How did you get into Bass Fishing?

[nofearengineer]

What is your earliest fishing memory that was really important as far as turning you into a fishing fool?

For me:

Waaaaaay back in 1979, when I was just a lad of 11 years age...my stepdad dragged me along to Terre Haute, Indiana for a bass fishing "seminar." Now, this was when professional bass fishing was really in its infancy, at least as far as media coverage. So the really big names in the "sport" were unbelievably approachable.

To this day, I remember watching in rapt attention as guys like Al Lindner explained the benefits of catch-and-release as we watched a film (videotape was also in its infancy) of him catching a 50-inch muskie. (He did get a little embarassed when asked if he had released that fish...he honestly admitted "no".)

I also got to see a short film by Buck Perry, with him trolling his trusty "spoonplugs." It oughtta be required viewing in schools, I tell ya.

I learned a "new" knot...the Palomar, which has been my trusted friend for almost 30 years now (I can tie it in the dark...yep).

I remember learning how to Texas Rig a plastic worm, and watching the guy fish it in a 30-foot-long, 6-foot-deep aquarium full of bass to show how the bass would hit it on the fall.

I learned so much that weekend that I was bitten for life. Those guys were like GODS to me. Man...I gots ta get me some kids, so I can take 'em fishing.

[BassinID]

Good post!

Well, for me it was when my dad's friend who is a tournament fisherman, or rather was then, took me out for a day on his boat. I was 10 and loved to fish, but had never gone for bass(dad is a flyfisherman, as a I some of the year). I learned everything from how to texas rig plastics to how to use a baitcaster. We fished plastics and cranks on a local reservoir and caught literally hundreds of bass! I was so hooked that I couldn't stand it! To top it off he gave me the rod that I had learned on that day and two plano 3700 series boxes chock full of the basic baits that I needed to get started catching bass.

[bamabassman]

well for me it started at the age of 4. really it did. and yes that was when dirt was invented,lol. got out of for a while, but now there is nothing that will EVER keep me from fishing again.

[fishin spro]

my earliest memory of FISHING is fishing with my dad under an old bridge that we had to walk across a rope bridge to get too...i caught my first fish that day(a small bream) we put it on a stringer and turtles ate it b4 we knew what had happened

as best as i remember, the way i got hooked on bassifshin was about 6 years ago. me, my dad, and a friend of his went catfishin on a local river...we decided to bass fish our ways back to the landing(my dads friend used to be a tourney fisher) i remember him teaching me how to skip my worm back under the bushes and many other things. when we got close to the landing he caught one about 4lbs on a pumkinseed firetail worm. i have been hooked ever since seeing him fight that fish.

[cassidyta]

Originally Posted by bamabassman

well for me it started at the age of 4. really it did. and yes that was when dirt was invented,lol. got out of for a while, but now there is nothing that will EVER keep me from fishing again.

It was easier back then for Bama. As the story goes, he was fishing on the ark with Noah....


As for me, it is somethign I have always done. I was born in SC and raised in VA. I have a few memories of fishing with my Father in SC. I can not pin point a bait or even a rod, but the idea of fishing has always been a part of my life.

[keithdog]

That really brings back some memories for me nofear! Sounds like a page out of my lifes book. I remember all those things so well. I met Al Linder when I was around 12 years old in Minnesota at a plave called Marv Koeps Bait and Tackle. Not sure I spelled that right, but Al and his brother ran a guide service out of that place way back when. He actually spoke up to me when he was walking around the store. Boy was I really excited to have talked to him as I idolized the guy. I got my start bass fishin when I was around 6 years old in 1965. Caught my first bass on a cane pole fishin with my dad and my older brother. I've been hooked ever since.

[Bassboss]

Well, I started to like fishing ever since my dad took me bream fishing at age 2, but as far as fishing with lures for bass, probably when I was 10 or so. Not sure what started it, I think I saw my dad catch a big bass or something! What ever the case, now I a fishing geek!

[Lancer6]

The carp quit biting.

