Who Taught You How to bass Fish?

[central.PA.bass]

my dad taught me how to trout fish (probably the best trout fisherman i have ever seen)  and i pretty much just taught myself how to bass fish. (and I taught dad how to bass fish)

[zero limit]

My dad got me into fishing, we'd go to so.Il. wisc. In. every year for a 2 week vacation, armed with my zebco 33s

[Lund Explorer]

The grown men in the family started my fishing addiction, but they all had different species.  My Dad was an avid golfer so fishing was mostly through the ice for him.  Of the two Uncles I fished with as a child, one was big into fly fishing for trout while the other enjoyed trolling for pike.

When I finally got serious about bass fishing, the internet wasn't even thought of.  Magazines like Bassmaster and In-Fisherman was my source of information.

[Pez]

My dad taught me all the basics when I was younger, mostly saltwater fishing off the beach. But I pretty much taught myself about bass fishing, now Im teaching my dad!

[seyone]

My grandfather was the first to get me into fishing. After that me and my friend Jeff used to walk the local creeks and ponds for sunnies. One day I caught a bass, probably about 10" but I was so excited. That got me into bass fishing and from then on that is what we targeted and eventually evolved into an obsession.

[clipper]

My Dad taught me how to bass fish.  We fished the St. Johns River in Fla., Lake Seminole in Ga. and Lake Lanier in Ga.  I learned on live shiners and Big Daddy Fliptails.  I quit fishing after my Dad died and didn't start back until my son started watching fishing shows on TV and begged to go.  I still love to fish with him and do so several times a year.

I think it is significant how many of us learned to fish with our Dad or our Grandfather. 

[zero]

heres really long story how i started bass fishing

when i was in dorm in middle school i suggest one of our dorm counselor why not we go out to fish and he said okay but i didnt know he is bass fishermen so we went to lake and he gave all of the boys 1 5"senko and he expalined how to use this to all of us and i caught like 40-50 fish in the pond all bass. then i stopped fishing for bass then i graduated and i finally got contact with my old dorm counselor and he suggest me to join him to bass fishing for fun and i did and i started bass fishing

[Gangley]

Once I caught my first bass with no assistance, it has been an obsession. After that first bass though, I sought out every piece of information I could. I have had great teachers (Father In-Law, Step Father In-Law, uncles, cousins, and my grandfather who is now in Heaven), and great "books" such as this site and others. One of the things that helped me the most though, was inheriting my grandfathers tacklebox. It wasn't large or fancy or new, but it was a fisherman's tacklebox through and through. What was inside of it got used, and if it didnt work for him, it wasnt in his tackle box. Knowing that what he had in his box was stuff that worked well for him, got me to researching the internet to figure out what all the lures were. By doing that, I was able to research when to use them and the proper way to use them. Knowing that he was able to catch many bass with them gave me the confidence to use them. Doing that helped A LOT.

[frogflogger]

my father with a cane pole and minners on cedar creek in wva. yrs later the late great Chuck Woods actually taught me how to really bass fish. Every tournament I've ever won I owe to these two very different men. I thank them every time I'm on the water-still having so much fun after 60 years of this craziness.

[b.Lee]

My dad

Myself

The Internet

Bass Resource

Outdoor Life, a very long time ago

[Big Country]

I was two. My dad and grandpa had taken me to a farm pond and upon arrival were working hard to set up my zebco snoopy rod and reel. I became bored, grabbed a stick and started walking along the edge of the pond. A short time later I returned to my dad and grandpa, and with their backs turned I asked, "Is this how you fish?". They turned around to see me holding a blue gill. They both looked at eachother, a little puzzled at first, but once they saw the stick in my hand they realized what had happened, lol. From that point on I was hooked, no pun intended.

My dad taught me the basics of fishing and I grew up fishing with him, but always using live bait (minnows or worms).

When I was 8 I went camping with friends of the family and we stopped off to fish one day at a lake I can't remember the name of. This was my first time fishing with lures, and I used a good old jitter-bug...all day long!! I only had one bite all day, but that one bite is what gave me the fever. I fought for a few minutes and ended up with my first ever largemouth, and it just so happened to be legal size. I was so proud I came home to show it off, but refused to lip it b/c I thought the teeth would cut me, lol. That was the start of my want to become a better bass angler.

At 10 years old I went trout fishing for the first time with my uncle. A new kind of fishing, that I was horrible at!! Didn't even have a bite the whole first day, but my uncle went out and limited out in about 2 hours. I ended up quitting and just sat and watched what he did. I wanted to do what he was doing and I was determined to catch a trout! A few months later I was at a sports show with my dad and they had a trout pool that you had to pay to fish...for 5 minutes!! All I had was a hook and a piece of red metal just above the hook. I jigged that thing for all I was worth and I ended up catching my first trout. From then on I fell in love with trout fishing.

At age 11 I went ice fishing for the first time with my best friends dad. A day later and a cooler full of fresh crappie, perch and bluegills and I was hooked on ice fishing!!!

Fast forward to my jr year of high school. Dad comes home and starts to tell me of steelhead fishing in the creeks flowing into lake erie. It sounds like a blast and we both decide to go. I use my knowlegde of trout fishing and apply it to steelhead's. I fish hard all day and see 100's of fish, but only come back with one, which I thought was a monster...When I open up the cooler there's a 10 pounder sitting in there and there's dad with a big old grin on his face! Afte that I couldn't wait for the fall of the year, when I knew the steelheads would make their move up the creeks.

