Post for the older guys

[Zebco202]

This has been a great thread and is a wonderful read.  I've enjoyed hearing everyone's stories.

I'm only 33, but I think it's great to see all the teens on this site that are into fishing.  Plenty of worse thigns that they could be doing.

My dad didn't fish, so I don't have any of those memories.  I was a late in life baby (mom was 39, dad was 43) yeah, I was an oops!  I have a sister whose 14 years older than me.  When I was around 7 or 8 she had a boy friend who was a big into fishing.  So he bought me a Shakesphere rod and reel and took me fishing.  I remember fishing for brim.  I think my sister dumped him shortly thereafter.  I didn't fish again until I was about 13.  Our Church would always take the teens on a camping trip right after school was out each year.  Me and a few of my friend would take along our rods and reels and we would stay up all night fishing and talking about girls.  By the time I was 16-17-18 years old, my buddies and I would go fishing together nearly every day after school.  We hardly ever caught anything but it was fun, hanging out and talking about girls, cars etc...  I started college in the fall of '91 and I probably didn't touch a rod or reel more than once or twice over a 15 year period.  I just got back into fishing again this spring.

[bocabasser]

i will be turning 40 this year, and i am truly blessed that i was born and raised in the great state of florida. i clearly recal fishing from my dock on c-14 (a local canal) when i was 5 years old. every saturday and sunday my mom would take me to the bait and tackle shop to get night crawlers. whenever i ran out of bait, which happened often, i would get in the water and collect clams, slapp them together and use the meat for bait. i would fish from sun up to sun down every weekend and after school. i have never stopped fishing for bass. in my late teens i slowed down a bit, because i got heavily into surfing. i still however never stopped catching bass. now i have 2 kids, a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn daughter. i pray that they will love to fish for bass as much as i do.

[Gorgebassman]

I can remember fishing with my old neighbor from the time i was 8 at age 12 i fished the river banks of the columbia river for small mouth bass alone. In the summer i would get up eat pack a sandwich and walk down to the river and throw a roostertail in yellow or black all day for smallies. I recently turned 40 myself.

[roadwarrior]

My first memory of "fishing" was going out with my grandfather on Grand Lake in Oklahoma in the mid '50s. After running his trotlines in the morning he would take me to a special dock where I caught bluegill. That was before I learned to cast.

Table Rock Lake was completed in 1958, but did not open up to the public until 1960. My dad took the family on a fishing/ camping trip a few months before the lake was officially open. We were there during extremely high water and drifted purple plastic worms over an area that had recently been flooded. The bass were on a feeding frenzy. In retrospect, I'm sure these were Kentucky bass, but at the time we didn't know the difference between largemouth and spots and did not care. We had discovered the honey hole. These bass were HUGE, not a one much less than a pound. I don't remember what the limit was back then, but we were a family of five and we kept whatever it was.

Springfield, MO was not the World Headquarters of Bass Pro Shops back then and the road to Branson (population a couple of hundred) was gravel and dirt. My greatest possession was my first fishing pole, a $3.00 Zebco spincasting combo! Well, actually it was free, I got it from Santa Clause ...

[Raul]

I 'm 42, I grew up fishing for trout in the lakes, rivers and pay-to-fish lakes that surround Mexico City since I was 9 years old, in 1980 we moved to León in Guanajuato, right in the middle of the country, here it 's not a matter of how far or how close you are to the equator, here it 's a matter of height above sea level, where I live the only decent fish to catch is bass, drive 20 miles north and climb 900 ft in altitude and water is cold enough for trout, but bass is THE sportfish even up there. I started fishing for bass in the numerous lakes around the city with my trout gear, which consisted mainly of Rapala minnows and Mepps in-line spinners.... that was until the BaitMokey got me.

[nboucher]

54 here. I grew up in southern New Hampshire across the street from small pond. Our ranch house was built on the old fairgrounds and the local story was that when the circus came to town, the elephants were bathed in the pond. Rumor had it that out in the middle of the pond was "quicksand," and the circus lost an elephant or two out there. When I was a boy, my mother made it clear she didn't want us kids hanging around the house all day so I fished and I read. My dad didn't fish, so I got a zebco spincasting setup at the local department store, and every morning I'd take two slices of Wonder bread and go over the pond and roll up little dough balls to catch shiners. We'd put them in a bucket of water and throw them back in at the end of the day. Later I tried using them as bait for pickerel, but I didn't know what I was doing and didn't catch any. On a special day, I'd catch a bluegill ("kibbee," we called them) or two or a perch or a catfish. I can remember the smell of the water in the summer sun, the pollywogs in the water, and my imagination as it pictured the elephant skeletons supposedly lying in the deep water.

In high school, I bought a "bass plug" at that same department store and caught my first bass on a river nearby. I took it home and ate it. In college, someone stole what little fishing gear I had and I didn't fish for 20 years.

Thanks for letting me remember.

[Chug Bug]

Great post NBOUCHER.  Elephant skeletons in the pond...Now thats cool childhood lore!  Plus I'm sure it made for excellent cover.