L6

[Jim80]

Fishing in general has been a life long adventure for me , I took a few years away due to heavy partying , and found my way back when my sons wanted to fish . I was always a trout guy and has been pursuing bass for about 4 years now and it has been a constant learning experience filled with it's ups and downs as everything else is. But there is nothing quite like being able to take your children fishing or even at this age being able to fish with my brother and father it is just time well spent in an often fast paced world .


Jim

[fish4942]

I got into bass fishing because I have reached my limit of bluegill in my freezer. No really, a red light blinks when I have too many d4mn bluegill in the freezer.

Actually I grew up on bluegill with my dad and uncles. I guess they figured they didn’t have to do a whole lot of work to catch them and could bring home a ton after several hours on a lake. But I don’t ice fish so I spent the winter watching all kinds of tv shows about fishing. Most were bass fishing. So I stocked up on different lures, decided to jump into the baitcasting reel world and give it a try. It’s been fun…when you actually catch them. But I always keep my bobber and worm in the water for bluegill. It’s a hard habit to break.

[bassboogieman]

Like everyone else, my dad got me started. Took me trout fishing - that's what he liked. I did that a few years, but never really enjoyed the crowded streams. Later I got into salt water fishing - especially offshore. Absolutely love that, but it got way too expensive to charter an offshore boat for a couple days. Some friends of mine were in to bass fishing so I bought a little 16' alum boat and started fishing local lakes. Bass fishing was supposed to be CHEAPER than offshore fishing....... Yeah,, little did I know. Now I maintain a 21' bass boat, tow vehicle, way too much tackle, and have a taste for upper end rods & reels. Yeah, cheaper........... right.

[Rebbasser]

Originally Posted by Lancer6

The carp quit biting.

L6

Was that a continuous carp?

(Inside joke, not worth trying to explain)

My dad started me out when I could barely walk with a night crawler and a cane pole perch jerking. Graduated to a trusty Zebco and caught a bass on an old crankbait in a borrow pit in SE Kansas while visiting relatives. I was hooked, pardon the pun.

[B-I-G]

I don't remember it very well... But it was when I was about 4 or 5... We were visiting my aunt's house.. She lives in Maine right off of the androscoggin River... Anyways, her boyfriend insisted on taking me and my sister out to fish in the river. Of course for some reason he brought 7'-8' poles with him and a huge Heddon Lucky 13 for me and I forgot what for my sister. My lure was casted out... I don't remember how I was retrieving it but I ended up catching a nice smallmouth bass! My sister got jealous and while she kept trying I was just eyein my fish. From then on I've been hooked! Last time I went up ther I caught a bunch of catfish... I wish I remembered about the nice bass population... We are going this summer and I'll be sure to pull up some bass!

[bassintom]

My dad used to take us for to catch carp.He had this beat up POS '46 chevy pickup.We all piled in the back and headed to the canal.Good times!

[flfireman]

Started in NE Ohio with my Dad and brothers. Used to go back to a little lake and fish for bluegill and catfish. Moved to Florida in 1981 and the fishing really took off. I lived 1 mile from the Indian River and had a brackish water canal in the back yard that ran all the way to the river. Depending on time of year-bass, snook, tarpon. Slowed down when I joined the Marines and started back up hot and heavy in 1992 when I came home. The rest is bass fishing history and the story continues....................................

[hookset on 3]

Hello NofearEngineer, That story you told,really got to me! I'm not that emotional but reading that was like looking back at my lifelong obsession. I'm 49, so I've been bassin for 40 years. Watching TV shows like Jerry Mckinnis' Fishin Hole, or The American Angler with John Fox, or Curt Cowdy even. I used to ride my bike to Turtle Pond every day. Bass,Bluegill, Cats. I used to climb up in the trees and look down just studying all the living things in a farm pond. Dragon Flies, Great Blue Heron, KingFishers, Muskrats,Painted Turtles, Snappin Turtles. I watched that the big Bass always lurked just deep enough to go unnoticed while the dinks would be up near shore.
I want to tell you, That I'm blessed with two boys 13 & 16, that love to fish with their Dad.