At 18 I had graduated high school and was working full time. I didn't do much else except work, so my days off found me at Lake Arthur in PA. I mainly fished for bass, but always enjoyed getting into some crappies. Then one night while fishing for catfish I hook into something that takes me for a ride!! After 30+ minutes I land a nice 8 pound hybrid. After that I was hooked on fishing for stripers and hybrids!!

Now I'm 27 and living in GA. When I'm able to I'm at a body of water fishing, mostly for bass, hybrid and stripers, but I don't limit myself to just that. There's no telling what the future will hold, but one things for sure I'll always want to fish. And now I have the opportunity to pass it on to my son, who's now 3.

Hopefully the tradition will carry on 

[Raul]

Who Taught You How to bass Fish?

Nobody, I learned on my own.

[cart7t]

Virgil Ward

Bill Dance

Bassmaster magazine

Fishing Facts magazine.

In Fishermen magazine

Jimmy Houston

Larry Nixon

Then add a number of experienced guys I fished with when I joined my first Bass Club.

Have all been contributors.

[riverfisher]

I have to thank my Mom for getting me started!! We spent many a day on the Muddy Mohawk River drowning worms when I was a kid.

[Helluva_Engineer]

My dad and grandfather. On Lake Lanier for the most part. My dad loves fishing plastic worms and hardly will throw anything else, so my grandfather taught me to throw crankbaits and troll. I picked up buzzbaits from my cousin. I'm trying to pick up other techniques on my own, but those are the ones I'm best with.

[Catt]

Who Taught You How to bass Fish?

Micropterus salmoides 

[bassattackerdad]

Well I taught my son how to salmon & trout fish and he in turn taught me how to bass fish. I'm very fortunate to have a son who loves fishing as much as I do or perhaps even more. We learned much from our local club guys.

[Grey Wolf]

Self taught and still learning on this great forum.

[Chris]

Who Taught You How to bass Fish?

Micropterus salmoides

I like that answer

I was self taught my Dad was a live bait fishermen who enjoyed being in outdoors more than catching fish. He felt it was easier to feed them than to fool them. I saved up my money and bought my first bass lures and taught myself how to catch fish on them. I then saved more money up and bought more. I had a group of kids I grew up with that we would head to the ponds around where I lived after school. We kinda learned off each other then began the arms race for better equipment and lures. The learning part was who could beat who in catching first, biggest and most fish not actual education. It was between the competition and the arms race that helped me learn about bass fishing. Also the fact that I spent my free time fishing when I wasn't at school helped me learn how to bass fish. It was through catching fish that helped me learn. You can have so and so tell you how to do this and that but until it works for you it is just information. When the applied information works and you catch fish it becomes education. Now I am in the process of teaching my sons how to bass fish. They are not as careful with lures as I was and have done a great job decorating the trees.  ;D

[KYntucky Warmouth]

My dad used to take me fishing every so often, mostly catfishing with chicken liver but taught me how to fish for crappie with a small tube jig.  He would rather fish for crappie, catfish, or walleye than bass but had gone a few times for bass, mostly spinnerbaits at night.  Really picked up bass fishing along side BigTom, we taught ourselves for the most part, BassResource played a big part in that.

[angler1]

I taught myself how to bass fish with the aid of books, mags, and some older fellows at Newton Lake in Southern New Jersey when I was 27.

I had never fished a day in my life nor had any urge to prior to my 4 year old son saying "dad, I want to learn how to fish, can you teach me?" Of course I said, not having a clue where to start.

The next day I went over to a local sports athority store and asked some old guy working the gun counter if he could pick out everything I would need to teach my son (and myself) to fish. He did, and it was on. BASS FISHIN'.

I had an old boss that bass fished tournaments and on our breaks he would read his mags. He conviencied me before I ever thought that I would ever fish that the only thing worth fishing for was bass and bass only!

Looking back on what equipment and tackle I started with, it must have been pure luck to have even caught a bass at all.

The following weekend I was out on the lake casting lures trying to figure out the sport. When I felt confident that's when I started teaching my son.

Thousands of dollars later I am not totally obsessed with bass fishing. Its always on my mind, 24/7/365. Little did my boy know that he was creating a monster. I now fish tourney's and hold my own. Someday when I get a boat I hope to fish tourney's with my son as my partner.

It's funny how kids impact our lives in the ways they do, thanks Sean.

[WRB]

Jason Lucas, fishing editor of Sports Afield, was my bass fishing mentor. I would read everything he wrote and write him with my questions. Jay always wrote a short note back,

my signed copy of Lucas on Bass is treasured.

WRB

[bassdoctor88]

Bass Resource and the great people on this site.....

[knap]

i have tought my self, my dad will fish with me but he just wants to have a good time and just catch  a bass no matter what the size is.

but im starting to get into it more and more im only 15 and have a long way to go

[fishermantony]

I learned how to fish in the Northern Woods of Wisconsin when I was 8 but caught my first bass at home in the city of Chicago in a Forrest Preserve pond.  Took me 2 days, a Zebco Rhino and a Beetle Spin, I was 11.  I made probably a couple hundred cast on Sat before hooking my first largemouth only to have him get off and throw my rod to the ground.  Next day, same deal, dozens and dozens of casts before I hooked into one....My dad stood next to me realizing my heartbreak from the day before and asked me if I wanted him to bring it in......of course I said no..and got the fish in myself!  Still one of the best moments of my life!