Do You Remember Your First Bass?

[BassKing813]

Hey everyone, I thought it would be a cool thread if everybody shared their experience of the first bass they ever caught. I've been fishing since I was three, but my first bass came when I was seven. I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and fished with my dad and a guide on some river. We fished all day with no bites until it started raining. Then the action suddenly picked up and I caught my first bass, about a 2.5 lber, on a crankbait. Surprisingly the fish wasn't hooked in the mouth but near it's eye. I've always debated whether or not that counts, but the fish probably attempted to strike the bait but was just a little off, so I'll count it. I mean, I did land it.

So how about you all? What was your first bass experience like?

[janalon]

Around 10 years old or so, a lake that belonged to my great aunt in Georgia.

Caught it on a rubber worm, the kind that already came rigged.

[senile1]

For the life of me, I can't remember my first bass.  It would have been more than 35 years ago when I caught it.  When I first started fishing my buddies and I would fish ditches and creeks with night crawlers and we would catch anything and everything.  I'm sure one of those fish was my first bass, but at the time I didn't care what kind of fish I was catching.  

[Rattlinrogue]

My cousin turned me on to bassin'.When I was 15 we went bass fishing in his canoe.I caught my first bass on a Rapala Original Floater on a Zebco 33.It was about a pound I guess.It hooked me.

[senile1]

My cousin turned me on to bassin'.When I was 15 we went bass fishing in his canoe.I caught my first bass on a Rapala Original Floater on a Zebco 33.It was about a pound I guess.It hooked me.

Rattlinrogue, when I specifically started fishing for bass only, the Rapala original floater was my favorite lure and that was on a Zebco 33 also.  These are the bass I remember, though they weren't my first.  I wonder how many anglers our age started out using this spincast reel with rapalas or some other floating minnow immitation.

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

Like remembering yesterday (so far, as they say the time comes when short term memory.....).  I remember the little things way back better. Is that a bad sign  :-/

Lake Ouachita was first flooded in 1953, the lake so cluttered with floating log jams, stumps, caskets and debris from farms we just kept fishing from the bank the way I grew up fishing the river bank. Nobody dared put a boat in it. Crappie fishing became fantastic. In 1956 my grandad built a wood flat bottom and we went noodling catfish, with me on the end of a rope doing the grabbing at age 11. That was the only way he could make some money, formerly a mechanic but destroying his career and health with port wine. I got in a little cane pole fishing here & there, mostly around the house with nearby farm ponds when hiding from him, hating noodling. In 1959 his health got too bad to go and I was big enough then to just decline catfishing, so I took over the 16 foot flat bottom and used an uncle's steel rod & Ambassador reel with braid line, owning one bait, a Heddon topwater. I'd heard of people catching "bass" there on those. I'd caught a lot of fish in ponds and on the river crapie fishing, but had never seen a bass or even heard of it. That changed when my topwater got pulled under, pulling in probably a 4 pound largemouth. That hooked me on bass fishing, though I've remained a crappie fan all along too. The experience was close to catching a large catfish, the catching of it taking a lot less time and work. From then on until going in the Navy in 1968 I mastered bassing there, bragging only on any bass over 8 pounds but never hitting 9 in Arkansas.

Jim

[KU_Bassmaster.]

June 13, 1993 - It was my Grandpa's 60th B-Day so it's pretty easy to remember.

I was 10 1/2 and had been fishing since I was 8 or so.  Mostly for Bluegills and Catfish with a worm and bobber.  I was at the little lake down the street with my Grandpa and Dad and we were fishing off a dock with the go to bait back then ..... a worm and bobber.  There was a guy fishing next to us who had a gold fish rigged up.  He asked us if we would watch his stuff while he went to the bathroom.  Sure enough as soon as he leaves, his rod starts heading for the water.  I quickly ran over there and picked it up and started reeling like hell.  I can still remember his spin cast reel and how it wouldn't gain an inch on this bass for quite a while.  I finally got it in just as he got back and lipped a 3 lbs bass.   Ohhhhhhh happy day.  I was hooked.

