Julia Dorn-Buckler
	Producer

Meeting and interviewing the world’s most amazing anglers for Michael Hoff Productions’ Hooked! is always a wild, unforgettable ride. Hooking President George H.W. Bush for an interview is a record catch!

Scanning headlines for fishing news, as soon as I see the 41st President’s headline, tarpon whopper, I know it’s perfect for our ongoing Hooked specials. The shows feature white-knuckle catches of man against monster fish. To reel in this celebrity interview takes five press kits, seven cover letters, three emails and extensive security clearances. Just like an angler, I stake out my fishing ground… and wait.

Suddenly, I get the green light. The interview’s on! Arriving at GHW Bush’s famed Kennebunkport, ME home, I meet the former president face-to-face. With cameras rolling, Mr. Bush shares the story of his glorious tarpon catch. A tough tug of war he pulled off with fishing buddy and former Olympic skier Andy Mill. (Another fun, celebrity interview I snag for the show!) During the interview, Mr. Bush says, “It was the thrill of a lifetime. And I’ve had a lot of thrills in my 84-year old life. This was better than walking up Madison Avenue following Sophia Loren.”

Next, we head into the former president’s personal fishing shed. Beaming, Mr. Bush opens up tackle boxes, demonstrates colorful flies and rattle baits, shows us gleaming rods and framed photographs of the Bush family fishing. It’s clearly in their blood – a long tradition he’s passed onto his whole clan, including the current president.

Next, I hop onto GHW’s golf cart, marked with “Hands Off – Property of 41”. As we speed off, Secret Service can barely keep up. Arriving at a beautiful spot, we overlook Maine’s coastline and the rocks where Mr. Bush started fishing in 1928. Here, his grandfather taught him to catch mackerel by trolling a little jig and handkerchief.

As much as I’d like to keep the interview going, I know I have to practice catch-and-release. Waving goodbye, my gaze follows Mr. Bush as he speeds off in his 900 horsepower motorboat, like a whopper catch happy to return to the sea.