Catcherman
Interview by: War Horse

This month's interviewee is the founder of www.catcherman.com, Micheal Chambers (Catcherman), or who many of you know as Mickey. Several members had made public and private requests to see what Catcherman was like underneath all of this blue and green html. War Horse was kind enough to do the honors and put Catcherman through the paces of one of his grueling interviews. Thanks War Horse, for always being willing to go the extra mile for the site, we all appreciate the wonderful work you do in these interviews.

I just love this. I now have the "big fish" on my line. My first request is for you to give us a little background about yourself before catcherman.com.

Oh, B.C.? It's hard to tell where I should start or what I should cover. I guess I'll keep it fishing related, though there isn't much to tell of my fishing experiences shortly before starting up catcherman.com.

I used to fish in Texas when I would visit there from California. My dad and his side of the family live there and they would take my brothers and I fishing when we came out for the summers. I remember catching fish: bass, catfish, perch, crappie, and others I'm sure, but I don't remember learning much about how I caught them. I didn't know how to tie any fishing knots, I didn't know where the fish lived, other than in the lake. I didn't know the difference between a baitcaster and a spinning reel. But I could tell you what was a big bass and what wasn't, and I remember us catching big bass.

Fast forward about 15 years and I found myself at Big Bear Lake, California with my friend Richard in his father's boat. Of the two of us I was the experienced fisherman. That should tell you a lot about the popularity of fishing in the Los Angeles area. I caught two fish the day I was out there with him, both perch. Seeing as how I was aiming for bass, I'd say it was an unsuccessful day. That was when I realized that I had no idea what I was doing and that I wanted to change all of that.

The next week, at work, I talked to my friend Shane about the idea of me starting a fishing website so that I could learn how to fish. I told him that I had thought up a good name for the web address, www.catcherman.com, and we started to brainstorm tag lines that would fit well with it. It didn't take us long to come up with, "Do more than just get your tackle wet." It fit the personality of the site perfectly and had a little bit of humor mixed in which fit with my personality too.

Is that what you were after?

Yep, that is what I wanted to hear. Now tell us the story of that first bass you caught in California. What you caught it on, how and its size.

Catcherman caught this two pound largemouth bass in September, 2002 - it was his first California bass catch.

I think the first bass I caught was at Lake Piru. I was fishing with my younger brother Zack, known here as Zestyfish, at about 4:00 a.m. just to the left of the old boat ramp, and it was still very dark out. I was using a black buzzbait and throwing down the line of the shore which was covered with large boulders. The bass exploded onto my lure and as I hauled it in I was grinning from ear to ear.

Zack asked what I caught it on and quickly borrowed my yellow spinnerbait. He had thrown two or three casts by the time I had my fish put away and was ready to reclaim my spot. My very next cast, to the same area, I caught a second bass that was even larger than the first. Zack couldn't believe it, and that's when he and I both learned that dark lures work better in low light conditions.

I hear so much about California and how great it is. Where do you live? Tell us about the area.

Early morning sunshine doesn't bother Catcherman with his polarized sunglasses. Wearing his Catcherman vest and hat with pride, he anxiously anticipates a hooked fish.

Well, in general terms, I live in the Greater Los Angeles area. Some of us that grew up in the 80's might remember the movie "Valley Girl." Well I live in that "Valley," the San Fernando valley. And it's, like, totally different now.

The city I live in is Burbank, which is known as the media capitol of the world. We have NBC studios, Disney Studios, Warner Brothers Studios, and many other media giants right here in town. Actually, if you watch the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, that's taped a couple of blocks from my business address.

Shelly, my wife, and I moved here from the opposite side of the valley when we got married in 2001. She works at the high school here and only has to drive a few blocks to get to work. We like this little city that is independent of the city of Los Angeles, because it is close-knit, has lots of cool restaurants and there's free parking everywhere! Free parking isn't something that is easy to find throughout the rest of Los Angeles.

As much as we like our city, we are interested in moving out of the area to a place that has four real seasons, less traffic, more greenery, less traffic, friendlier people, and (did I mention?) less traffic. I know many people will think I'm crazy for wanting to move to a place where it snows, but how else am I going to learn how to ice fish?!

Like totally wow (valley talk). It looks to me like the east coast is what you are looking for. When you get away from the major metro areas is when you experience what you are looking for. Teachers and computer experts usually can find jobs wherever they move to.

Living where you do, have you met any movie or TV stars? I found that most are everyday down to earth kind of people.

