That one moment,...you knew

[BackOnTheWater]

Unfortunately, I can't recall a specific event that "hooked" me.

My Dad starting taking me fishing as soon as I could fill out a life jacket, and I have many fond memories of those early days (the '60's).

Texas-rigged purple worms...that was all that I can remember using back then...I'm sure that the first solid hook-set after a tap-tap did it for me...that and a topwater hit are still the most thrilling moments for me even today.

I also remember him teaching me to scull an oar behind the little boat he had to move us around. It had no motor, so I was proud that he let me "motor" us around.

Even today, it feels like he's with me every time I go out.

[Infidel.]

When I was in five I went out with my dad, brother, and sister.  I was using the classic red and white bobber with a chunk of night crawler on an eagle claw snelled hook.  I still remember watching the bobber get pulled under and I missed the first one.  But that day I caught a bluegill that was 6.5" and a largemouth that was 6".  That same year I got my first subscription to Bassmasters and it has been my life ever since.

[BASS fisherman]

This is a really cool thread LBH!!

I have been fishing my whole life, but I do remember the moment I was hooked to bass.

It was early in the summer of 2005, the year they fished the classic in Pittsburgh. Let me set the scene: I was living in a shelter in Gettysburg. One evening a new guy moved in and had a ton of fishing gear with him. Of course the conversation turned to fishing almost immediatley. I told him I am more of a trout fisherman and he basically laughed at me and told me he goes for bass, and that he'd have to take me out to a local pond soon. I didn't have any "bass" gear, and only one med action spinning rod with an equally horrid spinning reel. A few days later he takes me to the towns Walmart and showed me some good stuff to get. I picked up some FLW finesse worms, some 2/0 and 5/0 hooks, a few lures and a med action Abu Garcia spinning rod. Then we drove way out in the boonies to this little pond. He gave me some old plastics to try out one of which was a pack of watermelon senkos. He explained the best way to fish them and I was off. I believe it was my first cast next to some weeds and BAM!! fish on! That was the moment I was hooked.

Another moment that sticks out in my mind is fishing the same pond on another occasion. He was throwing a fluke and I had a small Storm sub-wort crank tied on. I caught a couple fish with the crank and he made a big deal of how I discoved the pattern that day. That got my curiosity peaked and started me into learning everything I possibly could about the habits of LM bass.

I also remember out fishing him one time that made me even happier since he was a huge bass fisherman that absolutley knew what he was doing. That boosted my confidence tremendously and made me want to get into tournament fishing.

His name was Jeff Jones and unfortunatley we have lost contact. I want to take this oppurtunity to urge anyone in the South Central area of Pa that knows a Jeff Jones to contact me with a number or address so we can get back in touch. I think he'd be quite impressed on how far I have come since the summer of 2005. I have tried to find him so we could go fishing, but my searches have been fruitless.  

[skillet]

 I had saved my money from an evening paper route and bought a really inexpensive baitcaster and rod. My parents were cane pole fishers from way back and thought I was crazy to buy something you could go cut in the bottoms. Had never seen mono at that time (actually don't know when it came out) and filled it with that black braided line they used on their cane poles . It's a wonder I learned to cast ;D. My parents took us to Norfolk Lake in Ark. We were waiting for a ferry and I cast into the wake of one that was leaving with a red and white Red Devil spoon and caught one that must have been 13" or 14" and that's what set the hook in me ...

                                    As Ever,

                                     skillet

[flyhatch]

i was fishing the clarion river with my best friend

he had been bass fishing for some time and had been reading bassmasters for years

i had alot of fishing under my belt but nothing species specific id catch whatever would bite and mostly used live bait.

anyway.... we get to the river thats in this this pine forest valley at the crack of dawn

its fall and its foggy and quiet, he hurries down and uses his baitcaster to whail a spitin image topwater bait across the river

it lands and he starts to walk the dog, the movement creating a wake in the crystal clear glasslike water.

a third of the way through his first retrieve a smallmouth explodes on his lure with a loud echoing smack

he lands the fish and i think to my self

i want some of that:)

[Gatorbassman]

I've been thinking about this since this thread began and I honestly can't remember when or if there ever was that one moment. My dad was a rafting/fishing guide on the Snake River in Wyoming back in the early 50's. (Long before I was born.) I have been fishing literally since I was born. Every family vacation, every father and son trip, every chance we got, we went fishing. He taught me how to tie flies. I was fly fishing in North Georgia when I was eight and I can't remember seeing anyone fly fishing up there until I was 15 or 16. But my dad is not a bass fishermen. Any rod that is stiffer than a light action rod is to stiff for him. lol

But if I had to pick the one moment I became addicted to bass fishing. I would have to say it was when I was 17 and I had been fishing with my best friend Adam (Doghouse) for a few months. But this particular day I was by myself. They had just opened Charlie Elliot WMA/Public fishing area and the lakes were beautiful. I was in a little bass buggy on Lake Bennett and I was fishing a white spinnerbait over some floating timber that had been anchored in this little cover by the Department of Natural Resources. I was bringing it over a log and it fell into a hole about 6 inches square when about a four pound bass came out of that hole with my spinnerbait in its mouth. He jumped the log and landed back in the water. I set the hook and landed him shortly after that.

There are several others that I can think of but I am pretty sure that is the earliest time.