At what point did you get serious ?

[Jim80]

This is one of those questions that everyone will answer differently . A lot of you I know have always fished , I myself fished when I was younger and then drifted away from the sport through my teenage years and as my children started to get older we found our way back and now fish every chance we get which has in turn brought my father, brother, and a couple friends back into the fold as well . So in ending I guess the question is a what point did you choose to try to be better than your average weekend fisherman , and how do you think our sport has affected your life ?

[pignjig]

Other than the competition aspect of the bass club, I don't believe I'm trying to be better than any other angler. For me, at least, the struggle is with my own performance so that is the standard I go by. The sport has been mostly positive in many, many ways as far as instilling confidence, advancing my career, providing a bridge between the "world" and being centered. There was a guy on here who's signature said something like "Fishermen often don't realize it's not always the fish they're after". That's how the sport has affected me. Good post, Jim!

[MrPhotographer06]

haha well when i was 8-10 or so i had my zebco 202 and wanted to go every day.. but cork and worm fishing... then last year i wanted to go more into it.. but being 14-15..no ride little gear put me down in the fishing and when january came around my buddy and i decided we wanted to fish one day.. so we got my ol john boat out,paddles and went.. didnt catch crap..we had quite a few days without catching stuff.. but we also didnt know what we were doing.. 7 months later, we still fish out my dads ol john boat, were building a bass boat, i have a canoe and his brothers helpings us with another jon boat so we'll have a john boat, canoe and bass boat to ourselves But i'm still not as serious as i wish to be I fish every other weekend if possible and every other day i can

[Lancer6]

I was "hooked" (pardon the pun...or don't. Frankly I don't give a damn!) on fishing from the time I was 8 years old when we were posted to Ft. Campbell KY and dwelling in Clarksville TN. Thanks to a civvie friend of ours I spent the better part of a day crappie fishing with a really nice guy who sang as we dangled goldfish before the crappies's snouts. Turns out the guy's name (which meant zilch to me at the time,) was Ford, Ernest, AKA "Tennessee Ernie Ford". Shortly thereafter, being stationed in the Panama Canal Zone (my Dad was, actually. I just tagged along for 3.5 years.) gave me ample opportunity to indulge in surf fishing, wayyyyy offshore angling, etc., so well as some fine freshwater efforts. From that time I was dedicated and our next stop, Ft. Polk LA, afforded me the opportunity to catch my first LMB. I had found a new calling.
I fished often and avidly through my public school and college years and then at every opportunity while serving in various duty stations as an officer in the Armored Cavalry biz. No matter where I was, in the US, Korea, Vietnam, etc., there was fishing to be done.
Later, I was talked into joining a local bass club. Then it progressed to a "sponsorship" proffered by a wealthy sort.
After fishing when I didn't want to fish; where I didn't want to fish, and with WHOM I didn't want to fish, I gave that deal up, including the boat and truck, 'cause I realized I was beginning to hate bass fishing.
I spent two entire years "off the water", save for annoying the Sea Trout and Redfish on the Coastal Flats of Texiz. Then, I began bellyboating and accepting increasingly frequent invites from boaters. Slowly but surely, I became a "Full-time amateur" and so here I am.
I do not compete against a partner or record book. Rather, I compete against myself and the bass, releasing all I'm fortunate enough to share a spirited tussle with.
I love to teach and mentor new fishermen of all ages and both genders and share what I describe in the next paragraph with them all.
I fish for the love of the game, the camaraderie, and the worship of God's great gifts in the form of glorious sunrises and sunsets, the sight of Spring's flowers on the shore, a glimpse of a deer eyeing me shyly as she sips cool lake water with her fawn at her side, and the songs of birds greeting me as we mosey along on the trollmotor. I even find joy and beauty in a cold rain so long as I'm on the water when it falls.
I don't know if this the "answer" you were looking for but it's what honesty compels me to offer.

L6

[Captmikestarrett]

Never take having fun seroiusly..

Just have fun..

Take it from a professional fisherman.

Capt Mike

[BigBassin144]

Well, I'd still say I'm an average weekend angler, but I got serious last summer, and I've been getting better ever since.

BB

[jooleyen]

Right when I started!

[Fish2win]

My earluest memory of fishing was with my mom and dad at aged 3 or 4. I was finatic about it even as a child and have at no time in my life not been. Growing up on a lake probably helped. There have been times that I did not own a car but never a boat. My first was at age 12( 14 foot jon with 5 hp Johnson) until now at 59( see avatar). I quess I always will. Fish2win

[zooker]

Originally Posted by Captmikestarrett

Never take having fun seroiusly..

Just have fun..

aint that the truth...


zooker...

[mariner]

i know for a fact i was fishing when i was five(hook and worm and bobber) and never really got serious till like probable last year and i have been gettin better ever since
(you guys helped alot)

[bassnman30]

If ya'll ever fish in tournaments and have one where luck isn't on your side, then go to your local pond following the event.
Thats where the fish are.

