Your Total Years

[Luke Barnes]

I can count on one hand how many times my dad ever took me fishing. When I was in the Army I fished some with some buddies in my unit and we bank fished for catfish at night and drank beer. That's about all I fished until about 5 years ago when my wife was my girlfriend and she fished. Well since then I got into bass fishing and have been told multiple times that I am obsessed. I'm fine with that haha. Its true so might as well embrace it!

[tholmes]

I was born in 1952, started fishing with my Dad and Grandpa when I was ~4 yrs, old so that's about 66 years?

That's a long time.

 

Tom

[geo g]

I started over 60 years ago.  I was at a boy scout camp and a group of scouts spent the day fishing a mountain lake and I was hooked.  Got my first Mitchell 300, and fished both freshwater and inland salt water.  Moved to South Florida in 1973, one reason was the opportunities to fish.  Got my first bass boat in 1987 and targeted the Everglades, Okeechobee, and other local lakes.  I am blessed to be surrounded by seven man made lakes within a mile from the house.    These are deep clear water lakes with an abundance of aquodic vegetation.  They all have ample Florida strain bass,  peacocks, snake heads, Clown Knife Fish, Oscars, and a few land locked freshwater snook.  If not out in the boat, I fish from the shore at one of the local lakes.  Still fish at least 6 days a week, and all year round because of the weather here.  It is a fisherman's paradise, and my form of relaxation.   

[Alex from GA]

A neighbor took me fishing from the Santa Monica pier @ 6 years old, 1946.  Mostly ocean fished for years in southern CA.  In about 1980 I worked, part time, in a tackle store and a customer took me to a bass tournament on Lake Castaic as his partner.  We came in 5th and I caught the big bass, 6 lbs.  In 1999 I moved to GA and got really serious about bass fishing. I fish for the GA bass slam for the past 5 years in rivers/creeks in a kayak.  I fish in FL all winter mostly for bass and sometimes in the Gulf inshore or offshore if I'm invited.  I haven't caught a bass since yesterday.

[brgbassmaster]

fishing since I was 3 and that started in Alaska being carried on my dads shoulders down creeks and rivers salmon and trout fishing. Bass fishing seriously started when I was 10 I would say. I caught a few bass night fishing while camping on an island with my dad. that same summer I caught a smallmouth bass on a live salamander in a river we were cat fishing. After that I was hooked on smallmouth and have been ever since. I take a month off every year and go home to target them and a few trips to MN rivers and lakes now that I live close to MN. But even then id say most of my fishing is largemouth due to where I live. So total time fishing 31 years. Total time "bass fishing" 24 yrs. Definitely a bass angler 99% of the time but ill target any big fish when the time comes. 

[Munkin]

Can't remember not fishing? My father and uncles had us fishing or hunting before I started school. Started getting into bass fishing at 11 when myself and a couple of friends started riding our bikes down to the Antietam Creek to fish, I remember saving up money by selling golf balls I found and sold to buy a $26 Abu Garcia spinning reel the next year. Spent a year learning it and then bought a baitcaster because that's what Jimmy Houston and the Pro's were using on TNN to Bass fish. No idea how much line I went through that fish tear in backlashes but I learned to use it. To this day I cannot tech someone how to use a baitcaster because it has been so long it is just a natural movement for me. So the final answer is 40+ years of fishing with at least 30 for Bass. My only regret is the first 5 years I spent in the Army I did not fish much? About a year in Georgia and 4 in Washington State that I should of tanken advantage of the fishing opportunities.

 

Allen

[TonynswAR]

Been soaking worms, real and plastic,  for a tick over 60 yrs.

love the tug

[cyclops2]

I look forward to helping others catch some fish. Or just become rabid fishing people.

[Pixel Grinch]

I was born in 1958. According to the family I was born with a Cane pole in my hands. Mama had to undergo a Polectmy so I could come into the world. True story.

 

I can't remember not fishing. I had three brothers. We spent all of our time exploring South East Texas and fishing any water we could find or get to. Most of our traveling was done by hiking. We foraged and fished for our food. We fished for everything and anything! Daddy taught us to respect the fish. If we caught it...we ate it.

