Obsessed... yes. Die hard... maybe. Hardcore... no, not really.
First of all, I don't think there's anything wrong with you, which probably means I've got some of the same "issues"
1. Obsessed: I think about fishing all the time. At home, at work, in the car... different areas, different lures, different techniques to try. In the season, I'm all about bass. During the winter, I completely obsess over my trip to florida. I read about fishing, I constantly have a cabelas or bass pro shops catalog in my hand. I record fishing shows and watch them over and over. If its not fishing, its probably ocean related.
My vacations always revolve someway around fishing. Now it may be one day on a flats charter and 4 days of disney and sea world, but I need to fish.
2. Die hard: Two saturdays ago I stayed out 10 hours in the sometimes pouring rain and well into the point the winds were approaching 30mph (and was rewarded with a nice 23#er). I had already caught 60+ schoolies which is all I had in mind for that day, but I'd found a few pollack and thought a good fish would top off the day. Whenever that moment comes when I'm debating going in or staying out, I almost always stay out, whether the fishing is good or bad... so, maybe a die hard.
3. Hardcore: If I won the lottery tonight, I'd be out there probably 5-6 days per week starting tomorrow. And then come winter, I'd be stalking the flats and mangroves somewhere very far south of here, 5-6 days per week.
As it stands, I have a nice job, a house, 3 kids I yell at too much, and a marriage that struggles enough as it is. I just can't devote the time to fishing that I want. And we all know its not just the time on the water. Its the travel time, time spent cleaning equip/boats, and the sleep you've lost. And how tired am I going to be when I have to take care of 3 kids when I get home.
I've thought about ways I could try and make a living at it, but it would be a leap I can't take. I have to keep the family first. I think I have a good balance. I fish a day each weekend. I have a good job with plenty of vacation time and flexibility, so I take a few days a month off to fish during the week.
I've been fishing since 4-5 years old... Serious fishing since around 12. Thats almost 25 years now. At times, its been hardcore, obsessive, etc for whatever species. I won my first of many BASS club tournaments my first year at 16. At Penn State, I'd be late meeting the crew at the bars because I was hitting the sulfur fly hatch at Spring Creek. Now its stripers, and occasionally redfish and tarpon (though, my tarpon record is not very impressive
.
To me, its about the coolest thing there is... I've caught alot of different species in some awesome locales like remote canadian shield lakes, the cape and islands and the everglades. Alot of sunrises, foggy mornings, sunsets and starry nights.
Are you crazy? am I? No way. Are we crazy cause we want to be out on the water instead of crawling along I-93, or sitting in front of computer, or fixing a car, or mowing the lawn?
If you really think about it, wanting to fish all the time may be the sanest thing we do in life.