“The tug is the drug” (also “The tug is my drug” or “The tug is a drug”) is a fishing saying that has been printed on many images. The “tug” is the tug of a fish at the end of a fishing line.
 
“The tug is the drug” was printed in the Washington (DC) Post on November 5, 2006, and in the New York (NY) Times on February 12, 2008. “#thetugisthedrug” was posted on Twitter by Graeme Johannessen on August 7, 2011.
 
“The Tug Is My Drug” is the title of a blog, with the first post on September 16, 2009. “#thetugismydrug” was posted on Twitter by Andrew Hans on March 16, 2012.
 
“The tug is a drug #flyfishing” was posted on Twitter by Gene on May 26, 2013. “#thetugisadrug” was posted on Twitter by Danny Johnson on January 27, 2014.
   
       
5 November 2006, Washington (DC) Post, “November Means Feeding Time for Fish, and Fishermen” by Angus Phillips, pg. E4:
We were six aboard Becky D, a convivial group. Host was Jim Rivers, a Georgia-born obstetrician who “bought the day” at a Coastal Conservation Association banquet. Rivers is as far as you can get from a stuffy old doctor—he says he’d rather catch lots of little fish than one big trophy. He loves feeling the strike. “The tug is the drug,” says he.
 
12 February 2008, New York (NY) Times, “A Short Cast Away: New York is a place of islands, estuaries, beaches and bays. There’s a lot of nearby water, full of willing fish. Especially now”” by Sam Sifton, pg. F6, col. 4:
“The tug is the drug,” Captain McCarthy said.
   
Twitter
Nic Jepson
@onejeppolino
Another hard day on the water and caught some super fish…..even had a shot at some Permit….....new fishing slogan…the Tug is the Drug
5:27 PM - 2 Apr 2009
       
The Tug Is My Drug
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I’m blogging son!!!!!
I’m going to start documenting my fly fishing adventures on this blog. Be on the lookout for large fish, bent rods, and gratuitous shots of microbrews.
Posted by The tug is my drug at 10:55 AM
 
Twitter
Cory Dixon
@Cory4D
The tug is my drug http://bit.ly/3XsCaT
2:00 PM - 16 Sep 2009
       
Twitter
Graeme Johannessen
@skinke
Venter på regnet. Stig elv, stig! Vil ut og fiske før ferien er slutt:) #thetugisthedrug
Translated from Norwegian by Microsoft
Waiting for the rain. Stig River, Stig! Will out and fish before the holidays are over 😊 #thetugisthedrug
4:31 AM - 7 Aug 2011
 
Twitter   
Andrew Hans
@AndrewHans
Leaving for Florida with @casey_buckner. Fishing hardcore this weekend #thetugismydrug
10:21 AM - 16 Mar 2012
 
Google Books
Design, Make, Play:
Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators
Edited by Margaret Honey and David E. Kanter
New York, NY: Routledge
2013
Pg. 204:
Feel the Line
Experienced fishermen understand that “the tug is the drug.”
   
Twitter
Gene
@genolong
The tug is a drug #flyfishing
10:04 PM - 26 May 2013
       
Twitter 
Danny Johnson
@Djohn_3
Time to go back joq21 @shayeNash @cjthegoat. #leesferry #thetugisadrug #tightlines #idratherbefishing http://instagram.com/p/jrrDj6gUFA/
1:29 PM - 27 Jan 2014
 
YouTube
Born To Fish BC - The Tug Is The Drug
Born to Fish BC
Published on Feb 14, 2015
In this video I try to touch on why fishing is such a special gift for all of us to share. It’s more than catching a fish with a rod and a reel. It’s spending time in the outdoors. Getting close to nature. Spending time with family and friends. This and more. Pop in for a look and leave your comments as why fishing is important to you.
 
Twitter
Angling Active
@anglingactive
The tug is a drug! Read about a recent successful trip and how it was done. Angling Active http://fb.me/7muk3z8pK
11:33 AM - 10 Jul 2015
 
OCLC WorldCat record
The tug is the drug : 30 fly-fishing essays from the New York times & beyond
Author: Chris Santella
Publisher: Guilford, Connecticut : Stackpole Books, 2017.
Edition/Format:   eBook : Document : English : First Stackpole books hardcover edition
Summary:
“First published as an e-book in 2014 by Headwater Books/Midcurrent.”
   
Summit Daily (Summit County, CO)
Spring ice fishing on the honey holes of Lake Dillon
Sports | March 25, 2017
Story and photos by Phil Lindeman
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The hazy sun had just started falling behind the Gore Range when Andrew Hoofman saw a slight tug on the line.
(...)
“That tug is my drug, man,” Hoofman said, and then laughed.
 
Bay Weekly (Annapolis, MD)
February 15, 2019
Can’t Wait for Rockfish Season?
Bundle up, pack a long rod and head to Sandy Point
By Dennis Doyle
(...)
Visiting the beaches over the years, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see catches at almost every visit. Lots of the fish are small, but size doesn’t seem to matter. As the old saying goes, The tug is the drug.
 
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