Old memories...

[N Florida Mike]

Sitting here at the tire store and I started thinking about a topic I’d like to start. Old memories of great fishing trips we’ve had. I have so many and I’m sure y’all do as well. It doesn’t necessarily mean the best day catching fish but it could be the memories created by the experience with nature, family, the Creator, or the fish.You can make multiple posts as you think of old experiences.

I scarcely know where to start. So I’ll do an old one first, with my dad.

I had caught fish before , but at 8 I had not caught a big fish yet.I was on vacation at my Grandma’s house in Shallote NC. My dad wanted to go surf fishing, so he took me and my cousin the 7 miles down to Ocean isle beach. White sand, very clean, sea oats blowing in the breeze. Can still remember the smell of the beach that day. We fished dead shrimp. I suddenly had a big bite , and there was nothing like I had experienced before pulling on the end of the line. Being so young, I could cast the bait caster far enough to where fish were, but I still wasn’t too good at telling the difference between a bite and a wave. When this fish hit, I knew it! There was no doubt. My dad and cousin called encouraging words and of course, coaching me on how to land the fish. I finally pulled it up into the surf, and the last few feet I was so afraid it would fall off... but it didn’t. It ended up being a 3-4 pound black drum. I was hooked for life! Wish I had a picture to share but at least it is forever stamped in my mind. I can see that day even though it was 50 years ago.

My dad didn’t catch any , but My cousin caught a keeper flounder. We fried em up at grandma’s house. Have loved fishing ever since that day. It’s interesting how one experience can shape your life’s interests and pursuits.

[Derek1]

When I was 12 went wading a stream with my dad and two of his buddies. First time going with the big boys. We were using small mepps spinners on ultra lite rods. It was great. Up and down the stream we caught 102 small mouth between us. They were everywhere. A big one was 10” and it didn’t matter one bit. They were great fun in that quick little stream on ultra light gear. We got back to the truck talking about the great day. They had a beer and I had a soda. I remember how cool it was feeling like one of the guys. Great memory. 

[A-Jay]

This is a good idea @N Florida Mike. . . . 

I have so many great memories that revolve around my fishing, it's hard to pick just one.

It seems like I've  lived 3 lives in a way; one growing up before I joined the service, 

Second was my time in the service and Third would be now, after I retired.

 For the past 10 years plus I've been able to share so many of my recent memories here and in a way that lets me relive them over & over, any time I chose.  Really appreciate that (Thank you @Glenn). 

 But well before that, was my first actual memory of going fishing with my Dad & younger brother where I caught my first largemouth bass.  We were on the bank at a local county park lake.  We'd fished there many times before, mostly mid-day on weekends.  My mom would sit in the sunshine on a blanket and knit, while we soaked worms under a bobber.  Plenty of panfish action back then and we'd always keep several for a fish fry.  Always loved my Mom's batter - light & really tasty.  She taught me how to fillet a fish in 1967, still do it the same way today.   On this particular day, we had stayed close to sun set, something we usually didn't do, as once the sun got below the tree line, we'd leave.

  My Dad announced that we were leaving in a few minutes (Always hated the last cast - even back then) and handed me a Rebel Jointed minnow "Try This" he urged. I was surprised & pumped !

  He helped me 'tie it on' and showed me how to 'work it'.  I felt like such a little stud suddenly being able to fish 'like Dad'.  A couple of casts into it, a 14 inch green bass grabbed the bait about half way in on the cast. I was freaking out, my brother was yelling, my Mom was shouting words of encouragement and my Dad just stood there and said "Calm down & Take your time".  Yea Right - my little Ted Williams Sears & Roebuck Spin cast set up felt like it was going to come right out of my hands and I may have pee'd a little.   As I reeled the fish closer to the bank, the bass jumped.  And right then, it seemed like time stood still - really, it was the craziest thing, like a dream, I'd never felt anything like it, up to that point in my life (8 whole years) but I knew I liked it.     

    After a few more tense moments of trying to grab the bass without getting hooked, I eventually did the old, 'walk backwards deal' and dragged the now exhausted bass, up in the sand. 

 My brother was jumping up and down, and I was sort of in shock.  My Dad, casually walked over, lipped it, rinsed it off, removed the bait and handed it to me (showing me how to hold it - another first). I thought I was holding a whale.  

