Who introduced you to fishing?

[Matt Fly]

Mom and Dad both took me fishing, mom and I did more bass fishing than any other type.   My mom has taken numerous bass trips to Mexico in the 70's.  My Dad was the one who let me throw a "plug" as he called them when I was going into the second grade on Amistad.   Been "pluggin" every since.  

Thank you Mom and Dad.

[roadwarrior]

I started "fishing" a long time ago with my dad, brother and grandfather, but it wasn't until about eight years ago that I started "catching" big fish. The biggest influence has been hooking up with my fishing buddy, Pickwick Guide, Speedy Madewell. We started out catching big stripers on the Tennessee River in the summer of 2000 and graduated to trophy smallmouth in the fall and winter.

I credit Gary Yamamoto for getting me back into largemouth fishing. In the early '60's I fished my first "Magic Bait", the original balsa Rapala. In 1997 I "discovered" the Senko. That is when I found out that even I could catch big bass, and I have been hooked ever since.

[preach4bass]

My dad introduced me to fishing. When I was a little kid he bought an old wore out fiberglass fishing boat and he'd go out trying to catch bass, but I would start bragging about all the bream I was catching, so he'd have to quit bass fishing and toss out a worm or cricket and shut me up. ;D Then one day I messed up and caught a NICE bass (probably a pound or so) and I was hooked. After a while he bought an aluminum bass boat (that I later bought from him so he could get a bigger boat) and I haven't had a dime to my name since then. I'm on my 5th boat now (a beautiful Skeeter) and I have the priviledge of taking my dad fishing almost every Friday. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

[Kana]

my dad, and my grandfater, both about the same time.  they took me fishing for anything that would bite to keep me interested.  after about 10 years old my dad and uncle got me into bass fishing and its was all over from there.  spent my allowance on new baits.  bummed fishng trips form anyone that was going.  great memories, and liek many others its now my turn to take my dad out and return the love that he showed me.  but now getting up making coffee and breakfast are as much as part of the trip as fishing itself.  great topic!

[texasbass1]

It was my Dad. I've been fishing for as long as I can remember. I live in Texas and Dad is in AZ, but when we get together we still go fishing. Lots of great memories.

[fisherman_54]

i remeber going fishing when i was like 5. me and my brother went with our dad out to our aunts pond to catch bluegills. wed catch them by the boatload. my grandfather was probably the one that took me fishing the most. i started bass fishing about 2 years ago. ive learned a lot the past 2 years. my friend was probably the one that got me into fishing. i went with him to a farm pond and we caught about 40 bass that day. now i can outfish all my friends thanks to all the info i read, watch, or just from listening. i got my brother into fish about 8 months ago and now he does redfishing. i also got my stepdad back into fishing about a year ago. now we go out in our boat quite often. now im working on my mom. shes starting to like it. im glad that i could bring some people into fishing. i pretty much taught myself what to do though

[Minuteman]

My dad was a great fisherman and got me into fishing, but I never remember actually fishing with him. I tagged along when he went trout fishing when I was about 4 or 5 yrs old. He got me a Zebco and let me go fish for catfish and sunnies in the Schuykill River that ran through town with my older sisters and their friends not long after that, but he worked 6-7 days a week all year and got 2 weeks off in the summer and he went to Canada then.

He died when I was still young, but the cool thing is, almost every picture I have of him he is fishing. Most from the 1950's and 60's in Canada.

Except for work that's apparently all he did . Now, the other day my youngest daughter asked me if I use money for anything other than buying fishing stuff!!

[dink]

Dad took me to Lake Havasu in TX when I was four.  We fished with minnows or shineres on the bottom.  I caught six bass that day 15 -18" and almost left the boat when the biggest one made a run underneath.  My tiny ahnds had a death grip on that pole and my dad had me by the seat of my pants. LOL  By the age of seven I was Texas rigging my own Mann's jellyworms.  Been all downhill from there.  I owe that man more than I could ever repay him.  (But I will still kick his butt this summer on Barkley)

[abelfisher]

Well, I wish I could say my dad.  But it wasn't. I got myself into fishing after catching my first little bluegill in a city park back in Indiana at about 10 yrs old.  My first rod and reel was a 3 1/2 ft fiberglass rod with a Bronson spincast reel.  Frankly I caught more fish with this setup than all my others  combines I have today. (Mostly bream and perch)

It's been OJT for me regarding fishing.  No real mentors or pros showing me the ropes (except for all of you guys on this forum).  Thanks for all your advice!

[Hula_King]

My grandpa got me started, and then my uncle really "taught" me how to fish.  Some of my earliest memories are sitting in my uncle's boat fishing.  Ah...those were the good ol' days.  

[Tatakai]

My Papaw took me fishing when I was 4 or 5 and I remember coming in from school and on Saturdays going to the pond and fishing all day long.  Sitting in that ole flat bottom boat with him was the best thing in the world to me still to this day. I have got to take my son now fishing in that same pond, the boat is gone now but the memories remain and new ones have been made with my son on the same pond in the same place that I caught fish so many years ago.

Tatakai

[mudcatwilly]

My dad started me out trout fishing in the Yuba River in CA when I was a kid.  We then graduated to striper and sturgeon fishing in the CA delta.  I took up bass fishing on my own at the age of 31.  I found regular bait fishing to be a little slow for me.  I caught a spotted bass on a plastic worm my first time out and I was hooked.