I actually worked in the film industry for a couple of years during the 90's. I worked mostly on low budget films and a couple of television shows people may have watched. NBC had a show on that was their version of "X-Files" called "Dark Skies." On that set I met a little know actress that later became 7 of 9 on the Star Trek show, Jerri Lynn Ryan, and actor Eric Close that now appears on "Without a Trace."

I also worked with Thomas Hayden Church whom you may remember as Loell on the television show "Wings," while working on a B-movie called "Serial Killing 5 Dummys." I started out working as the Production Manager on that film and ended up being the stunt double for Church. Since he was the killer in the movie, I was the one who ended up attacking all of the victims. One of the victims was Lisa Loeb, who had a hit song, "Stay," in the 90's.

Aside from those I have worked with, living in L.A. means that you will occasionally come across a famous actor from time to time. As a matter of fact, my wife and I were at a high school football game on Halloween this year and Drew Cary was there to watch his nephew play in the game. I think most people that live in L.A. try their best to treat these stars just like regular people, which is the way they should be treated.

As for your statement about how most movie stars are pretty down to earth... I'd take that on a case by case basis. I love to meet humble people, and despise arrogant people, no matter what their field.

Posing his calico bass, Lunker reminds us that given the proper time and conditions, these can be a common catch off the coast of southern California.

Now that's really cool. Here he is ladies and gentlemen, star and producer of TV and movies, heeeeeere's Mickey. That is very interesting. I know a couple that are in TV and movies. Kevin Kilner and his wife Jordan Baker. Kevin is in quite a few movies, TV shows and commercials. He was on a show for a couple of years called Almost Perfect starring with Nancy Travis. You can see him currently in the show Miss Match with Alicia Silverstone. Jordan is currently on one of the soaps as a deranged kidnapper. She has appeared in many other shows as well. Kevin is from Maryland and is first cousin to my son in law Jason. We get to see them when they are in town. They are down to earth nice people. Well, I digress, now back to business on hand.

How many fishermen/women are in your family? I know some are on the boards, do you get to fish with them often?

There are none as passionate about fishing as I am. I used to think my dad, in Texas, was really into fishing, and I guess at one point in the past he was, but not anymore.

Zack is probably the closest to a family fishing buddy I have. Mom doesn't fish much, but she doesn't mind coming along when we take the boat out. Rich, known here as Lunker, bought a boat this year and he likes to fish from time to time, but he prefers to call his boat a ski boat, while I insist it's definitely a fishing vessel.

Shelly also likes to fish, but only with me. She prefers to fish with bait, that I put on the hook, and spends most of her fishing time in a chair relaxing and enjoying the day.

You can't catch ski's from Lunker's boat so it must be a fishing boat. It is nice to kick back and enjoy the weather and relax when out fishing. Shelly has the right idea. Fishing is not all about having a line in the water all the time.

I know you go saltwater fishing with the ocean so close to you and freshwater with the good lakes nearby. What is your favorite kind of fishing? I know I love both fresh and saltwater and at times I can't say I like one better than the other. What is your favorite eating fish that you catch?

"Chucklehead," the rock cod, isn't surprised he was caught... his eyes bulged because of the rapid decompression from 20 fathoms deep.

As you already know, I have more success saltwater fishing than I do freshwater fishing, but I still have to say that bass fishing is my preference. I like that I'm targeting one species, so it makes me study them harder. There's also the connection to my childhood - that's all we ever wanted to fish for.

The thing is though, the longer this site is up, the more I want to try other types of fishing. I'm considering getting into flyfishing starting this month. I like the idea of tying my own flies and seeing if they will be able to catch a trout. That has to be a great feeling - having control over your fishing from start to finish... well, except for the cooking part. That's what Shelly is so good at. She's a great cook, among so many other wonderful attributes.

My favorite fish to eat, though I have not had the opportunity to catch one yet, is definitely salmon. I could eat salmon every day and not tire of it. As for the fish I have caught, I'd say the rock cod tastes the best so far. I'll keep you updated as time goes on in our http://catcherman.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=7" target="_blank">Catcher's Kitchen.

I can taste those fish now, mmmm. I wish that salmon was closer to me to catch. You would have fun catching the American White Shad we have here. They are like miniature tarpon in that they fight hard and jump. They get to be about 8 or 9 lbs. with the average being 4 to 6 lbs.

How and where did you meet Shelly? From the pictures that have been posted of you two, you both make an attractive couple.

Thank you very much, but she's the one who makes the pictures look so good.