   We placed it on the stringer with the panfish, my brother named it Betty and I remember how cool and big it looked compared to them.    We took it home and ate it.   

    Unfortunately we didn't have the camera that day and if we took a pic at home I don't have it - would have been a Polaroid I'm sure. 

   So that's was when it started for me.  52 years and a lot of miles later, I'm still at it.

And I love everything about it.

 Fishing is just about the only thing in my adult life that I can do, that can truly make me feel like a kid again - 

 

This pic is of the place but not the day.

A-Jay

(I have a feeling I'll be adding at least a few more as this long winter wears on)

 

 

 

 

[GreenPig]

Several years ago I had the great honor to take a 94 year old veteran and his son to fish at my pond.  Head said all he wanted to do was catch a mess of bream for him a his old friend (also a veteran) to fry. So we got him set up in a comfortable chair with one of my ultralights and crickets with me on his right taking fish off and his son on his left baiting his hook. Over the next couple hours he caught 80 to 90 bream and I put 25 or so of the bigger ones in his cooler and they headed home. A week later his son called and let me know his father and his friend had their fish fry and had a great time. He also told me his father went on and on about how it was the best fishing trip he'd ever been on in his life. Now I've taken several people for their first time and I've caught some really nice fish and had many great trips but that day was my most memorable fishing trip and I never even made a cast. 

[Derek1]

1 minute ago, GreenPig said:

Several years ago I had the great honor to take a 94 year old veteran and his son to fish at my pond.  Head said all he wanted to do was catch a mess of bream for him a his old friend (also a veteran) to fry. So we got him set up in a comfortable chair with one of my ultralights and crickets with me on his right taking fish off and his son on his left baiting his hook. Over the next couple hours he caught 80 to 90 bream and I put 25 or so of the bigger ones in his cooler and they headed home. A week later his son called and let me know his father and his friend had their fish fry and had a great time. He also told me his father went on and on about how it was the best fishing trip he'd ever been on in his life. Now I've taken several people for their first time and I've caught some really nice fish and had many great trips but that day was my most memorable fishing trip and I never even made a cast. 

Great story. 

[JediAmoeba]

My sister and I back around 1987 catching bass at my Grandpa's farm pond.  I was definitely using a zebco 33 and worms I dug up from around the barn.

[Derek1]

8 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

My sister and I back around 1987 catching bass at my Grandpa's farm pond.  I was definitely using a zebco 33 and worms I dug up from around the barn.

You sure had a good hold on him. He wasn’t getting away. Great pic 

[JediAmoeba]

I didnt see this one that my mom sent me.  I have a lot of fond memories fishing with my Grandpa.  

 

Caught my first Pike, my first Muskie and my first channel cat with him.  Also went on a fly in trip to Canada fishing for Walleye.  We caught lakers in Lake Ontario and had some crazy Ice Fishing trips...especially those trips to Chataqua in NY.

[papajoe222]

Great wintertime topic Mike.

I've introduced a lot of kiddies to the joy of fishing over the years, but my fondest memory is of taking my girls (4 & 9) to Table Rock for the first time. We stayed at a resort up one of the creek arms and spent the day pulling the wife and one or the other girls behind the boat on a tube.  About an hour or so before sun down, I took the boat out for a little fishing and the oldest insisted on going along for the ride. 

I started fishing the bluff side of that arm and got into a school of 2lb. bass.  My daughter wanted to know how I knew where the fish were and how I knew what they'd bite as I was using lures and she'd only ever used live bait.  I showed her my Humminbird Super 60 and how I could tell how deep the water was and where the bluff stair stepped. I don't know if it was the flashing on the screen, or her recognition of what it was showing, but she stayed glued to its screen until it was well past her bed time.  The whole time asking questions and exclaiming with excitement when she'd see what she thought was fish flash on the screen.  By the end of the week we spent there, she was better at interpreting what that flashing screen was showing that I was!

Thirty years later, when she's fishing with me, she'll switch my depth finder over to the 'flasher' screen and won't let me make a cast until she says to. 