 

I had caught a few Bass by four years of age but didn't think too much about it. However, we began to notice that there were some fishermen out there that seemed to only be concerned with catching Bass. We started observing them and learned they were 'Bass Anglers'. They used special Tackle and lures to stalk their prey. At age six I decided I was going to become a Bass Angler.

 

We didn't have any money so we would find the hotspots that Anglers fished. When there was no one fishing we stripped naked and dove down to the structure and recovered lures. Amazingly we even found a small, sunken, flat bottom skiff. With a boat and lures we became self-taught Anglers.

 

I have been an avid fisherman all my life. I still fish. I retired from the Navy and now own my own Road Construction company. My wife is the CEO. I made myself the Project Manager. As the PM I am required to travel all over the State. I drive a Company SUV with my two dogs, Goldilocks and Dolly. I tow a Camper or a boat behind me everywhere I go on Company business. It's the good life for me and my two dogs. Nothing wrong with making Company paid travel into fishing and camping excursions as well! I boat, bank and Float Tube fish.

 

My prey of choice; Bass (of course). Been doing it now for about 62 years. I'm just getting started!

[WRB]

California doesn’t native Black Bass populations. Every bass from Largemouth both Northern and Florida strain are transplanted species.  

Spotted bass both Southern ( Alabama)  and Northern (Kentucky) are transplants. Smallmouth and Red Eye bass and all Bluegill,Crappie, Green Sunfish, Red Ears, etc are transplanted. 

California isn’t a State where heritage of long term bass fishing handed down over generations is applicable. 

My generation is near the beginning of bass fishing experience in California. Fortunately it’s also coincides with the beginning of modern bass fishing.

 Tom

[roadwarrior]

9 hours ago, WRB said:

 Fortunately it’s also coincides with the beginning of modern bass fishing.

 

[TnRiver46]

On 2/10/2022 at 7:45 PM, Munkin said:

Can't remember not fishing? My father and uncles had us fishing or hunting before I started school. Started getting into bass fishing at 11 when myself and a couple of friends started riding our bikes down to the Antietam Creek to fish, I remember saving up money by selling golf balls I found and sold to buy a $26 Abu Garcia spinning reel the next year. Spent a year learning it and then bought a baitcaster because that's what Jimmy Houston and the Pro's were using on TNN to Bass fish. No idea how much line I went through that fish tear in backlashes but I learned to use it. To this day I cannot tech someone how to use a baitcaster because it has been so long it is just a natural movement for me. So the final answer is 40+ years of fishing with at least 30 for Bass. My only regret is the first 5 years I spent in the Army I did not fish much? About a year in Georgia and 4 in Washington State that I should of tanken advantage of the fishing opportunities.

 

Allen

I still get abu spinning reels for about that same price, that’s wild 

[Zcoker]

I started fishing for trout about 40 years ago in freshwater lakes and streams up north in Mass, but that only lasted a short while. When I moved back to Florida (again lol), I took up saltwater surf fishing. Through the years, I sort of craved bigger and bigger fish, craving that line ripping, rod cracking, drag screaming, heart pounding fight with true monsters. I eventually settled on sharks and now tag them for NOAA's Apex Predator Program. One of my specialties which I have advanced with sharks is catching certain species on artificial lures, namely on surface poppers and darters---can I say crazy, insane, and down right naughty!! Lol Even after tagging and mapping hundreds and hundreds of giant sharks off the Florida coast, that freshwater bug still lingered, namely that bug for largemouth bass, which I dubbed "the sharks of freshwater" lol. So I took up bass fishing in 2020 and spent most of my time (and still do) in the Everglades bank fishing. Got pretty darn good at it, too, even won tournaments. I have since advanced to the Kayak scene, learning as I go along, and having a ball. So this fishing adventure that we all partake is wide, wide open and the fun is truly high and mighty with many, many horizons to conquer. Keep going, never give up, and quench that thirst whatever it may be. Life is big catch in itself, the ultimate trophy!