We met at a birthday party out here in Northridge. I was working at Kinko's at the time and had a friendly customer that had invited my friends and me to a "college" birthday party, and Shelly was friends with the sister of the birthday girl. The funny thing is, she was told to watch out for me when she got to the party. Apparently I had attempted to dance with every girl there that night and I was a little too "Dark Kingish." Somehow, even with the warning, she warmed to me when we sat down and talked. We had an instant connection and had an easy time talking to one another.

We spoke on the phone for nearly a month before we ventured a date. By then she had learned that I was a hockey player, that often was involved with fisticuffs on the ice, so in essence I had two strikes against me already: hockey fights and the whole "Dark Kingish" thing from the first night we met. Talking over the prior month, I had the opportunity to explain my indiscretions with alcohol from that night, which was not the norm for me, and talk to her more about my passion for hockey. She was not a hockey fan at the time we met.

In a horse drawn carriage, Catcherman and Luregirl sit back and soak up the moments of their vows on their wedding day, July 1, 2001.

When we finally went out, we decided to go out with a group of friends. She invited her girl friends, and I invited my guy friends out to a local pub. The two of us were the ones that drove and were the designated drivers, so our friends were dependent on us to stay or leave. I had one friend that was getting impatient and wanted to leave, but I told him I was really enjoying Shelly and was not ready to leave. He persisted until the point the two of us got into a scuffle in the parking lot of the pub. By the time I was pulled out of the pile of bouncers and friends trying to put a stop to us, I had a shiner on my eye. If that wasn't a strike three, I don't know what would have been. Shelly didn't want anything to do with me after that, and left for home with her friends. Once again, though, we found a way to talk it through over the phone and I managed to convince her that the scuffle had been another dark abberation of my regular life.

She gave me one more chance to prove to her that I wasn't this aweful person that I had displayed to her on our two previous outings. We made a date for a public place to see how things went with just the two of us: we went and saw "Waterboy," the movie. From there on out I behaved myself, except for the hockey stuff, and she came to know me for who I really am. I had been smitten with her from the beginning - knowing that this girl was worth all of the explaining I could muster for myself. She was the catch I had always waited for and I knew it right away. You could understand that she wasn't so sure herself for a while...

The thing that did it for her is when she was sick one night. She had still been dating another guy in the beginning, until about a week or two after our "Waterboy" date. She made plans to visit this other fellow on a night she was sick and when she arrived she was sniffling and caughing and all sorts of visibly sick. He wasn't very comforting and she made a quick exit to go home and get better. With my turn of good luck, I happened to call her on that night when she got back home. She was obviously sick, even over the phone I could tell. She said she was just going to try and get to sleep to forget how miserable she was.

An hour later (she lived thirty minutes away), she heard a buzz to answer the door. There I stood with Won Ton soup (to-go, from my favorite Chinese restaurant), Kleenex, hot tea, and a couple of different types of medicine for her. I didn't know about her date earlier that night until a later date, I just wanted to take care of her and comfort her. That, she tells, is when she finally realized I was the one for her.

You both made a great catch. Good story and very insightful. I liked that. Now I know why you like hockey so much.

If you had the time, where would you like to fish and for what? Let's say you had a year to go and do what you wanted.

The one fishing trip I've been thinking of is a 10-day tuna trip. I'd have to get all new equipment, but for the chance to bring in some of those monster fish I'd do it.

Fish or no fish, FloatinFool and Catcherman find the time to get to know each other at Castaic Lagoon before calling it a day.

But, you said time and money weren't an issue, and I had a year to do it, so that changes things a bit. For about a year now I've had a dream of touring the country fishing with members of catcherman.com. For me, that would be the ultimate fishing trip. I'd visit different members in various areas of the country and fish for whatever they fish for. I wouldn't forget to make a trip across the pond either, so that I could go fish with my favorite (or should I say favourite) ghillie, Blairgowrie.

Since money wasn't an issue, I'd just go shopping with each one of them when I arrived and find out what they buy, why they buy it, and then on the water I'd learn how they use it.

I could do that.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to fish with the different members here! I would believe quite a few people would like to do that also. I know I would, and yes I would like to visit Blairgowrie. Of course you are welcome to fish with me anytime.

I know you would like to try fly fishing, but what kind of fishing do you do now? Casting, spinning, trolling, bay rods and reels, or all of the above?

My main fishing setup is for bass. I have a G-Loomis GL3 Medium-Heavy rod with a Shimano ChronarchSF low-profile baitcasting reel. I'm no pro, but I've had reasonable success with them and I know that I haven't even begun to test the limits of my gear yet.

