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[Mike Cork]

In my quest to remind everyone about our youth and how they want to go fishing too. I thought it would be cool to find out how and where all of us started?

I was very fortunate in that my father was a very big time bass fisherman. Back in the early seventies it really was just getting going. So much so that my father was a co founder of the original MBAA. Many may or may not recognize that but it moved on to Operation Bass, and finally the American Bass Association.. Anyway... Bottom Line, I was heavily around bass fishing from the start.

Some of my earliest memories of bass fishing were on ponds. Fishing golf course ponds, retention ponds, pretty much anywhere I could fish from shore. If dad couldn't take me I was riding my bike with my fishing rod and a pocket full of baits. Dad always made sure I got out in the 16 foot tri hull terry bass boat (top of the line then  ) when ever possible. Not always for bass fishing, sometimes for crappie, cat fish, or what every was biting. When I got to go, the goal wasn't so much bass as catching something, even bream or bluegill were a blast. It didn't take long to evolve into an addiction, I was even known to cut school to go fishing. While they weren't my worst butt whoop'n dad still wouldn't tolorate it, but he knew there were worse things so he took it easy on on my rear end 

To remember my very first day on the water would be impossible. Dad has photo's of me holding a rod that are beyond this mind to remember. However I do remember my personal best when I was 4 years old, it weighed as much as I was of age. A 4 pounder caught on a zebco 22. Dad said I had seen the fish in the water near some grass and made a hundred cast to it. He figures I finally made it mad  I don't remember the story all that well, but I remember pulling it on shore and being to much bass for me to handle. I remember putting it on the metal stringer and putting sticks and rocks on it and then standing on it because I didn't want it to get away. And finally I remember the big deal that mom and dad made out of that 4 pounder when we got home to take pictures. While today I'd let a four pounder go, that fish was dinner for us and part of the adventure that a 4 year old remembers.

SO what's your first fish, earliest memorable story  These are the things we need to be passing on, so tell all and inspired someone to take a kid fishing.

[kidd]

Crappie fishing at Mingo Wildlife Refuge with minnows, bobbers, and telescopic cane poles. We'd park the truck and walk, ride bikes, or if the water was high enough paddle a canoe back about 2 1/2 miles to a horn and limit out three people within a couple hours. Dad would wake us up at the crack of way too early with biscuits, gravy, eggs, sausage, etc all ready to eat and off we went. Started as a kid in the 70s and stopped when I was in my teens after finding girls. . Wish I'd kept fishing with my Dad.

[Bobby Saffel]

My first fishing memory was my dad taking me out in a 2 man pirogue (I think i was about 5) to catch catfish with a cane pole. All he had was a kayak style paddle and paddled us from the launch of tenaha creek on Toledo Bend all the way to the mouth of the creek. Man that was fun. We caught tons of them. I remember seeing my cork hit the water and it was like it had a brick tied to it. Hit the water and kept going. If I remember we filed up a 36qt ice chest. Those were the days.

[Broskee]

My first time I can remember was with my dad sitting on the banks of the suwannee river. Catching whatever but mostly cats and red bellies. I do remember though when we lived in alabama all I would do is hit the farm ponds and catch bass. This is where I caught MY PB too lol.

[pawpaw]

First fish I remember catching was what we called a goggle eyed perch. I must have been about 4 at the time. Was fishing in Cowhouse Creek with my mom, dad and baby brother. Caught it on a willow pole we cut off the bank. I jerked so hard the fish flew over my head. I was on it almost by the time it hit the ground. Like someone else said I fished every chance I got until I was a teenager and discovered girls and motorcycles. Didn't start back until I was in my late 30's. Didn't really start bass fishing until I was almost 50. Now I wonder why I wasted all that time. 

[brian_w_watson]

First time fishing was with my dad at the Little Rock Air Force Base lake and its the same place i caught my first fish.  Still have the rod, reel and lure:  Abu Garcia red spin caster, Eagle Claw rod, Devil's Horse prop bait.   

