its banks. Being there watching as the day fades, listening to all the sounds and watching silently as time just goes on by. Ever since I was a kid using blood bait on the edge of the Concho River in Texas... my mind has been on the river. Now days the river is a place to come home to...its a place to relax and to ponder...and to pursue the Quest.

"Group Hug" LOL!!

[NorthWoodsGuy]

Amen to that Dark! A river has so much more character than a lake.

As the great Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated:

"But I go with my friend to the shore of our little river,

and with one stroke of the paddle I leave the village

politics and personalities, yes, and the world of

villages and personalities behind, and pass into a

delicate realm of sunset and moonlight, too bright

almost for spotted man to enter without novitiate

and probation."

I'm a true River Rat at heart, body, mind and soul.

[DTro]

Geez what is this, an interview for Hallmark?

Seriously, great post Hanson! I couldn't have said it better.

Check out "The Dash" in my signature. Goes good with the post.

To me, the dash is....RIGHT NOW, and I intend to make the dash memorable.

[DARK30]

The Dash is important. What you do (or who you believe) during your Dash will have a big deal to do with what comes after your Dash....maybe a date...maybe not

[Gordie]

great post Chris, I was hooked (pun intended) the fist time the bell rang that was hanging from my rod tip. I knew I had the flattie fever ,cat addiction , and he first step was to admitt to friends and family that I was a cat-aholic, so I did it. the rush you get when that clicker goes ...... doesnt matter what the size is its the rush of knowing that yea this just might be that state record and if tis not I'll try again,and again and so on . Ithink I may need to have a support group to get me thur the those lean times

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR SUPPORT elwood