I'd like to get a nice saltwater setup (see conventional reel and real rod) so the Dark Kings of the Abyss won't be able to laugh at my $20.00 Sportmart combo anymore. But, hey, that combo has given me some nice fish for $20.00! It's just time to move on before it fails me for good. I'm sure I can find someone to donate it to once I get my new gear in order.

Those Dark Kings can be hard on a person. Maybe it is time to move up. Tell us about some of your more memorable fishing trips.

I'll tell you, my most memorable trip is always the last one. My memory isn't as sharp as it once was! I'll tell you about one trip I took this last summer, out of Captain Hook's in Oxnard.

No amount of wind, cold, or ocean-rocking nausea could keep these members away from the first catcherman.com charter, in November 2002.

I had the priveledge of fishing with Bajadave, Little Buddy, and some of their buddies for some rock fish. You can see how much fun we had in the slideshow I made on the site. It didn't matter if we were catching fish or not, we were out there having a great time. At our first stop we were jigging for squid. There we all stood, elbow to elbow at the stern of the boat when I hear Little Buddy yell, "Wave," and up the tip of his rod went, followed by Bajadave, followed by me, and the guy after me, and the guy after him... you get the point. We might as well have been at a football game.

After catching enough squid to fill the bait tank we moved on to try and get some White Seabass. I, with my little Sportmart saltwater spinning combo, hooked up on the first White Seabass of the day and was at full "bendo." Not only was it fun to have a big fish on, but I had my cheerleaders and coaches right there next to me. Little Buddy encouraging me on and Bajadave reminding me to pull up and reel down. It was fantastic. I got the fish all the way to color and the whole boat was in awe just as it snapped the line and got away. Every time Bajadave and I talk about that story the fish gets bigger. I think it's up to about 300 pounds now, but in reality it must have been close to 25.

We moved on from the lost fish and all landed limits of fish that day - but the one that gets away is always the most memorable. I didn't say most tasty, I said most memorable.

Well, you can call it a quick release. That looks like a great trip and Bajadave has to be fun to be with. I would like to try that someday. When the fish hits 400 lbs. let me know.

If you had your choice what type of boat would you want? Something for saltwater, pond, lake, or a reservior set up? How would you like it rigged?

Fishin', floatin', or driftin'... this is the type of boat that would be perfect for spending long and lazy days of summers out on the water enjoying life.

I was thinking it would be a bass boat, but after thinking about it a little more, I would have to go with a sea-going vessel. I've seen the nice fishing boats at the shows out here with the full galley and sleeping quarters, I think that's the way to go. My wife would be happy out there on the ocean whether fishing or just sun bathing, plus we could take friends on fishing trips for days at a time, which means more variety of fish.

My wife is a teacher, so if things worked out well enough, we could spend summers on the boat going from port to port. Hey, all I'd need is a satellite internet feed, right?

If you had the satellite phone you could call from anywhere in the world. I have known many people that are into boating big time. Some hardly take their boat out and socialize at the marina, while others get the most use from their boat fishing and traveling. It can be fun either way, but I like your idea best.

Since you live in an area with some of the biggest bass in the U.S., how would you go about catching the big ones?

I know how to catch them, in theory. I've still never landed a big bass here in California. My plan is to use a large swimbait or Nathan's Assassin plug just after a trout plant and swim the bait through the active feeding areas. I've read articles from the guys that have caught monster bass here like: Bob Crupi, Bill Siemantel, and Mike Long. They all recommend using the large trout-like swimbaits.

The other way you can catch big bass here is to use live shad at the right time of the year. They make special shad nets with fluorocarbon netting that is nearly invisible to the shad. The nets cost over a hundred dollars each and are about eight feet long so you don't spook the school of shad when you're dipping for them. They also die easily so you have to install an aeration system in your bait tank (or bucket) to keep them swimming throughout the day. At certain times of the year, on Castaic and Casitas, this is the only way to catch any bass at all.

Those special shad nets are new to me. If you catch a biggun using shad, I would guess the cost is worth it.

Do you have any fishing superstitions? Any rituals or good luck things?

I used to play the soundtrack to "Shine" every time I was on my way to fish, but that was usually on the way to Castaic and I've yet to catch a fish there. So, needless to say, I don't play that soundtrack on the way to fish anymore. If I have any superstitions, I guess it would just be that now, not playing the soundtrack.

Maybe you have to change lakes. The music is good.

Have you ever made any lures for your own fishing enjoyment? If so what kind? I know when the winter here is cold and you can't get out on the water, making lures is a good pastime.