Thanks, Hookset on 3

[MrPhotographer06]

i grew up in the family of fishing.. my great aunt had a pond across the road, and my family and my dads best friend's family would come over and we'd fish with our zebco 202s catching whatever bit the hook. well my dad went on shift work for 4 years and it really put me out of fishing, so one day i wanted to dig up my old stuff, and i looked at it, and said i gotta go fishing, so i found some of my dads old spinning reels and rods, hooked them all up and started going by my self, just fishing, well the 2nd best fisherman in the school wanted to go, so we went for a while. I got tired of his bragging and trying to teach me stuff, so my best friend wanted to try it, so we went.. and he's been hooked ever since. but the moment that hooked me is probally when i went and dug out my first ever combo, the 202.. and looked at it, then came home and found this site.. and it drove me crazy till i went fishing

[WaffleJaw]

it funny me and my Dad were going through some old photos from the early 80's last sunday.....its was 1984 when he bought his Tracker from Bass pro...I was 2 at the time,lol..we had to drive all the way to the original one, to save on shipping cost,and he had to wait in a line of 57 people all getting boats that morning he fished a few tourney's back then and got me into it at an early age...mainly catching sunfish,and little catfish......
but it was when he came back with 40 bass,including one at 7.6lber his personal best to this date...(theres a picture of me trying to pull it from the livewell...i can barely get him out) was what got me into bass fishing.......never seen a fish that big!!!

when i was around 12,I remember all i would ever throw was spinnerbaits and beetlespins....thats it!


during high school and early 20's took a long break to study bass guitar (i always feel dumb saying that on a fishing forum).....and i wouldnt have time to go fish with my dad...i always wanted to,but had a bad party monkey on my back.....but the last few years,it came back and its not going anywhere...and now i cant fish enough...my Dad got so excited he immediately subscribe me to bass masters..gave me a new baitcaster combo,and tackle bag with about $100 worth of tackle....me and him bond now on a totally different level..and i wouldnt trade it for anything...
were planning a trip to a lake we havent fish together since i was 9.....thats where he caught his monster 7lber...I want to see him beat that.

[swimbaitkid]

After me and this girl broke up,she still wanted to hang out,and she asked me if i wanted to fish in a tournament with her and her dad.I said yes bc i could win some money,so that day i caught a 4 1/2lber largie and got second place bc it was only a big fish tournament.So for the last 3 years bass fishing has been my life!I love it

[bigjim]

i started fishing probably when i was probably 10 yrs old..but at that age i was more into catching anything, bluegills,bullheads,whatever. didnt know anything as far as as technique & didnt care, just give me a rod & reel ,some worms or a can of corn and make sure i have a bobber..did that for yrs and eventually just got bored with fishing period, i would fish every now and then for yrs. after that time, but nothing serious. then about 3 or 4 yrs ago out of the clear blue i decided i wanted to start fishing again and make my main target BASS. and was going to focus on using soft plastics and lures only. i enjoy it so much more now then i can ever remember. landing that first bass on a artificial lure was addicting for me. even if im out for 11 or 12 hrs and only manage 1 fish i still loved every second i was out there and cant wait to do it the next day..and finding this forum has made me love fishing more,cause ive learned a ton of stuff from you guys and I like putting it to the test when im out on the water

[Stew]

I started fishing at around age 4 using bacon floated under a bobber to catch saltwater catfish and puffers. I liked it but never did it very much more until I was 15 and a friend dragged me to the Loxahatchee River where he taught me to cast a Zara II up against seawalls and inch them back to torture Jack Crevalle, which would eventually explode on them. I was hooked and like saltwater fishing today, and have caught fish such as sailfish, dolphin, kingfish, tarpon, etc.