[Mike Cork]

Awesome reads guys and gals keep them coming, I love this kind of stuff

[bassbmx]

My first time out was with my dad in a little 16 foot Tracker on Juno Lake. I can still remember my first keeper bass like it was yesterday. I was using a junebug Zoom trick worm on a texas rig and it was pouring down rain. I can even remember which way the boat was facing. He used to fish a lot of tournaments and I remember going to the weigh-ins when I could barely walk. We went all over the place in that little Tracker, even Lake Michigan.

[DonM]

Like most of the others, I can barely remember when I started fishing.  Both my parents loved to fish, especially my Mom.  Mostly crappie (it was in Oklahoma, so bream were perch).  My folks kept a floating cabin on Grand Lake and we went there nearly every weekend for years.  We would fish through the opening in the floor in the winter, next to a woodburning stove.
In junior high a friend and I would ride our bikes to local ponds and try to catch anything that would bite.  I can remember catching fish on strips of bologna, cheese, grasshoppers, worms--you name it. 
I started bass fishing in my teens with a close friend that was about a year older.  My favorite reel was a Zebco spinning reel with a trigger underneath to release the bail. 
When my friend and I became old enough to drive, we had some wild adventures on Grand Lake, Spavina, and Fort Gibson in addition to countless local ponds.  Later they built Eufala, Hudson, and more.
One time we got caught on Mr. Paul Wilson's private pond about two in the morning, with a stringer of bass that would win most tournaments easily. We were catching them on big black jitterbugs.  He wouldn't let anybody fish his pond and he had a reputation for shooting at trespassers, but thank goodness all he did was scare us to death.  He had come down to check on some cattle that were making noise or we would never have gotten caught. He didn't see the stringer of fish we had tied in the water, so after he left, we waited about an hour and went back and got them.   My mom worked at the only bank in town, so by 9 a.m., she and everyone else in town knew about it.   Didn't keep her from frying the fish though!
Fast forward 50 years--I had taken my mom fishing with me on Benton Black Bayou.  At the time seniors weren't required to have a fishing license.  Game warden stopped us and asked to see my license and I showed it to him.  He said thanks, have a nice day.  Mom asked him why he didn't ask for her license and the idiot said she looked old enough not to need one.  She said well I am, but YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED anyway!
I miss my mom and dad.
DonM

[bonerfortuna]

On the Unadilla River in Upstate NY. My folks bought a little cottage on the bank and we then got a Sears 12ft Jonboat, no motor, just oars. I sponged an occasional ride in the neighbors outboard powered V bottom and began my passion from there. Little did I know that just 8 miles downstream was the early stages of the famous Susquahanna River. I still Google Earth that place and have fond memories of all the honey holes I discovered back then. Thanks for reminding me !

[Bud Kennedy]

As a kid in Rural Ohio, my first fishing effort was with my older brother.  He rode me to Clearfork reservoir on his bicycle.  Since he worked at the boat house in the summer he was able to use an old wooden row boat for free.  I was about six and my brother rowed us to the west end of the lake where we spent the day catching bullheads.  I remember it to this day.  My fishing then migrated to the many farm ponds in our area.  My best friend Jim and I would ride our bikes to these ponds and hike back thru the fields and do some bass fishing.  I had no idea at the time just how good those ponds were.  We often fished these ponds at night for some spectacular top water action with poppers and jitterbugs.  I guess that tells you that I am an older guy and wish may times that others could have had that simple and innocent experience.  Now I have fished on many lakes in a lot of areas of the country but I still remember those humble but exciting beginnings.

[bigjim5589]

It's been about 50 years ago for me. My best recollection was at about age 7, from a private pier on the Magothy River here in MD, fishing with bait for White Perch. My dad had a friend who lived on the river. I remember catching a very large eel too, and my dads friend almost fell off the pier when I reeled in that eel. He thought it was a snake! 

Funny, I can't remember things I did last week, but I can remember fishing from that pier. I guess we all have to have priorities! 

[Champriderz]

My mom used to tell me how my father would take me along on short hunting and fishing trips even putting me on his shoulders when I got tired or it got too rough for me.  My first real memories are of fishing are of a creek bank catching small bream for the adults to use to catch bass or jackfish (chain pickerel).  My dad was a "dyed in the wool" panfish fisherman so my earliest bass catches were caught throwing one of the two or three lures I had as we motored along from spot to spot with the three horsepower outboard on a twelve foot plywood jonboat. 