I've never made a lure, but one of my wishes for the new year is to start tying flies for flyfishing. The guys in our flyfishing forum do a fly swap and want me to join them. They've sent me some of the flies they've made in the past and I think they're amazing creations.

Since I'm interested in tying, I picked up a newsletter for the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers, a fly tying club here in Los Angeles, and read about a class they will be having in January. As I was reading the article, I noticed a name that stood out to me, Mas Okui, who is to be one of the tying teachers in the class. After thinking about it for a bit, I realized that was the same name as my high school History teacher.

Upon further investigation, using Google of course, I realized it was in fact the same man. So I emailed the person that wrote the article in the newsletter letting him know who I was and who Mas was to me, and I asked him to pass the info on to Mas. I've since gotten in touch with Mas and we both finally recognized each other. I'm looking forward to the class in January, but also to meeting up with one of my favorite teachers from high school and hopefully learning some great insight into the sport of flyfishing.

Fishing buddies, loyal to the end, Catcherman and Zestyfish, compare the day's fish findings.

That is really a good story. What a nice coincidence to be reunited with your high school teacher. Now, you will get to learn from him again.

Do you like to fish with someone or do you enjoy fishing by yourself sometimes?

I prefer to have someone there with me. That's why I wish my brother Zack would finally catch a freshwater fish. Then he might get more excited about getting out on the water with me. So far, he's only been able to haul in fish in the saltwater and he likes going out there.

Occassionally I'll go out and fish by myself, during the summer, and I enjoy the serenity of it all. There are no questions, and the problems are all my own. There's a calmness that you don't get when fishing with someone else, but when you find a fishing partner that you enjoy, you just can't beat the time you get fishing with them.

It is peaceful to be by yourself, especially when the weather is ideal. In freshwater, do you fish for any other species besides bass?

Trout? I was fishin' for bass! Hey Lunker wanna trade? Eeh, trout's good too, I'll take it. A surprise catch can come at any time - targeting a species doesn't always produce the intended result.

I'll fish for trout and catfish sometimes. As a matter of fact, the last time I was at Lake Piru I was fishing for bass and Lunker, my step-dad, was fishing for trout. I pulled up the first fish of the day and it was a trout. He pulled in a fish just minutes later and it was a bass. Our lines must have been crossed down there.

I'd fish for catfish more often if the baits didn't stink everything up so much. I accidentally spilled a concoction of cut mackerel marinated in fish oils and garlic once in the trunk of my car. Only a few drops made any contact with material in the trunk, but it took more than a month to recover from the smell.

We have had a nice and long interview, but I have a few final questions and reflections.

Tell us what it is like to have started catcherman.com. It's trials, tribulations and the enjoyment you derive from it.

I know I consider this my second home. You have put an enormous amount of time, money and work into this site. How does it feel to have created a class site where men and women can relate and be educated? I think I know the answer to that. Where a family atmosphere is the norm. Where all members share information to the betterment of others. We have members from all over the world who has given us a taste of their areas.

I can say this, I am a proud member of Catcherman.com. Mickey you did this. You brought us all together. We all thank you.

Do More Than Just Get Your Tackle Wet

It feels like I had a child. When I started, I had selfish aspirations of simply finding a way to learn how to fish better myself, but it quickly began to take on a life of its own. As interest grew I started to realize a bit of the potential I had in the site and that I would be able to use it as a tool to teach many others how to fish. It hasn't stopped surprising me yet, nor do I think it will. I've come to expect the constant change and evolution going on here.

As catcherman.com turned one year old, we took a trip out on the water and celebrated with a birthday cake courtesy of Catchermom.

When the first anniversary of the site came along last July it was nice, but I didn't feel like we had really hit a significant milestone. Things still seemed the same the day after as they did the day before. I think even more important than that day was the more recent day that we got our 1000th member on the site. I felt accomplished when that finally happened and I've noticed a change in the community since that time. I was just reading through posts a few nights ago and began thinking, for the first time, that this site will continue to prosper no matter what. The variety of people, and topics here, go far beyond what I've seen elsewhere and the level of maturity mixed in with good humor is unique among all of the online communities I've known as well. There is no sterile, corporate, environment behind all of this, we are what we seem: friendly and supportive of one another.

My dreams for catcherman.com continue to grow. I like hearing people call this their favorite website, and the best fishing website around, but my goal is to make sure that we live up to those lofty titles. I'd like everyone to know this is the place to be if you want to better your skills or share your experiences, and make it a warm place to come home to for our growing family of catchermen.

Fishing isn't just about fishing, it is about doing more than just getting your tackle wet.

To read previous Member Spotlights, click here.