[Bluebasser86]

I pretty much grew up fishing mainly for catfish, a lot of that time at my grandparents pond since they watched me all week while my parents were at work. I can vividly remember this fish because I cast my grasshopper under a bobber out and from my perch on the high sand banks, I watched this dark shadow cruise across the entire pond, straight to my hopper before quickly plunking my bobber under the surface. I don't know if the splash attracted him, it was middle of the summer and the pond was always overgrown so maybe he'd learned that splashes meant dinner, but I couldn't believe the purpose that fish had immediately after my cast landed. I would have been 8 in this picture, already a seasoned veteran by then.

[WRB]

Jason Lucas fishing editor of Sports Afield magizine was my inspiration to start bass fishing by reading his monthly articles when I was around 10 years old. My dad worked and mom was raising 3 boys and I was the youngest. Back in the early 50's I could send a 1 cent post card addressed to Mr Lucas with questions and he would answer them. We had a general delivery PO box and I was so excited receiving hand written notes from Jay. 

Mr Lucas recommended I save my money and buy a Connolin 5 1/2' bass rod and Langley 330 reel. At age 12 I bought my 1st bass fishing combo that Jay recommended.

My casting instructor was my brothers boss Red at the Big Bear Lake Pleasure Point boat landing. Red taught me how to cast my new outfit and suggested using a Hawiian Wiggler #3 weedless spoon. The summer of '55 I would walk the shoreline casting my #3 spoon along weed breaks and over weed mats catching bass and I never stopped over 60 years later, still catching bass a life long pursuit.

Thanks to Jason Lucas taking a interest in a young boy.

Tom 

[Mobasser]

Some of my best memories are between 1965 and 1969. My older brother and I spent 4 weeks or more at my grandparents farm helping out there in the summer. We bailed hay, and did general chores, and fished a pond for bass every evening.My brother was a good teacher, and I'm sure it took all the patience he had. " Quiet Junior" your gonna spook em. " Don't cast so hard", you'll end up snagged all the time". "Or, "let it sit", if you wanna catch bass you've got to learn to slow down a little". I heard these things over and over. We used older surface baits, borrowed from dad and grandpas tackle boxes. Hula Popper, Lucky 13, Bass O Reno. Daredevle spoons, and a Heddon River Runt were are below surface baits. Between us and a boy from a near by farm, we constantly talked and argued about which was the best lure. I liked the black Hula Popper, my brother favored a smaller frog colored Bass O Reno. One evening that first summer, it all came together. Having overshot my cast 2 or 3 times, I cast the Hula Popper within inches of the moss, which formed a rim around this pond. " Let it sit!, my brother said, then pop it lightly 1 time." When I did as he said, a 14" bass hit it. I caught that bass over 50yrs ago. Now, when I'm fishing alone, or driving by a pond that's rimmed with moss, my mind automatically goes back to that evening. I can see a battered, black Hula Popper landing with a soft splat near the moss edge, and a bass striking it.  That experience lit a fire under me that's never burned out, and I'm probably more enthusiastic about fishing now than I ever was. We all fish for different reasons. Building great memories has to rank with the best of reasons to be a fisherman. Great post Mike

[Oregon Native]

Gosh.....really hard to put this one together for me.  Remember fishing in the wash bucket while grandma washed the car.  No bites by the way!!  Remember chasing everything that swam...everything....believe I drove parents crazy asking to go fishing.  Fondest memory is probably taking my son and then his sons fishing …..wasn't always a smooth day but the good days were amazing.  As I get older I just have to look up and say "Thank you" everyday I get to go.

[Sam]

My uncle had a 42-foot Chris Craft yacht that we used to go into the Mississippi Sound and the Biloxi Marsh areas via the two 16-foot skiffs we pulled behind the boat.

 

We would throw out the big net behind the Chris Craft, named Louise after my aunt, and my cousins and I would pull it in to get live baby croakers and shrimp. Speckle trout hate baby croakers and they make a fantastic bait for anything in the water, as does the shrimp. We would put the croakers and shrimp in the skiff's live wells.

 

Just too many wonderful memories of fishing in southeast Louisiana, especially the Biloxi marsh.  Bull reds over 25 pounds; big 3 and 4 pound speckled trout; drum; sheepshead; gafftop catfish; big croakers; and every now and then we would hook something that would take us for a ride in the skiff until the line broke.

