Old Timers Round-up

[Olebiker]

In 1965 I was 14 years old and attending St. Meinrad Seminary in Southern Indiana.  There were a couple of ponds on the property so when I was home for spring break I spent $2 on a Zebco 202 and $2 on a solid fiberglass rod.  I bought some inline spinners (Rooster Tails and ABU Reflex) and some pre-rigged worms with beads and spinners.

Our next door neighbor, Jack Dolson, taught me how to tie an improved clinch knot.  When I got back to school I spent every afternoon after class fishing.  I have never really quit, but over the last three years it has become my main recreational activity.

[Paul Roberts]

You men soft.

Me had fishing rock.

Throw rock at bass.

Eat bass.

Shimano make best fishing rock.

Me used rock from driveway. Make talk about Shimano fishing rock. Me want to learn.

One question. What is driveway?

Mammoth trail.

[Triton21]

You men soft.

Me had fishing rock.

Throw rock at bass.

Eat bass.

Shimano make best fishing rock.

Me used rock from driveway. Make talk about Shimano fishing rock. Me want to learn.

One question. What is driveway?

Mammoth trail.

Buffalo Trace.

[Paul Roberts]

My first rod, and first fish. I remember going up along the river with Dad, and he cutting that alder. I look at that pic and can STILL remember the very moment I felt something alive, tugging "down there". I can feel that tippy boat, and the musty smell of that life preserver.

I have my maternal lgrandfather's old brass bird cage fly reel, and have caught trout with it. I also have my paternal grandfather's Jitterbug, and have caught bass on it, as did my Dad. I have a son too who's next up for that old stuff. He's got a new 33 for a "bass reel" too.

[Blue Streak]

Boy I had to think about this. I was born in 1942 and lived a short walk from the Ohio River. My Dad and brother and I used to go there 2 or 3 times a week. They had metal rods with some sort of casting reel and black line. I don't know what they were but they had to be cheap because we were poor. I used a branch cut from a willow with string  from the grocery store that they used to wrap meat with and a small hook. While they fished for catfish I fished for shiners. I can't remember how old I was the first time 4, 5, maybe 6. I can remember using the Pflueger tandem spinner and the Shannon twin spinner, Flat fish and Lazy Ikes. An old neighbor gave me a tackle box with some Pikie minnows, Go Deeper Crabs and some kind of Oreno plug. I caught bass on all of them. The guys with money used solid fiberglass rods and Pflueger Supremes and everything was made in the USA, anything from Japan was just junk. I went from sitting on a muddy river bank to wading creeks in my bare feet to my first johnboat and then my first bassboat. I fished tournaments for some twenty years including the Ohio Bass Federation state tournaments. I got so tired of the tournament crap I won't even go to a weigh in now.

  Through it all I had fun, learned a lot, made a lot of friends and got to watch all of the technological advances. It has been a sweet ride and I ain't done yet.

[Hammer 4]

Some great stories guys...

[Fishing Rhino]

Boy I had to think about this. I was born in 1942 and lived a short walk from the Ohio River. My Dad and brother and I used to go there 2 or 3 times a week. They had metal rods with some sort of casting reel and black line. I don't know what they were but they had to be cheap because we were poor. I used a branch cut from a willow with string from the grocery store that they used to wrap meat with and a small hook. While they fished for catfish I fished for shiners. I can't remember how old I was the first time 4, 5, maybe 6. I can remember using the Pflueger tandem spinner and the Shannon twin spinner, Flat fish and Lazy Ikes. An old neighbor gave me a tackle box with some Pikie minnows, Go Deeper Crabs and some kind of Oreno plug. I caught bass on all of them. The guys with money used solid fiberglass rods and Pflueger Supremes and everything was made in the USA, anything from Japan was just junk. I went from sitting on a muddy river bank to wading creeks in my bare feet to my first johnboat and then my first bassboat. I fished tournaments for some twenty years including the Ohio Bass Federation state tournaments. I got so tired of the tournament crap I won't even go to a weigh in now.

Through it all I had fun, learned a lot, made a lot of friends and got to watch all of the technological advances. It has been a sweet ride and I ain't done yet.

Close, but no cigar.  Got you by a year or a few months depending on the month of '42.  I'm class of November '41.

[Blue Streak]

You are the winner by 8 months. Hey remember when Gadabout Gaddis was the only fishing show on tv?

[Fishing Rhino]

Yes I do.  I've posted about it a few times.

Gadabout Gaddis, the flying fisherman.

[Blue Streak]

The good old days. I don't know if they were any "gooder" than today is. I would not want to fish without an electric motor again.

[Triton21]

Glad there is someone older than me on here.  10/20/1943

Kelley

[Hammer 4]

Well, I for one, wouldn't mind going back to the late 70's, early 80's..

1948..I feel like a young pup..lol

The good old days. I don't know if they were any "gooder" than today is. I would not want to fish without an electric motor again.

[Triton21]

Yes I do. I've posted about it a few times.

Gadabout Gaddis, the flying fisherman.

Harold Ensley

[Gatorbassman]

This is one cool read. Thanks for starting it.

