The hook set, blow ups, and the chance to make new memories.

I don't know how true it is but I read somewhere online that the act of casting and waiting for a bite (action/reward) triggers the same areas of the brain as the act of dropping a coin in a slot and pulling the arm on a slot machine......and is just as addictive for this reason.

This!

I love bass fishing and spend most of my fishing for bass, but I also love fishing in general. I love to crappie fish in the winter, and throw some cut bait for some cats too. When I was I kid we used to pot hole a lot. Wading down creeks and rivers back home throwing a Beatle spin catching whatever would bite(goggle eyes, perch, and bass)..... Heck I just love the outdoors and fishing. Dang I wish I was fishing right now.

For me it's the strike, the hook set, the dissapointments and the pride and glory of success. That feeling after a couple slow trips and you pull up to that one spot and totally whack em. Or when you've pitched or cast your jig 300 times and on cast 301 you feel that slight little thump or tick and you reel down and jack em and the rod stays bent double. I live for that stuff.

You know I never thought of it that way but I believe that has allot of truth to it. I know that I get all nervous and depressed when I cant fish every day for at least and hour or more. Even when I know I wont catch a thing I still have to go. Fishing is my crack. I probably spend just as much on it as a meth head does on dope.

Adrenaline.

Just like a lot of other "passions" in life.
Catch a big fish and look at your hands shake.

To me it is the ultimate challenge. I own many guns but I don't hunt. I hit what I aim at so it is not a challenge for me to kill an animal with my scope sighted .300 Mag.

In fishing, you have to present a lure to an unseen (most of the time) creature in hopes of tempting it to open its mouth and bite.

The bite, the jump, the fight, the adrenaline rush of landing a trophy is what keeps me coming back.