 

Having the dolphins race along side of the Chris Craft as we headed out; running back into the marsh when a storm popped up; seeing the stars at night without any city lights; catching white trout and having the sharks hit them on the way in leaving us with only the heads. Harvesting some of the trout and catfish out of the live well and cooking it on the boat for dinner.

 

My cousin and myself dropping the brand new lantern my uncle had purchased the day before into the water as we sat in a skiff trying to grab the trout and catfish for dinner. We got cussed out really good, too. Brings a smile to my face thinking of him walking on the back deck and seeing us with our rods in our hands dragging the hooks on the bottom. He then asked us where the new lantern was and my cousin, Harry, replied, "we are trying to find it, Unck."

 

Actually seeing the redfish and sheepshead in the marsh as the water was so clear. Swimming off the side of the boat without any regard to what was in the water with us. 

 

And last, shrimping. If we caught a lot of shrimp my Uncle had us cousins take the skiffs into the marsh with the big nets and ride to catch shrimp. We would average around 400 pounds a trip and I still have the scars on my fingers where the shrimp stuck me. We once caught a baby hammerhead shark and of course, we had to stop and repair the nets when something big swam through them.

 

Those days are gone. The boat was given to his captain after my uncle died.  My cousins have their own saltwater boats and they still fish the area in addition to bass.  Frank Mohre (Fish with the King) has a guide service out of Shell Beach so you can look him up: http://www.fishwiththeking.com/

 

He changed the spelling of his name so people could find him.

 

Now it is just a pleasure to take my Ranger out for a day of fun fishing for bass. 

 

Great memories. Great times. 

[jbmaine]

My old memories come from when I was growing up. I learned to fish at our camp on Mousam lake in Maine. Started fishing as soon as I could walk, seems like. Even home in Rye N.H. my great uncle would take me hornpouting at night, down on the local pond. great memories.

 Here's a picture of me and my dad on Mousam lake. I always had a line in the water, even with a "toy" rod.

[N Florida Mike]

It really doesn’t matter but I’m curious why this was moved to fishing reports.? I thought fishing reports were current, not stuff that happened way in the past.

[The Bassman]

10 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

It really doesn’t matter but I’m curious why this was moved to fishing reports.? I thought fishing reports were current, not stuff that happened way in the past.

Agreed. Lots of good stories here, Mike. Hope it doesn't take attention away from the thread.

[Bird]

I too grew up fishing from an early age.

We had a fantastic creek just across the road from our home place thriving with smallmouth and many farm ponds.

 

Mom would make us boys work the garden each morning before we were allowed to go fishing and would pay us a small allowance according to our work ethic and behavior. 

 

I was saving my allowance for a new rod and reel at the local Western auto in our small town. 

This was early 70's and still remember this black Olympic spinning reel that I absolutely had to have so with a pocket full of money, off I went. 

 

Got home, spooled the reel with new line, filled my new tackle box with shiny new rapala's and beetle spins....I was the man.

 

Across the road I went on a mission, hurdling the guardrail like I've done so many times before. 

BUT this time I had additional weight from acquired tackle. 

My lead foot didn't clear so I went hurling chest first onto a concrete culvert, landing on my reel and tackle box, crushing everything, nothing left usable. 

 

Not all vivid memories are great ones. 

Retired now and that one unfortunately really sticks out. 

[Tennessee Boy]

My grandfather who passed 10 years ago,  is always with me when I'm fishing.  He preferred fishing for catfish and my earliest fishing memories are of catching catfish with him. This photo was taken after my very first trip to Kentucky Lake in 1972 where I caught this 7 lb 2 oz Flathead or Yeller Cat as we called em back then.

 

[TnRiver46]

Gosh. Where to start. How many am I allowed? Thanks for such an awesome idea Mike. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading everything posted so far. My life revolves around fishing so I have far more stories than I could ever tell. One funny instance we shall never forget was buying a $60 inflatable tandem kayak in college and arranging a 10 mile float down the Holston river. Luckily they were generating pretty hard and the rocks were mostly 2-3 feet underwater haha. It ended up being one of the best smallmouth days we ever had!

