INTERVIEW: South Carolina fisherman tries to be ‘Top Hooker’ on Animal Planet

Top Hooker, Animal Planet’s new competition series, features a number of strange fishing contests, all with the intent of finding the best all-around angler in the United States. Patrick Crawford, a saltwater fishing guide from South Carolina, is one of the contestants on the inaugural season, and he recently chatted with Hollywood Soapbox about his experiences on the show.

“I applied to be on the show, and they asked me to shoot a little video and show a little bit about myself,” Crawford said recently during a phone interview. “They flew me out to L.A. and said, you know what, we like you and put me on the show.”

The series, which airs Sundays at 10 p.m., features unusual contests and “steep” competition, according to Crawford.

“Every person that is on the show has a different background,” he said. “So everyone has a specialty, but, you know, the thing that really surprised me was just some of the things we had to do on the show.”

On the recently-aired premiere episode, the anglers were caught off guard with the first challenge. “We’re all used to fishing. We fish with rods. We fish with reels, spear guns, with our hands. But in the first challenge, when they tell us, ‘OK, hop in this giant tank and start catching fish with your mouth,’ that surprised all of us. … Where can this show possibly go from here?”

Crawford said he originally thought the show was going to be like Survivor with the requisite backstabbing that comes with reality series. The end result was far different. “Something I was told when I got there was, look around you, and these people that are on this show with you, you’re going to share a life experience that no one else has ever experienced before,” he said. “And these people are going to become some of your closest friends that you’ve ever had, more so than even the people you spent four years of high school with. And it couldn’t be more true. I talk to most of the guys from the show on a regular basis. I think I talked to eight of the 10 people today alone.”

Crawford comes from a fishing family. He grew up learning about freshwater habitats with his grandfather and father. Fifteen years ago, he met his wife, and his future father-in-law invited him on a boat trip. “I thought he was taking me out to go tie bricks to my legs, but it turns out he was taking me fishing,” he said. “We went out, and I caught my first redfish. And from that day on, I’ve been hooked. I went from catching a redfish to fishing on a professional redfish tour, which I’ve been doing for the past 10 years, to becoming a saltwater fishing guide and taking people fishing every day of my life. So that’s what I get up every single day and do. I just got off the water an hour ago from taking some clients fishing.”

Crawford said he’s at the point in his career where he enjoys watching other people catch fish. He first asks his clients what’s the largest fish they’ve ever caught, and usually by the end of the day, he can help them beat that record. And he still becomes giddy when the line pulls into the water. “When that fish started taking off, I’m sitting there yelling and screaming. I’m probably one of the most excited people you’ll ever see when it comes down to seeing a fish get caught.”

The fishing community, both on and off the reality series, is a tight-knit group. Crawford said if he sits next to someone who enjoys angling, he has something in common. That love for the outdoors and the thrill of the catch bonds him with the larger community.

“I could sit down at a dinner table and anyone could come sit down beside me and we could talk probably for four hours just on how to catch a fish,” he said.

Nowadays, Crawford has left freshwater behind, focusing his efforts on redfish and large, large sharks. He said he enjoys the 90-minute fights for sharks that can grow to 10-plus feet in length. “There’s nothing like that in this world,” he said. “You can’t go chase great whites obviously because they’re a protected species. So the colder waters are where they live, but the warmer waters — Florida, South Carolina — we get the major run up here in South Carolina right around this time of the year, and it lasts all summer long when the weather gets hot and all the bait comes in. If you’re chasing sharks, the summer months of Charleston, S.C., are hot and heavy.”

A recent fishing trip that Crawford led resulted in a number of catches, including 10 sharks and a large bull redfish. “I’m more of a trophy guy. I target large fish. So we normally practice CPR — catch, picture, release. We like to get the client there and get them that thrill of catching something that’s huge, and then take it, turn it around, let them have that picture to take home for memories.”

This angler is living a life often relegated to the dream world. “Everybody wants to be a fishing guide,” he said. “What better job in the world could you possibly have than to get up every morning, put the boat in the water, pick up your clients, and take them out fishing, and just be outside all the time. I mean there’s no greater thrill in the world.”

For the record, the most memorable catch of Crawford’s life is his first redfish. “That fish created my career. That fish put me into my job. It put me into my sport that I do as far as tournament. It put me on Top Hooker. That fish has done everything for me. I have a 15-inch redfish tattooed on my leg because of that fish.”

And for those who need a solid fish tale: His boat’s largest take was caught last summer. It was a 12-foot lemon shark off the coast of Sullivan’s Island, S.C. His client fought for an hour and a half before handing off the rod to someone else to finish the ordeal. It was a struggle, but the team brought in the sweet feeling of salty satisfaction.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Top Hooker airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Animal Planet.