Do you know how much I would love to go back to those days?

[crash]

I started fishing at Port Aransas, Tx. ( gulf coast ).  I started as soon as I could hold a pole.  Me and my twin would fish for anything that would bite dead shrimp.  Both my parents were big into salt water fishing when I was growing up. So, when Shawn got together, I got him into salt water ( he already had been in several bass tournies). After many years he finally got me to try bass fishing, which I really didn't want to do because I thought it was boring.  Now look, I love it and want to compete.

See, your never to old to learn something new.

[West6550]

I remember my dad taking me in his friends house and we bank fished off the backyard. I remember he caught a "trash fish" spotted gar. My first memory of me catching is off the dock at a hotel my mom worked when I was 4 or 5ish. Lots of pan fish off that dock. Also my first bass was off a worm at the same hotel different dock. A guy fishing there seen me struggling and helped lift the fish out. It was around 4-6lbs? I just remember it died and the guy was excited saying it was bigger than any bass he had ever caught. I just remember my mother said I couldn't fish off that dock because a big gator sunned on it a lot. The dock end went into the water then. Now that same concrete dock is 4 ft out of the water.... I moved a lot as a kid and didn't fish again till 11 or 12 in Idaho fishing creeks. Then fished a handful of times between 13 and 16. Then stopped till about 3 years ago I met Brad (CFFA) while in school and he got me back into fishing just a few years back.

[Donald Garner]

My grandpa and dad use to take me fishing on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in St. Louis back in the late 60's.  We bank fished for Carp, Catfish and Fresh water Drum anything that would eat those Wheaties's dough balls and night crawlers.  I used old hand me downs Zebco 202's from my grandpa has he would upgrade his tackle to the new Johnson Spin casting reels like Virgil Ward used in his shows.  Once I turned 16 and started working I purchased my first car (59 Ford Station Wagon) and started going out on my own fishing the rivers and small conservation lakes located at Busch Wildlife area in Weldon Springs Missouri.  During my Junior year in High School my dad purchased a 15ft V bottom fiberglass fishing boat with a 5 hp Eska outboard.  He never used it and was going to sell it and I was lucky enough to have first rights at it.  I bought a Pfluger single speed trolling motor; swivel seats, anchor mates; rod holders had it looking good for the time period.  I started watching Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, Roland Martin and became hooked on bass fishing.  I started venturing out to the upper Mississippi River Oxbows North of St. Louis and started practicing everything I saw my fishing hero's do on television.  I was fortune enough to have enough HS credits for graduation that my Senior year I went to school a half a day and wound up graduating at mid semester.  My job I had afforded me the $$$ to upgrade my fishing equipment to Abu Garica bait casting reels and Lew Pistol Grip Speed Sticks.  The company I worked for gave me a $ 500.00 Christmas Bonus and I spent right at all of that on fishing tackle. 

Now here we are 39 yrs later living that dream of hauling azz up and down the lake in High Performace Bass boat and $$$$$ dollars worth of equipment still chasing those little green fish. 

[Brazzy]

I started in my uncles back yard at cookouts. I kept asking for more hot dogs and they kept giving them to me not realizing I was using pieces of hot dog and the bun to catch blue gill. I then graduated to fishing with my father in a small pond with a bucket of shiners. I very quickly fell in love with Jimmy Houston Outdoors and started throwing poppers as my first lure. I then started taking trips up to lake winnisquam in NH and caught my first 4lb+ fish. I then started going with my father to his golf course. Sometimes he would fish with me, and I would fish on my own on days he was in a tournament. These small ponds were packed with 3-5 lb bass and I would have a ball. During college I really didnt fish at all until my career in banking started to take off. About 2 years ago I got back into it full swing and very quickly fine tuned my game to the point where I am currently having the best year of fishing I've ever had.

[Mike Cork]

This has been an excellent thread, thank you everyone! Those that haven't posted yet please do so!!!

