Thanks Jeff. The "flooding" thing terrifies me. I've had terrible nightmares where suckers were on me and I couldn't get them off. In fact the easiest way to torture me for information would be to put a few suckers under my nose.... lucky for me I don't know nothin

I think that easing into exposure is a good idea, and others have mentioned it as well. Maybe I should print out some sucker pictures and put them up around the house. Kinda weird I guess. When I was looking at some pictures of them online today it didn't take long for me to feel the start of a panic attack.

It's strange. There's a part of me that doesn't want to get used to them because they're just so gross... it doesn't feel like I *should* have to ever come in contact with them. But really, I can't be sacrificing 5 or more flies on whitefish in a single night (which has happened, even fishing dries only)...that's pretty childish.

Today at work I was thinking back on this fear and remembered a time in the canoe with my dad. We used to float the Blackfoot together a lot many years ago (never did like floating rapids in a canoe), and I remember one specific time when I hooked a whitefish and he was really getting pissed because I wouldn't take it off the hook. I remember really trying to get up the courage and eventually just breaking him off. Of course my dad was mad because he probably bought the flies that day, and no doubt because I was afraid of a darn whitefish. Now he just laughs about it, but I bet that day didn't help my phobia much.