At about age 16 I worked at the local tackle shop and the owner convinced me to try bass fishing. I didn't know what a wacky rig was back then, but I'd rig a Chameleon colored plastic worm wacky style and go onto golf courses and places I wasn't really allowed to go and catch some nice ones. I was hooked again.

In my early 30s, just as Spiderwire braid hit the market, I found a small lake that few had ever fished on (except with cane poles at the small area accessible from shore). I became a pretty serious basser at that time. I would take a small boat out and throw mostly Strike King chartreuse spinnerbaits to get reaction strikes. I caught 15 pounders, 10 pounders, and more 8 pounders than I could ever recall, and had one that had to be 18 to 20 pounds break the reel right off my rod. That lake has since been environmentally destroyed because of nearby development that was done in an environmentally unfriendly way (if you hear me talking about environmental concerns, you now know I have reason to). Spinnerbaits remain my confidence lure.

~

[islandbass]

These are all great stories!

I am almost envious of all of you who fished since a very young age, and better yet with a parent or other older relative. As a kid, I always wanted to try fishing, but never really had any opportunities.

Fast forward to about 2004, some 30 plus years later. I finally make the decision to have a go at fishing. I was so green that I if you asked me what a bail was, I would have told you that it was something you paid to avoid sitting in jail.

I was so green, that I read Fishing for Dummies twice before I bought my first rod I have dubbed the "WalMart Special" Trout was my first intended quarry as a matter of fact. I can remember the first fish I caught. I was fishing with a carolina offshoot rig (didn't realize at the time that in essence I was using a C-rig) so that I could cast a size 5 Rapala Floating Minnow. Nearing the end of my retrieve, my line felt just a wee bit heavy, but my naivety prevented me from realizing that a fish was on until I just about pulled the minnow out of the water. It was a bass about an inch bigger than the lure.

I was so impressed by the little fish for taking on something not much smaller than it that I got hooked. I think I said something along the lines of, "Screw the trout. The bass is where it's at," (Pardon the poor grammar).

I got my daughter involved and she still likes to fish with me on occassion.

I also started trying to learn as much as I could about bass mostly, but other species too. Even in that first season, I tried my hand at making lures. I tried making a minnow type lure with no direction and failed miserably. I made some fair propeller baits and poppers inline spinners, and learned to tie trebles. I also enjoyed tackling (pardon the pun) challenges such as enabling a shorebound angler to carry with ease more than one rod and to devise a simple leash from easily had items to prevent my kids from dropping their (well, my) rods into the drink. When your daughter can toss a baitcaster at 6 1/2 years of age and claims your curado as hers, the thought of her accidentally throwing your rig into the drink will cross your mind).

And this season, making crank baits that work and actually catch fish. Sweet indeed.

These are all sweet accomplishments that I appreciate and cherish, but I think one of the sweetest things was to be able to turn the tables a bit. As has been written posts above, many of us got started fishing by good old dad. I have been blessed to have a 180 degree experience. I took my dad fishing when he visited and had the opportunity to teach him.

No, I write this not to brag, but it is a brief accounting of the ride I have been on since I have been hooked on fishing. In a way, I see all of these things as a way for me to "catch up" with the rest of you for my late start.

-ib

[BigBassin144]

I've been fishing for anythin that'd eat a worm off a hook since I was a little kid. But a couple years ago in the spring of 2007 I got hooked on bass fishing. A friend of ours wanted to come to our pond to fish. he fishes small tournaments and stuff. That was first time I'd ever used a baitcaster, and my first 4 consecutive backlashes! In about a month, I went and bought my first baitcaster. been obsessed...er... interested in bass fishing ever since.

[bassackwards]

all ways been in to fishing. back in tx i was a big crappie fisherman, than got sent to fl were i got in to salt water. bass only a little over 2yrs now joined a fishing club with my father down in nc (just to out fish him) now im in it for good

[zooker]

umm i tripped and fell into it....


nope retired from great lakes big water trout fishing and moved south..bass fishing was just something to do at that time...boy howdy did it ever snowball...


zooker