[utser]

my dad. trout fishing small streams. but trout fishing didnt hit it with me, i was always after smallies .

[jake]

My dad and grandfather were both there when i caught my first fish. A sunny. I was about 5. Did it all by myself. I have a picture too. As I got older dad would take me trout fishing opening day. HATED it. Seemed like it was always cold and rainy. But it was really my Grandparents who got me into fishing. I can remember sitting at the lake all night for hours catching catfish. Grandma loves her catfish. Funny she would use everything for bait. Chicken hearts, livers you name it. But when it came to putting on a nightcrawler...she wouldn't touch it.  Spending days on end out on Raystown Lake with them is what got me hooked on bass fishing. I was 8 when i first drove that boat around the lake and I'm still driving at 33.

Great subject! this has brought back alot of great memories i've had with them. thanks

[tru fire 4x4]

my dad and grandpa got me fishing since before i can remember, mostly for small brookes, but really didnt get obessesd till i was 9 or 10 when my dad taught me to flyfish, its been bent rods and tight lines ever since

[Guest the_muddy_man]

when I was 11 my dad got us a bungalow for the summer in Greenwood Lake NY to get us out of the city for the summer I promptly carved my initals in a tree on the property next to ours My father made me confess and mow the guys lawn for free the rest of the summer(the old push mowers this being the early 60's) the guy felt the punishment was too severe and just happened to own a boat rental on the lake so he gave me a job at 10 bucks a week to clean up all the boats on Wed then he would take me out bass fishing He used an old pyramid sinker on a rope painted different colors for depth and when he pulled it up with weeds on it he knew where the weed beds were and taught me how to use my still favorite lure the original floating rapala So this is who to me how to fish

[Hookhead]

I love to hear stories like yours Muddy, that is just awesome.

First time fishing:

Like many of you my father got me into fishing. Strangely, I've never really fished with him. He was into gold-panning in the late 70's and would take me with him to the American River here in northern Cali. I must have been 7 or 8 years old the first time we went. He bought me a little white and green Zebco setup with some worm hooks and weights. He'd be running his sluice box by the river bank and I'd be floating live crawlers. I caught a few nice rainbows and he'd glow in disbelief every time. When I was 9 I started fishing at a neighbor's pond and would catch giant blue gill on almost every cast. That went on until I started high school and didn't pick up a rod again until 1998, 15 years later.

First time bass fishing:

In 98 I hooked up with an old high school buddy at our 10 year re-union. He convinced me to go bass fishing with him so we could get away from our wives, BS and have a few beers. I borrowed a rod and bought a Luhr-Jenson Kwikfish about the size of a grass-hopper. At that time I had absolutely no idea what I was doing (kind of like now). I clamped on a few split shot weights about 10" above the kwikfish and chucked it as far out as possible. On the first retrieve I nailed a 10" dink. That was it. The beginning of an almost unhealthy obsession.

I'm trying to get my 9 year old son out on the boat to go fishing with me but he's isn't the least bit interested. I practically have to twist his arm to go bank fishing with me.

I'm wearing on him though!

[ball_coach_1]

Enjoying the posts.

My grandfather and my buddy's grandfather when we were kids.

Can't wait to fish with them again on the 'other side'.

Hope my son posts on a site someday that he loves the days on the water with me.

[Rebbasser]

Like many, my dad got me started.  I started perch jerking with a cane pole and the rest, as they say, is history.  I do have one regret, though-my dad passed away a few years back, and about a year after he left us I bought my bass boat.  My regret is I never got to take him out in it.

[Gatorbassman]

My father started me off early with trout fishing. But I didn't start bass fishing untill my best friend Adam (aka Doghouse) took me fishing 15 years ago.

[razyrsharpe]

i have to give the props to my dad...James Robert Cooper 12/25/27 - 1/13/02...when we moved from michigan to south carolina in 1973.  i was seven years old and we made the major move for his health, his heart condition couldn't take the severe cold weather in MI.  he took over running a small convenience store on lake marion in Santee, SC.  we lived about 100 ft. from the water's edge.  i got bit by the bug and haven't recovered.  thanks dad.

[Michael H]

my grandfather got me started fishing, he took me trolling for smallies i had a great time lol i caught more then him but i dont think he really cared

[KudzuLander]

An Uncle taught me way back in the early 60's. Sadly he was taken by cancer a few years later at age 33. Thanks Uncle Gene, I'll never forget you.

[kid with a rapala]

my grandfather tought me how to fish we fished for catfish all the time i remember catching i think it was my first catfish on a roostertail on my cheap green spin cast reel THE GOOD OLE DAYS

[Maineiac]

My foster brother came home safley from Korea in 1954 and on July 4th of that summer we had a big cook out and family get together at the local pond. While there I got to fish a worm under a bobber and at the age of 6 caught my first bass. Big it wasn't but I was hookedand have been ever since. Dad and my uncle would take me meat fishing for perch and bullheads and that was a blast. Dad loved stream fishing for brookies and I never really got into it the same as he did but loved fishing with him for pickerel for chowder fish for gram. It was after marrying and meeting my first wifes uncle that I got hopelessly adicted to basfishing in the early 70's that I really headed down this slippery road to fishing perditon and have loved all of it. Now it's all about turning on the grandsons to what their great grandfather and great granduncle turned me on to. Got two hooked one to go. Hey he's over 2 now and times awasting.