[bassn1]

My first fishing memories are fishing for trout on the Kern River. Used to hike that river upstream and downstream every summer during our two week camping trip. The parents would be at the camp doing whatever it was they enjoyed and I would dig worms from the nearest freshest Dewey mound, fill a coffee can full and hike along the river till I found a bend or a Rockey rapid area. I would catch what I could there and then take my bounty back to camp and clean them for Mother to cook. WOW - I am getting older.

[Pferox]

When I was big enough, I fished for blue gills and "eatin sized" catfish with a cane pole with my dad in many different ponds and "pay puddles" around Chicago. In the summer I spent a lot of time in Central Missouri and my Dad, uncles and I would always end up fishing somewhere.

I remember when I was about 6 or 8, we planned a trip up to British Columbia Canada so my Grandfather could see his brother who he hadn't seen in 40 years. We upgraded to Zebco 33s, spoons, and different lures because that's what the guy at Zayre's said would catch those trout up there. Well, we ended up hiking to a stream all of about 6 feet wide and used those Zebco combos just like cane poles with a little corn on a little hook to catch almost more fish than the two of us could carry out.

As I got older fishing became something that slipped away until I moved to Florida, I was able to go with my first wife once before she passed, and it was a great time I will remember, even though we didn't catch anything. The rest of it is probably in the archives on here somewhere.

Now on the coast of Texas, I'm salt fishing and loving it, I'll let Y'all have all the bass, until I get a chance to get a little farther inshore. 

[steve76]

   When I was about 11 or 12 my grandfather had a 3.5 acre pond dug that we stocked with bass,catfish and bluegill. Grandpa never fished so it never crossed my mind to fish the pond. When I was around 19 some friends of mine asked about fishing the pond and I told them they could and let them know that I didn't know if anything was even it. I went down to check on them and they had a stringer full of 4-6lb. bass. I was in shock that those fish came out of our pond. They were catching them on 3 in. sassy shads. I ran to Wal-mart and bought a zebco 33 and some sassy shads. I started catching bass of all sizes out of the pond and found out there were crappie also.

  That started a passion for fishing in me. I eventually started doing buddy bass tournaments with a friend of mine on Smithville lake and we had some success. I almost got divorced the first year I was married because I was fishing so much. I joined the army in my upper 20's and lost my passion for fishing. When I got out I started crappie fishing and just recently got back into bass fishing.

[dallicis]

My first memories of fishing were catfishing in a little pond behind the house it was about 10 acres and had about 4 docks around it, we use to catch all the catfish we wanted. later day bought a little 10 foot plastic bass buggy or something like that and I caught a bunch of fish out of it in that pond. When I was about 7 or 8 he bought a 17 1/2 foot bass tracker, that he still has and we still fish out of today. We use to spend a lot of time and Lake Alatoona bass fishing and crappie fishing. some of the best memories I have is us and a few of his buddies fishing for crappie at night on Alatoona. They use to have a secrect spot where the would dump christmas trees and we would go night fishing for crappie.

[jocko]

Wow,

this thread reads like a book.  What stands out to me is:  Even though some of us are old hair bags - fishing memories prevail.

If this isn't a strong testimony on taking a kid fishing - I don't know what is! 

Man - take a kid fishing and get them started on their memories!

[copnjax]

I started by fishing a small creek near my house.  The name of the creek is actually called "Fishing Creek" here in Jacksonville, Fl.  All the neighborhood kids would dig up worms and we'd go there with cane poles and catch dozens and dozens of mullet!  Then, we "graduated" to a Zebco 202 and started catching catfish and bream, with a VERY occasional bass.  We then ventured out and started riding our bikes to area farm ponds for bass.  We were no longer interested in bream, catfish or mullet....we all went for the BASS!
I recently took my Hobie kayak down Fishing Creek and showed my wife where I used to sit on the shore as a little boy, catching fish after fish.  The fishing sure seemed better back then!

[ssj3goten]

Mine is short and simple. Christmas morning when I was 5 or 6 one of my present was one of those zebco rod/reel/tackle box deals. Got it open and ready out into the cold to fish the pond near our house, catch a fish? Not even close but that started it all.