When we got back home I told my G-pa that I wanted to start fishing for bass.  Him and my dad started letting me join them on their bass fishing trips from then on.  They never took me before because they feared I wouldn't have the patience.  If there is one thing I have, it's patience ... especially when it comes to fishing.  The rest is history.  They first started me out using small grubs.  Then I looked through some of my dads old books and saw a t-rigged plastic worm.  My first trip out with that I caught more and bigger bass then both my dad and grandpa combined and basically fished plastic worms exclusively up until 6 years ago.

[ww2farmer]

I caught my first bass when I was 10, I am 30 now, but 20 years later I remember it well. It was caught in  the infamous "canal" I referance so often in my reports. Nothing special, caught on a worm and bobber, probably 14" or so, but at the time seemed like a giant compaired to the bluegills I normaly caught.

[5bass]

9 years old,camping trip,Craig Creek (Va.),dad took me wading and we were armed with the trusty nightcrawlers.Within a few minutes I had a 12" smallmouth attached to my hook.....I had never seen a fish jump that high out of the water,up until then I had just been catching perch,rock bass and bluegills.The rest is history......not much interest in catching anything BUT bass.

[John Cullum]

I didn't boat my first bass until I was almost 18. I grew up in the city and although there were places to fish it just wasn't the "in" thing to do.

When I moved to Indiana and made some new friends they they were big into fishing so I went out to Sportmart and purchased some tackle, a new casting rod and a spinning reel. Yeah thats right a casting rod and spinning reel.

Got everything all set to go the night before and it never dawned on me something was wrong with my rod and reel set up.

Two second after my friends pick me up the taunting and teasing began about the rod and reel not being right. After tieing a non-fishing knot on to the Pop-R I purchased fresh out of the bubble pack in which it came I casted to the middle of the backwaters. Lure in the water I decided to read the directions and try not to further the punishment I was recieving by not knowing how to work a lure. My first "POP" from the bait was my first fish a "keeper" 13 inch largemouth.

That was the being of a lot of tackle, rod and reel combo buying (the right rod with reel) and boat purchases. I wish I would of started years ago when I was a kid but growing up where I grew up and with only a mom fishing wasn't a part of my childhood.

[FL_fisher]

Wow I was to young to remember my first bass I was 3 when I started fishing . I was lucky to grow up on a lake with a dock I would literally fish all day every day off my dock when I was 5 ( I was a good kid).I fished so much that when I would threw a piece of bread in the water the bluegill and shiners would literally jump on top of eatch other the ones on top would be flopping on top of all others. I learned to bass fish pretty much by my self when I was 5 my brother showed me how to cast against his will (hes 12 years older than me). My mom and dad didnt fish so I had to learn just about every thing on my own .I know my first bass had to be caught on a plastic worm because my mom wouldnt let me use any kind of lure untill I think I was 8. I remember all my friends would always ask me why I fished so much lol.

[FlyRod]

Yes, I do.

When I was 12, (circa 1955-6) and newly arrived at Fort Polk LA, living in Lovely Leesville, my parents exiled me to a church summer camp for two weeks.

While there, I took my trusty "Miguel" 300, Shakespeare rod, and a red and white  Lucky 13, wandered down to the 20 acre lake at the camp, and caught a BASS! Was maybe 14 inches long but is fixed in fond memory forever.

FR

[mudcatwilly]

My first bass was at Lake Berryessa in Northern CA.  I caught it on a 4-inch brown worm t-rigged in 4 feet of water under some dense weeds.  I was amazed that I got a fish to bite a plastic worm.  From then on, I was hooked.  I didn't catch another bass for 2 months after that because winter set in and we had record rainfall, making the lake to muddy to fish.  I thought I sucked at fishing until spring rolled around and then I was catching them again.

[BDkeelzsaysFTW]

When i was 10 i caught my first bass down at a local creek using a jig head hook and some bacon it was about a 2 pound bass i thought it was the biggest fish id ever catch

[Tom Bass]

Great idea for a thread.

I caught my first bass on a 3" silver shad Rapala floater near the dam at Ten Mile Creek in Waynesburg PA. I was 9 years old. That was 36 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday.

My dad always took us catfishing and one sunny day I got myself a new first lure for my tackle box. I asked my dad if I could try it out and he grunted something about wasting time. I went out on to the dam and my second cast I caught a small mouth that was about 14 or 15 inches long. I was ecstatic. I showed him off to everyone that could see and then I let him go. My dad darn near had a coronary because I let the fish go. You see, he was into quantity fishing, not quality fishing.