One of my good buddy’s family takes  fishing/camping trip in southern Alabama every may. This tradition is about 50 years old and I have been lucky enough to get invited every year for the last 22 years (I’ve only missed one because of an internship). Bass pro shops actually did a commercial about this trip that I “starred” in. Let’s just say I’m keeping my day job. Anyhow this is one of my favorite pictures from that trip

Next up: spring break senior year of college I dragged my tiny boat with only a trolling motor to east Texas. Camped on lake fork for a few days and then gibbons creek reservoir for a couple. In the final hours of the trip I got an 8 lber! What a fight 

Breakthrough: the day I finally learned you can catch bass in winter (we used to just switch to trout). Now I prefer winter over any season for bass. Probably because of this 8 lb kicker on a silver buddy two days after Christmas 

And lastly: My girlfriend and I were catching white bass in March before they ran upriver, vertical jigging. She had a 5 ft ugly stick with 4 lb test and a little crappie jig. Ole mister big smallmouth grabbed that jig and started screaming drag. Then it jumped! I totally panic and start falling all over the boat saying we don’t have a net. She gets it next to the boat and I just about jumped in to grab it I was so excited. She claims I reached into the water with both arms and bear hugged it, honestly I don’t remember landing it but she got it!!! This still may be the biggest smallmouth I’ve ever seen live and in color. I’ve caught many that were close to the same length but this one was just a whole different animal

Hoping to be making more memories in the morning 

[Hammer 4]

Not about me, but rather my Son. So get out on the water at a somewhat local lake. There's this one tree stump I knew always had bass by it. At the time my Son was 9, and he couldn't cast to accurately..So, I took his rod with a spinner bait tied on, made a cast and hit the stump, as soon as the bait hit the water, fish on. I quickly handed my Son the rod, the excitement he has was unbelievable to say the least, I told him to try and relax, and keep pressure on the fish. I must say, he did a pretty dang good job of getting the bass to the boat. He asked me to lip it, and I did, I removed the spinnerbait, let him lip the fish, broke out the scale, to his pleasure it was a chunky 5.4 lb'r. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera. But I'll remember that day till I die, he was so proud, as was I.   

[Hi-Powered Red Neck]

  My fishing obsession started on the front lake at a Golf Course that my father ran. He had a little v hull boat and would take me fishing till I got bored then he'd drop me off on the bank and I'd walk home across the golf course. It was the early 70's and we lived on the course so thats not as bad as it sounds. One evening we were fishing he gave me a Tiny Torpedo. It was green and painted to look like a yellow belly frog. He helped me tie it on and told me to cast along the edges of the lily pads. Now try to understand it was all bobbers and worms or bread until this second. My first cast the lure hit the water next to the pads and was engulfed all most instantly. It was such a splash and happened so quickly that it scared me. I had no idea what to do, I was frozen. Then my little zebco set up was trying its best to get away from me. I still had no idea what was happening had I lost the lure that my dad just given me? I was in a stance like state of amazement and wonderment. When I heard my dad saying reel it in you've got a big one. I snapped outta my trance and realized what was going on and I was in a fight with what turned out to be a 7 pound largemouth. Up until that point I had only caught brim and blue gill. After that I was hooked, I never asked to get out of the boat again. I fished everyday my mother would let me. Being a kid on a resort style Golf course in Florida was a lot of fun. 2 big lakes and a couple little ones. My dad would ride the course in the evening running the irrigation and most days I'd tag along. He showed me all the best spots around the course to fish. I got to know that course like the back of my hand. The Rule was I couldn't fish anywhere play was happening. Well some of the best spots were in play. So I became a fishing Ninja. Hiding when I saw a Golfer or one of my dads crew. Every once in a while I'd get caught by my Dad or his crew. That alway ended in a cushman ride back to our condo. My mother would scold me and ground me from fishing for a couple days. Not much punishment cause dad would be watering tonight and I go with him. This all happened from the age of 7 till I was 11. I'm 50 now and I still own that Tiny Torpedo that started my fishing obsession. I never lost it, it's long since retired but it still has been in every tackle box I've owed since.

[Alex from GA]

We were trolling for marlin off the Channel Islands in CA on my boat when I saw a fin and tail.  I removed the marlin lures on the rods and tied on leaders with hooks and baited with Pacific mackrel.  Trolled by the fin a couple of times until it bit.  Turned out to be a 142 lb swordfish.  Only 6 were caught that year in CA on rod and reel.

[Hi-Powered Red Neck]

[N Florida Mike]

Wow, sounds like a great dad. Thankful I had one like that too.