[nboucher]

I had no idea what cover was back then. I would just cast and wish for the best.  :-/

[ejtaylor822]

Great post!

I grew up fishing with Dad and Grandfathers. Grandfather and Grandmother managed a marina for several years where I caught a lot of fish starting around age 5 in 1970. Continued fishing until early to mid teens. Then other things caught my interest - girls, cars, girls, music and, oh yeah, I really liked the girls.

The last time I remember going fishing was with my GrandDad on my 16th birthday. One tiny detail we both overlooked, at 16 I needed a permit. Game warden showed no mercy and gave me a citation - on my b-day. GrandDad tried to talk him out of it, but, he wouldn't hear of it. Funny thing, a few weeks later my Grandfather was at another hole and the same warden came by and asked GrandDad if he could jump his jeep - seems the warden left the lights on. No one else was on the river and he thought it would be better to help. So, he gave him a jump. As he was getting ready to leave GrandDad asked if he remembered him? The Warden said yes and sorry he gave me a ticket but was just doing his job. It didn't bother me, was a lot of money for a 16yr old at the time - $25, but, think it bothered my Grandfather more than me. He talked about that right up until he passed away. His memory started failing some the last few years, but, he never forgot that warden giving me a citation on my birthday. I miss my GrandDad. :'(

Anyway.....

Didn't fish a lick until little over a year ago. Now, hopelessly addicted.

That is one thing I noticed when I started visiting this site: a lot of youngsters and teenagers that are regulars on this site and love to fish. The other thing I noticed is the caliber of these young people. Sure, there have been a few immature posts and comments, nothing overly serious. For the large part, and overwhelming majority, these young ones appear to be respectful, courteous and kind. They are also very serious about fishing and appear to be disciplined. I know a lot of adults that could learn some things from these kids.

I think its great the young ones serious about fishing. They could be doing things that are a whole heckuva lot worse than fishing.

Eddie

[Z71]

I was raised a country boy in Mississippi, with 16 ponds and a creek within walking distance of my home. I remember the first bass I ever hooked, on my father's old Mitchell 300, and which I believe the lure was a type of Mister Twister grub worm around 4" long, white. I got the bass all the way to the bank only to watch it throw the hook. I believe it was probably 2 lbs. or so.

After that I was hooked, and remember somehow getting my hands on some Shasta spinners, white with black dots, and I really started working on those small bass with that thing. Later on, I started tying about 10 ft. of line on my grandpa's old flyrod tip and wading the ponds, working a poppin bug up in front of me. It worked great on those small bass, I have fond memories growin up in the country fishin for bass, and for that matter anything else that would bite. I'll be 45 soon, so that was probably 1969, 70, 71 or so, before my teen years. Sweet memories of a simple life.

Z

[scbassin]

I like Avid grew up on Long Island Fishing with my dad for the same things. When I was 15 I got my 1st boat & use to go clamming off Fire Island to make money. The next year we got a larger boat & fished for Bluefish & weakfish in the jones inlet. Those were great times. In 1957 I enlisted in the Navy & did not start bass fishing until I was transfered to a submarine(dbf) in Charleston SC in 1969. Been at it ever since.

KB Kindle, WOW did you bring back some memories, Thanks.

[mistahubbs]

By no means am I an old timer, but I never fished artificial bait with my dad or grandfather for that matter.  I didnt start fishing artificial until I caught the fishing bug in the last 3 or 4 years (Im 23 now).  We always took "fishing trips" to the ponds around where we used to live and do the old cane pole with a minnow technique.  Everything Ive learned over the last few years Ive had to learn on my own, that is without the help of my dad and grandfather.

[clipper]

I started fishing in the early 50's with my dad in the St. Johns River in Florida.  We would go down there 2 or three times a year.  We used 8" shiners with a Hyacinth bulb cork and fished next to the hyacinth banks, around the jettys in Lake George, and on the grass flats in Lake George and Dexter.  This was before depth finders, trolling motors, and bass boats.  I caught my first 8lb bass back then at the Astor Bridge at about the age of 8.  My dad later started fishing lake Seminole with Bill Stembridge and Colonel Lester, who manufactured Fliptail Lures.  Of course we used mainly Big Daddy Fliptails, about 10" long, (split shot rig with a wire guard weedless hook) and caught some really nice fish.  This was in the mid to late sixties.  My dad was retired by then and would spend February fishing the St. Johns, March camped out on Rattlesnake Point at Seminole, and then move to our cabin on Lake Lanier in April.  My Mom referred to herself as a fishing widow.  I would spend spring break from college with him at Seminole and we had a ball.  I would like to have some Fliptails just for old times sake but you have to buy them now in large bulk quantities from an outfit out west.  They were a great lure and we caught a lot of fish on them.  

My dad has passed away and I fish with my son now as well as my son-in-law and two grandsons that are barely old enough to fish, so the good times keep coming around.  If we get to fish in heaven I know my dad has a rig ready and waiting for me when I get there.  I now realize I acquired my value system listening to and watching my dad from the seat of a fishing boat.