While my life has been one long string of weirdly-deep obsessions which fizzle out after I gain some level of mastery, only in the past few years have I realized why such things happen. As with so many of my weird quirks, hyper focusing on one weird hobby or passion after another is a pretty common trait of ADHD. Ayup. What is now super obvious was just a weird personal quirk people either found endearing or annoying. I still have no idea how no one ever realized I had ADHD. I tick almost every single box when it comes to symptoms. ANYWAY, what was I talking about? (ha, see what I did there?)
My latest obsession is fishing. I blame my friend Josh. He moved out to Kansas a few years ago, so I rarely get to see him. But about a month ago, he came into town for personal business, and messaged me to see if I wanted to go fishing while he was in town. I hadn’t been fishing in years, but honestly I was just so glad he didn’t ask if I wanted to go *golfing* or something equally horrible, I jumped on the opportunity. Plus, my newest son-in-law is a fisherman, and it would give us a chance to bond while I introduced him to one of my closest friends.
They both caught a few Cisco (Lake Herring), which are actually making a comeback in Lake Michigan. I, on the other hand, caught a tiny 3 inch long Goby, which is an invasive species. As it turns out, I’m just not a great fisherman. But more on that in a bit.
When I knew Josh was coming to town in order to go fishing, I knew that was my chance to upgrade my fishing gear. I had a couple fishing poles, but they were very old, and I wasn’t sure if they were even in working order. So like any good hyper-focused ADHDer, I researched for DAYS about what sort of fishing pole and reel I should get, along with the different types of fishing line.
(You didn’t know there were different types of fishing line? Oh you poor soul, perhaps you should stop reading and go research monofilament vs fluorocarbon vs braided line. Then followup with a deep dive on how to properly load your reel with backing line, followed by braid, with a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader, depending on the length and action of your rod. What does action mean, you ask? See, fishing rods have both power and action, which are also affected by the length of the rod itself… wait, what were we talking about?)
-Shawn’s brain derailing the conversation
So yeah. I got a brand new light power, fast action, 7′ long Lew’s MACH I fishing rod with a matching reel. Honestly, I hadn’t yet gone down the road of researching fishing line when I bought the rod/reel combo, so I just filled it with standard 6lb test fluorocarbon fishing line. I bought an assortment of fishing lures, not really knowing what we were going to fish for, and thought that would be the end of it.
But as my foreshadowing about the nuances of fishing line has already given away, that afternoon of fishing was not the end of it. Oh no. My poor showing when we fished sparked a sort of *need* in me to figure out how to be a fisherman. Fishing, as it turns out, is actually really really complex. There is SO MUCH to learn, and it’s the sort of physical activity that doesn’t require traditional sportsball-type skills. (Unless maybe it does, and that’s why I’m not very good at it… hmm.)
Since that fishing trip a month or so ago, I’ve purchased several more fishing rods. I also dug out my old equipment from years ago, and the stuff that was still viable has been cleaned and sorted. I have watched hours and hours of YouTube videos about fishing in different situations, using different lures. I’ve used my 3D printer to print out multiple styles of fishing tackle holders, including inserts designed for Altoid tins for pocket sized travel packs of lures. I’ve mapped every body of water in my area that has shore-accessible fishing, and tried multiple apps designed for knowing the best places and times to fish. And I’ve attempted to fish in most of the places I’ve been able to find, including roadside bridges on tiny creeks using ultralite fishing equipment.
Yeah. I’m deep, DEEP into an ADHD hobby spiral, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be out of it any time soon. That said, it’s been pretty frustrating, and I have zero desire to go ice fishing in the cold. It’s likely this new obsession will pass with the season, and when the snow flies I’ll be well into another quirky pastime like gelato making or blindfolded martial arts. While I’m still in this obsession, however, here are a few things I’ve learned:
- Even though I live in Northern Michigan, surrounded by more freshwater than most places in the world, there are a frustrating lack of places one can fish from shore.
- I’m worried that previous factoid will lead to me trying to purchase a plastic bass boat I can fit in the back of my truck. This model is just so awesome I could cry.
- Fishing with live bait doesn’t really appeal to me. I think the idea of using a lure feels more sporty, and the vast array of lures makes for so much to learn about each type and their use cases.
- I also just catch and release. I don’t want to clean and eat fish I catch. I much prefer to let them go. That’s just me though, I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to eat what they catch.
- Based on how often Donna will come with me while I fish, only to sit in a camp chair and read a book, it’s proof that I married SO VERY WELL. Seriously, I don’t know how she puts up with me.
- Catching occasional fish, even tiny fish, makes the whole experience enjoyable. If you get skunked 3 or 4 outings in a row, it can get really frustrating. Yes, the fishing is still fun, but never catching a fish is just an emotional kick in the crotch.
- Fishing is HARD. Well, that’s not true. CATCHING FISH is hard. So maybe, “FISHING WELL” is the thing that is difficult.
Honestly, as obsessions go, there are plenty of worse options than fishing. Getting outside is something I don’t do often enough, so that alone is probably healthy for me. I sorta hope I do keep interest in the hobby. It’s fun, and if I actually get better at it, I could potentially make it fun for others too. There are few things I enjoy more than helping other people succeed, so if I’m eventually that guy who can kickstart a healthy hobby for someone else? Well it might be one more way I take advantage of ADHD, instead of suffering from it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to look up gelato recipes…