[Paul Roberts]

Ahhh.....my first casting reel. :-? :'(

Remember those exciting (to a ten year old) ads in the back of (Boys Life maybe?) for the "100 piece fishing kit!" The picture was of a casting reel, lures, hooks, stringer, swivels and split shot (yup they count them individually), and probably other exciting things, layed out in front of a tackle box. I think it cost $12.95.

My friend John and I each saved our lawn mowing money for that kit. And then came the day the packages arrived, both addressed to John's house so we could open them together. I remember the ad, and that box, real well. All I remember about the contents was how CHEAP it all was. And that reel...we wanted to love it, but it was obviously not built to be loved. It wouldn't cast more than about 15 feet -and that with all the sinkers and lures in the box tied on at once!

We were crushed. But we learned a good lesson about "buyer beware".

[Blue Streak]

Maybe we can start a senior center on bass Resource. Free coffee and fish stories unlimited. 

[tholmes]

I started fishing with my Grandfather sometime around 1958, catching bluegill and bullheads with a cane pole and worms. As I became more proficient, I moved up(?) to a Zebco 202 and channel cats and bass. Grandpa gave me my first casting rig, a Shakespeare model 1920 reel and a tubular steel Wonder rod, and taught me (with infinite patience) how to cast a plug. The first bass I caught on a lure was with that rig, throwing a Lazy Ike. That old rig has a place of honor in my shop.

After high school, I went nuts for bass fishing, spending every available hour fishing. I went through the usual assortment or tackle, Abu Garcia 5000, Mitchell 301, the original Daiwa Millionaire, Pflueger Supreme, Shakespeare 1980 President II etc.

I was forced by circumstances to almost give up fishing in the late '80s. An industrial accident left me with some physical issues affecting my mobility and balance and a divorce shortly afterward left me broke, but I've come back to fishing recently, though I'm pretty much restricted to fishing from the bank.

These days, my greatest joy is teaching my grandkids to fish.

Tom

[jt236]

This post is great.I also started fishing in 1956.My dad and uncle took my brother and me fishing in the same area where they fished as kids.Caught my first a smallmouth,looked to be about 5lbs.probably was 10inches.My dad brought us rods and reels at a farmers market.Ever hear of Ocean City reels? One more thing,I am still using the Bagley B'S I bought in the 70s.

[Mike O]

Born in 1955. Best early memory of Bass wade fishing around 8 years old waste deep in a gravel pit. I was throwing a wooden frog colored Creek Chub Darter, an old lure left in an old box, around some vegetation. Fishing it on a state of the art Mitchell 300 that my dad traded for a case of home brewed beer, really good stuff! I was jerking it and a nice Bass hit it and came up jumping, then burrowed deep pulling hard spitting the bait. When I looked at the lure the hooks had completely been pulled out of the bait. Hooked on Bass fishing ever since!!! 

[Fishing Rhino]

The Mitchell 306 and I believe the 300 had a nice feature.  The quick change spool. 

Push the button on the top of the spool, and it would release from the shaft, and could be slid off.

Drag setting stayed the same, as the entire assemblly, drag and spool came off.  Pop on another spool and drag assembly and good to go.

[RAMBLER]

I'm a November '41 baby, too.  Started fishing when I was about 14.  Somebody, (an uncle probably) gave me one of those knuckle busters and a solid steel rod with 30 lb black dacron line.  If I could save the pennies and nickles, I bout 30 or 40 lb steel leaders.  Put "perch" hooks on the leader and caught a ton of bluegill and a few bass.  Got a red and white daredevil and caught some northern pike.  Casting that was when I learned to "thumb" a reel.  It still just comes naturally without having to think about it. 

When the crappie started hitting the mayfly hatch, my brother and I got a couple of cane poles, put some of that 30 lb black dacron line on the pole, the length of the pole, a white popper and went "fly" fishing and caught a lot of crappie. 

My gosh, now I need a second boat to carry my tackle and don't catch near as many fish.  Might have something to do with no one else fishing where we did.

[detroit1]

You guys ARE old. My first fishing experience came in 1964, with my dad and 2 sisters. I had a little plastic "shuttle" with about 25' of line and a hook. Fished off a little bridge and caught 32 bluegills/sunfish in about 45 minutes on 3/4 of a nightcrawler. We threw them all back, but i was hooked. The summer of 1966, on our yearly vacation to see the relatives in Kentucky, my dad bought me a Eagle claw ul outfit for my birthday. I bought a rocky jr. (1 " jointed minnow) and slayed em in my grand-dads and his neighbor's ponds. I thought i was big stuff when i had my 2 tray tacklebox full of baits (age 12 in 1969). Still get geeked out on my way to the lake...later

[fshnaddic]

Well I guess I'm really lucky, I'm 47 my Dad and His uncle were the first people in the county to have baitcaster so I could throw one of those old shakespeare's before I could ride a two wheeler, But I do miss how simple and relaxing fishing was back then, grab that old baitcaster and my fishing hat which also held my spare lures , a hula popper and a spinnerbait, I usual keep the lucky 13 tied on and tried it first, walk the bank of those oxbows and the river and catch fish all day