An angle on personalities
If only Sigmund Freud had gone fishing
Psychologists have developed a dizzying array of tests designed to classify different personalities.
As holder of an advanced degree in human development, I find these tests fascinating, but I've concluded there's a simpler way.
My test has only one question.
Are you a bass fisher, or a catfisher?
I've fished for both, and my experience suggests a close parallel with the popular categories of Type A and Type B personalities.
Type A's are noted for their insatiable desire to achieve goals, competitiveness, a desire for recognition, multitasking, and above average mental and physical alertness.
Type B's are characterized as being more relaxed and patient, more creative and imaginative, and inclined to self-analyze.
Bassers tend to be the Type A's of the sporting world. Catfishers, by and large, fall into the Type B category.
How else do you explain bass fishers shelling out thousands of dollars for flashy, speedy bass boats equipped with elaborate electronic fish finders and powerful trolling motors, while catfishers can be found contentedly plying the waters of lakes and streams in battered old john boats?
What other explanation is there for the fact that there is a whole chain of stores called Bass Pro Shops? Have you ever run across a Catfish Pro Shop?
Whether shopping at Bass Pro or Wal-Mart, you'll find multiple aisles of gear targeted at bass fishers. Catfishing gear takes up little more space than the sunglasses display.
When you're in the house of a fisher, take a look at the walls. It's a safe bet you'll find way more stuffed bass than catfish hanging there.
Tackle boxes of bass fishers are crammed with flashy, glittery lures that look like jewelry and trinkets stolen straight off of inebriated Mardi Gras party goers.
The most flashy item in a catfisher's box might be a green fluorescent float, or a shiny brass hook.
When it comes to creativity, nothing tops an avid catfisher's quest for the perfect bait.
The folks at Cuisinart never imagined the kind of concoctions I've whipped up in my gourmet food processor.
I've spent hours developing formulas of various combinations of chicken liver, shrimp, crawfish, sardines, flour, corn meal, soybeans, cheese, strawberry Jell-O, molasses, corn syrup, vanilla, and anise.
Most of those have been put into a glass jar and set out in sunlight to, ummm, ripen. The stinkier, the better.
The clearest delineation comes in the act of fishing itself.
Bass fishers are aggressors. They go in pursuit of their prey. They endlessly cast their array of lures hither and yon, and dash up and down lakes in quest of trophy bass.
Catfishers are generally content to let the fish come to them. Set out the bait, then wait. Patience and contemplation are the hallmarks of catfishers.
Many, including myself, enjoy fishing for both bass and catfish. But on reflection, most folks will find they're more inclined toward one, like me, a catfisher at heart.
If you could choose only one, which would you pick? Which suits you best?
The answer may be more revealing than you realize.