[pignjig]

Amen, bassnman. Had to do that several times this year...

[JB]

dad was a fisherman of crappie, so I guess I got serious bout bass fishing when I was 8 months term in moms pregnancy , the doc said i came out with a zara spook in my hand, and mom still has the scars to prove it!Rofl

[Jim80]

Originally Posted by Captmikestarrett

Never take having fun seroiusly..

Just have fun..

Take it from a professional fisherman.

Capt Mike

You enjoy your hobby and your job mike and even though i strive to be as good as i can I've have always had fun while on the water and have never come home upset or unhappy from a outing i guess in my eyes being good at fishing also means being happy with yourself as a fisherman .

[bamabassman]

L6...pal i have to agree with what you wrote there buddy. i have been fishing since i was about 4 too. got serious at 18. then married and divorced. and gave it up. then married to the best woman in the world. got back into it down in lower bamy. never did much good. moved back "home" so to speak and have really gotten into it again. gonna have to take a short break, but now i do it for the same reasons as L6. usually i fish alone. but will never say no to anyone here who is in my neck of the river who wants to go. will always have the cajun ready. wish it were a new ranger, but that is another dream, lmao. but i truly enjoy the water, sunrises, sunsets, watching the eagles,ospreys, and other fowls. watching the otters playing, and the beavers too. seeing nature one on one. and hopefully landing a nice one here and there (hasn't happened yet, lol. yea, i know that one biggun is probably still at the same point wearing my 2 lizards in his mouth, hahaha. but to get out there and enjoy what GOD has made for us is truly awesum to me. till the jetskies and skiers come out that is, hahaha. great post here. thanks for reminding me why i fish again.

[3dkicker]

When I placed in a BASS Top 150 as a co-angler I decided to increase my effort. I've done okay fishing some big tournaments and win here and there with the club I fish with. I enjoy the competition and have fun while doing it.

[keithdog]

I was always pretty serious when it came to fishing. Even as a kid of about 8, I woould ride up to the bait shop and buy a lure or two while other kids my age were buying fireworks, baseballs and so on. By the time I was 12 I had a pretty darn good collection of lures and a nice size tackle box I recieved from my dad when gramps passed on. I was nevere really ever concerned with besting the next guy. I have always just looked to how much I could improve as an angler. Although I must admit I really enjoyed the time my brother and I pulled into our boat slip one afternoon at a resort on Cass Lake in Minnesota many years ago. I pulled my stringer filled with a daily limit of walleyes and walked past the resorts local guides boat who was in the slip next to mine. He was appoligizing at the time to a pair of clients he had spent the day with without landing so much as a single fish. Boy did he give me a nasty look, but it made my whole trip. haha

[frogfisher]

Originally Posted by JB

dad was a fisherman of crappie, so I guess I got serious bout bass fishing when I was 8 months term in moms pregnancy , the doc said i came out with a zara spook in my hand, and mom still has the scars to prove it!Rofl

haha JB that cracks me up

[PowerBass]

I guess I got really serious the year after i got my boat. I joined a club in 2007, and it was the best move I have ever made. I learned tons from the guys I fish with, Im putting in so much time on water, and constantly improving, and always learning something new every time. Next year I want to fish a bigger trail as a rider, BFL, ABA or something equivalent to that.

[Buzz Wing]

I guess I got serious about bass last summer, but have been multispecies fishing my whole life. Since last Summer, I spend around 2-3 days a week on the water, (hard or soft), and hope I get better every day.

[rangerryan]

I just got out of college and got me a bass boat and joined a club. so i guess as soon as i was no longer a broke college kid i started to get serious.

[flbassman]

I've always been pretty serious about fishing.....Fishin is pretty much what I love, (cost me a LOOOT of money, and a coupla girlfriends) and it's kinda always been that way. I don't care what type, I just love being on the bank or the water, alone or with some buddies or family, and I can fish all day, with or without a bite. Just somethin about tryin real hard to outsmart an animal with a brain the size of a walnut

[Buzz Wing]

Originally Posted by flbassman

Just somethin about tryin real hard to outsmart an animal with a brain the size of a walnut

Even that's excessive.

Try "pea"...

[bamabassman]

HAHAHAHAHAHA ain't that da truth guys?!?!

[flfireman]

Never really have gotten serious. Probably been actively bass fishing for 10-12 years. Have fished since I was a wee little one with my dad and uncle. Drifted away here and there but always owned tackle and rod/reel. I don't ever get serious, my fishing is for me to relax. I do some tourneys here and there, but even in those. My motto is always let's have fun and try to catch some fish. If I do great, If I don't, still have fun. I may yell and scream at MYSELF if I lose a good fish, but Im over it quickly.