I will never forget that day. I have been nuts about bass fishing ever since.

[bassnleo]

Great idea for a thread.

I caught my first bass on a 3" silver shad Rapala floater near the dam at Ten Mile Creek in Waynesburg PA. I was 9 years old. That was 36 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday.

My dad always took us catfishing and one sunny day I got myself a new first lure for my tackle box. I asked my dad if I could try it out and he grunted something about wasting time. I went out on to the dam and my second cast I caught a small mouth that was about 14 or 15 inches long. I was ecstatic. I showed him off to everyone that could see and then I let him go. My dad darn near had a coronary because I let the fish go. You see, he was into quantity fishing, not quality fishing.

I will never forget that day. I have been nuts about bass fishing ever since.

man, we had to cross paths at some point. We are about the same age and I grew up also fishing 10 mile. My dad used to take me on their trips for muskies. small world........

[Whopper-Stopper]

I was fishing for green sunfish with live minnows when I was about 6.  I caught a two and three pound bass in two casts. I had never caught a fish that big and didn't even know there were bass in that small pond. After I caught my second one I put him on the stringer and threw both fish over one shoulder and hopped on my bike to go show my mom. I've had to have a daily fix ever since.

[Madhouse27]

My first bass I actually didn't land, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was ten years old and and a fairly accomplished brook fisherman. I'd been reading and learning about bass in Field and Stream and Outdoor Life magazines. My parents rented a camp for the summer so I was going to get my opportunity to fish for bass. Looking back, my lure selection was a bit primitive but at the time I was quite proud of it. I was casting with an old frog pattern F7 flatfish. I was throwing it from shore out at a big pile of logs out in about 8 or 10 feet of water. A two pound smallmouth smashed the flatfish and was pulling like nothing I'd ever felt. All of a sudden the bass exploded from the water like a torpedo. He must have been three feet above the surface. A quick head shake and it was over. He was dealing with a rookie and took me to school. At that point I'm sure I was easy game. I stood there motionless for what seemed like an eternity. I'm sure my mouth was hanging wide open. I just couldn't believe the power and acrobatics of that bass. It was simply the perfect fish. I was smiling the whole walk back to camp. That began my love affair with the smallmouth bass. Twenty nine years later I'm still smiling.

[Captain Cali]

Late September, 2005, 5:30am, I tied on a buzzbait and ran it past some reeds. Right after the bait went past the reeds, BAM! A solid 4 pounder that hit like a freight train! I was hooked that instant. Too bad I didn't have my camera. :'(

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I wish,....I barely remember this weekend.

[goldenmonkey]

I dont remember it, but my dad took a picture of it.  I was maybe 3 years old.  it was a real monster.  9 maybe 10 inches long

[Spencer W]

My first bass was caught when i was about 8 or 9, i caught it on a topwater popper what a good way to start out. I belive it was around 2-1/2 lbs

[BassinSoldier]

I remember it like it was yetserday!  I was 5 years old fishing at my grandma's pond with my mom and dad.  My dad rigged me up a weightless t-rigged green shad culprit worm on my zebco 33 'cuz I had asked him to.  I remembered seeing BIll Dance on TNN fishin in the lilly pads so I was down there fishin in the pads.  Mom told me I would get hung and lose my dads hook and I told her I had seen them do this on TV and she called me a smarta$$.  Well I kept fishin in there and sure enough I nailed one, probably bout a 12 incher.  Funniest thing was it splashed my mom when I got it close to the bank.  No more comments from mom  ;D  I am 22 now and have been hooked ever since then

[Jerkbate]

I wish I could, but I starting going out on the lake with my dad before I could walk.  I don't remember the first fish I caught of any species.

[Matt Fly]

You know I can't recall my first bass, I know it was on the Devils river using a shyster in-line spinner.

I can remember my older sisters first 100 bass on the Devils river, they came out of the water falls using a crappie rig and minnows.    She caught over a hundred bass out of the same spot one day.   Lots of doubles.

Thus, the debate began when I was in elementary between my sister and myself.    Any guess what this bass fishermen was debating at that early age?

Livebait vs artificials.   Dad said, "to each his own".   Didn't matter as long as you were happy.