Fishing With a Cat: How “Harbor” Became My Favorite Fishing Companion

Boat Exploration: How Harbor Made the Rod Locker His Playground

He immediately had an insatiable curiosity and wanted to explore every inch of the boat. Any time I lost sight of him, I panicked, thinking surely he had gone overboard. But usually he was crawling around under the steering console or exploring his favorite spot: the hole in the boat that formerly held a cup holder. Once down that hole he could crawl through the rod locker, up by the batteries and even up to the nose of the boat. He became absolutely obsessed with crawling around in there. Even now as an adult, he constantly sticks his head in the hole, but he's too big to fit in it.

Fishing Feline: Harbor Discovers His Love for Fish

Harbor quickly took a liking to fish. The first fish he ever saw was a perch nearly as big as he was. He pawed at it hesitantly, then pounced on it. Soon, he was licking any fish I intended to keep, watching them swim in the livewell and chewing on their fins if he got the chance. It was soon clear he liked fish almost as much as I do.

Zoomies and Minnows: Boating With a Fishing Cat

From there it snowballed. I started bringing him along most times I went fishing. Sometimes he gets the zoomies and suddenly sprints around the boat, bouncing off my tackle box and jumping onto boat seats. But for the most part, he is pretty chill.

He doesn't like the sound of the motor. When we're motoring across the lake, he's usually zipped inside his backpack so I don't have to keep an eye on him. But once we're where we want to fish, he's free to roam the boat and not once has he jumped overboard (so far). He's usually preoccupied trying to get minnows out of the minnow bucket, pawing at walleye in the livewell or trying his best to fit down the cup holder (now that's he's bigger, I prop open the rod locker so he can still explore the inside of the boat).

Early Disembarking Leads to a Muddy Mishap

Our first summer, our only mishap happened after we were done canoeing. The canoe bottomed out on shore, but it was soupy mud around us. I needed to walk to the nose of the boat, jump out and pull us up farther before exiting. But when the boat stopped, Harbor assumed the mud was land and jumped out. The poor little critter was doggy paddling through soupy mud!

Yes, He Ice Fishes Too: Harbor on the Hardwater

Of course, last winter I brought him out ice fishing as well. Ice fishing with a cat requires additional preparation. He gets a blanket to snuggle in, but because he's strong-willed, he usually lays on the ice and ignores the blanket on the ice next to him. Once in the shack, he watches down the hole for crappie and chews on my line. On nice days, we go outside where he explores on his leash, which isn't nearly long enough.

This spring on a warm, late-ice day after all the snow had melted, I was just going to let him run free on the ice. We were the only ones out there and I figured he probably couldn't get into trouble. That is, until I saw three eagles perched in a tree along the shoreline. So on the leash he stayed.

Tips for Fishing With a Cat: Litter Boxes, Snacks, and Safety

It takes a little extra planning to bring a cat fishing. I always bring a litter box in the boat. On rough days, if you take a wave over the bow, the litter clumps up and makes a mess. I thought I'd get around that once by filling the box with sand, but it just blew everywhere as we motored across the lake.

Now I'm just more careful, and we prefer to fish the calm days anyway. I bring some food and a dish for lake water. And sometimes he gets a toy if there are no fish to play with. But that usually doesn't matter. He's usually busy exploring the boat compartments or eating my minnows.

The Best Fishing Buddy I Never Expected

You don't see many cats in fishing boats, but I love having my favorite fishing companion along. Now if I could just teach him to clean those fish ...