Tell us about your first fish.

First purpose caught sport fish was while we were visiting Yellowstone back in the early 60's. I was 12 or so and had caught common fish like carp, sunfish, bluegill, etc. My dad had given me a fiberglass pole and Mitchell spinning reel for my birthday, I was itching to put it to use on trout. It came with an assortment of Mepps spinners in a small box. We were staying in a cabin on the trip and were too busy seeing all the wonders, we did spend some time driving around the area and while on one our drives we crossed the Henry's Fork of the Snake River. We stopped for some sandwiches for lunch and I begged to be let loose to catch something. Away I ran, selected a nice bucktail spinner, tied it on and with what little knowledge I had read about via Outdoors Sportsman, Field and Stream, etc. Cast out upstream towards some rocks with eddys behind them. I got better by and by and saw this one eddy that looked nice and deep, cast upstream and let the spinner sink, slowly cranking past the rock and BAM, I get a solid bite and begin fighting a decent fish in good strong water, I managed to get it to shore without a net and held it up for a good look at my first sport fish...it was a Dolly Varden a little over a foot long, they have since renamed them Bull Trout. We had no provision to cook the fish so I did the best I could and returned it, heart broke that noone in the family had witnessed my glory. I fished a bit more to no luck and returned to the picnic area, told my story and it must have been how serious and excited it was that they all believed me, including my little brother.
 
jeffsmith said:
One of my Best memories is that whenever we went fishing
Dad would bring Sardines and Ritz Crackers (Lots of Pepper)
So, when I have the same snack, I Think of Fishing with Dad
Click to expand...

You triggered a memory tsunami. When dad and I went fishing he usually packed Wonder Bread, rag baloney, hoop cheese and school poster paint mustard sandwiches, potted meat, Vienna Sausages, sardines in mustard sauce and Saltines. Dessert was ginger snaps and circus peanuts.

Haute cuisine.
 
My first fishing trip was when I was six years old. I can remember getting up early to drive down to Cape May in my Dad’s ‘65 F-100. We went out on a half day (8-12) trip on the Miss Chris II. The first fish I caught was a flounder, somewhere around here I still have a picture of me with my first fish. I had a great time, between the fishing, the boat ride, and getting to spend the day with my Dad. By the time I was 8 Dad decided I was serious enough about fishing that we could go on the full day (8-4) trips, and when I was 12 we started going out on the all night blue fish trips. Lot’s of great memories.
 
I have no idea how old I was for the "first" fish, but I was young. There was a creek that ran beside our house, and at some point I discovered there were fish in it. My mother got a stick, some thread, literally bent a pin for a hook, and made a float out of a small twig. She then took me down to the creek and we went "fishing." Our bait was probably a piece of bread, rolled into a ball and placed on the tip of the pin. That little creek was just full of bluegills, rock bass, bullhead catfish, and the occasional chain pickerel. I caught them so often I knew their first names. They knew I could be counted on for a free meal, if one didn't mind being yanked out of the water for a minute before being tossed back.

That was just the beginning.
 
Trolling cowbells on Stockade Lake for trout in the Black Hills.
Had to wear an old kapok life jacket that was about 10 sizes to big as there was no child sizes back then. Got boring but the Vienna sausages and crackers were great!
The real fun for me was along the bank of the lake with a cane pole fishing for sunfish. No life jacket and able to move around when I wanted to! Life was good at 5!
 
My first fish was a monster. A catfish of at least a pound...sitting on a pier on Southeast creek near our home. My father was a waterman and I went with him to pump water out of his boat after a rain storm. He was a few minutes pumping his and a friends boat and I got to fish...I still have that old Penn fishing reel...I was a few days shy of 5 y.o. 70 years ago. I no longer fish...the average fish caught here was bait back east...esp off-shore for tuna
 
I have to admit....

Skeet 028 said:
My first fish was a monster. A catfish of at least a pound...sitting on a pier on Southeast creek near our home. My father was a waterman and I went with him to pump water out of his boat after a rain storm. He was a few minutes pumping his and a friends boat and I got to fish...I still have that old Penn fishing reel...I was a few days shy of 5 y.o. 70 years ago. I no longer fish...the average fish caught here was bait back east...esp off-shore for tuna
Click to expand...

I like salt water fishing more than fresh and I like the fish better, too.
 
5 years old in 1959 I remember coming back from fishing with Dad and my brother. I know I caught at least one fish. We had a mixed bag of catfish and perch and I think I caught a cat and got stuck with a spine. I remember we ate them that night and I was one happy boy.
 
I was ten when we took a trip to Yellowstone and I fished for the first time. I don’t remember catching one but I was hooked. A few years later a friend of my dad offered to take me fishing and on a camp out with his son. We drove down near Deckers on the South Platte and got to fishing first. Dr Bob was a fly fisherman ,pipe and all, and that really stuck with me. I caught a rainbow on salmon eggs and then the storm rolled in so Bob thought we should maybe head home. I talked him into driving further into the mountains where my dad was building a house and we could camp there (If he took me home I’d have to work the next day)We set up camp in the living room (it was a shell) and were surprised when pop and Dave showed up at 7 am the next morning.We ended up heading home,but I was happy with my day off from the old slave driver lol
 
Last edited:
My first fish? 😂
It was way too long ago, no one took a picture, we probably ate it.

At my age I can almost remember the last one. A bluegill in breeding colors a couple of weeks ago.

Not my biggest, or coolest, nothing to brag about, but boy it was pretty.

 
arjay said:
I was ten when we took a trip to Yellowstone and I fished for the first time. I don’t remember catching one but I was hooked. A few years later a friend of my dad offered to take me fishing and on a camp out with his son. We drove down near Deckers on the South Platte and got to fishing first. Dr Bob was a fly fisherman ,pipe and all, and that really stuck with me. I caught a rainbow on salmon eggs and then the storm rolled in so Bob thought we should maybe head home. I talked him into driving further into the mountains where my dad was building a house and we could camp there (If he took me home I’d have to work the next day)We set up camp in the living room (it was a shell) and were surprised when pop and Dave showed up at 7 am the next morning.We ended up heading home,but I was happy with my day off from the old slave driver lol
Click to expand...

Things have sure changed in that area. Fished there many times.
I was raised in South Park and went to high school in Fairplay. Lived outside of Bailey for many years. The South Platte is an old friend.
Thanks for stirring up some memories. 👍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

I
Fish and Chips
2 3 4
Replies
64
Views
2K
Ivan the Butcher
I
K
I won’t give you your ship back if….
Replies
4
Views
408
Hilldweller
H
chief38
I have finally figured it out! Thank you Project Farm! LOL!!
Replies
2
Views
198
hemiram
H
A
Southern Expression Really Old.
6 7 8
Replies
146
Views
4K
WardenRoss
WardenRoss
Davwingman
About IGGY!
2 3 4
Replies
64
Views
2K
rwt1405
rwt1405

Latest posts

Back
Top