What is your first fishing memory?

My First fishing memory was when I was 5, I was with my Mom and Dad on the Feather River camping in Northern Cali. My Dad and I where wadding in the water fishing and something caught my eye from the other side of the bank. It was coming towards me on top of the water. To my surprise it was a small snake, no more then 7 inches long and the width of a pencil. I scooped it up out of the water without a bit of fear. I very proudly turned to my Dad and said "Dad, Look what I caught!" I presented it to him with an out stretched arm and it was at that moment I realized that my Dad was actually Jesus. OK maybe not Jesus but I did see him run on top of the water that day. He didn't go straight to the bank and run like you would think... He actually ran up river until he was no longer in sight. My Mom and I still have a chuckle when we tell that story. What is you first fishing experience?

I grew up in a fishing family, so it was just always there, but I do remember the first time my dad took me fishing without motherly supervision. I was a bit of a handful and it wasn't until I was seven or eight that my father thought I could be trusted on Newport pier without being tied to a rope. Literally. This was before the pier had railings, and the only thing stopping you from going over the side was a two inch high cement curb, so my dad's concern was well founded.

This was when there was live bait sold on the pier. I don't remember the pricing, but there was some sort of quantity discount, like 10 cents a piece, or six for 50 cents, so we always got the deal and kept them in a bucket and fished until the bait was gone. Throw a heavy weight out as far as you can, put a live anchovy on a 2 ft leader tied to a snap swivel, clip it on the line and let it drift down the line. This was the early sixties and legal halibut were common off the pier.

My dad would let me hold the pole when I wanted and never said anything when I got bored after a few minutes. He always let me take it at my own pace. He would also always let me reel in the fish, encouraging me the whole time. He loved fishing, but he didn't push it. He let me come to it on my own. I didn't need any pushing, I loved it right away.

On this particular day, we had one legal in the burlap bag and still had bait in the bucket when a man and his son came along and set up one bench over from us. The boy was about the same age as me. They had a rented pole and minimal gear from the shop at the base of the pier and obviously had no experience.

My dad could see they were struggling, so he offered to help and he got them going and sure enough, they caught a fish almost right away.

No too long after that, we heard a yell and a splash and looked over and saw that the boy had dropped their rented pole over the side! The boy started crying and the man was obviously dumbfounded. Looking back, I have no doubt that paying for that lost pole was going to cause hardship. This really was a disaster for them.

My dad just took in all in stride and said, "Hang on, let's try something."

He had tons of gear, including a grappling style hook and rope for pulling muscles off the pilings and he threw that hook over and walked it back and forth a couple of times along the bottom, and presto! He pulled up that lost pole and we all jumped for joy. I thought he was superman!

The man was overjoyed and wanted to pay him or buy us more bait and my dad refused. "Glad I could help. Fishermen stick together."

So one of my earliest fishing memories was the day my dad was superman.

Catching my first salmon with my grandfather and dad at Nimbus Dam. Never will forget the look on my grandfathers face... Wasn't a giant but its something he did with his father and my dad and from his expression i knew how much that day and just fishing in general meant to him.

My first memory of fishing is catching trout from a stream with my cousin. I went camping with my cousin and uncle and I know it was before I was 5. I have no idea where we were, but we got to sleep in a tent. We cooked what we caught on the fire pit, which I thought was pretty cool. However, the thing that impressed me the most was my uncle let me pee outside! That right no running to the bathroom.

I know I told this story here before, but it is a good memory.

Fishing with my Father at 6 years old and catching my first bluegill, the rest is history. Great memories but I really remember this, in fact all my kids have caught their first fish out of the same lake, Laguna Lake in Fullerton, great memories and a great thread thanks for posting.

Camping in the Sierra mountains with my family ...

I was 4 or 5 years young ..
I was playing children's games and running around the family camp site with my cousins when my father called me over...

"Here"; he handed me the fishing rod next to a trout stream; with the line and bait already in the water, "if you feel some tugging ... just pull back and start reeling!" .. he instructed me.

Well, in no time it did ... and then I did ... and I'm still pulling back to this day!

SP Dan     <"))><

I don't know the age but probably in the 5-6 yr range. I remember fishing for sunfish from the bank with very modern gear (not) made up of a steel rod with baitcaster, with handles that spun on casting as the spool turned, and dacron line. Of course on the line end was a giant bank sinker!

Great stories of first fishing memories. Mine was on a pier at Lake Tahoe with my first spinning rod & reel...must have been 7 years old. My family was staying at a small place (a series of cabins in North Shore Lake Tahoe) and I got up early, went down to the pier and threw in my line (a salmon egg with a weight) and proceeded to fish. About an hour later, I had my first trout...a whopping six inch fish and I was so excited that I ran back to the cabin (with fish still on the hook) to show off my catch. My parents were very supportive and that night prepared my trout. My parents and two brothers enjoyed the smallest of bites each and I had quite the proud moment. Great memory...with lots of fishing stories & memories enjoyed since than.

Mine was at Lake Isabella, I was still a young duckling then, about 8 or 9. Shore fishing by some reeds fishing for Bluegill. Seemed like every time my father started to go get something from the van my bobber with a redworm on the hook went under and I was reeling in another fish.

Thanks for bringing back those and other memories of fishing trips with my father, I do miss him.

Duckman01

My first fishing outing was with my Dad and my brother, I was 9 and the bro was 7. Mom and Dad rented a cabin in Oregon, Cresent Lake, close to Bend Oregon. Their was a lodge where you could get your catch cooked to your delight. The people that ran the lodge had a son our age so it wasn't all that bad. But my Dad loved to troll for land lock salmon, trout and the voracious lake trout, Mackinac. So as a kid I sat in a boat on a lake and listened to the motor putter along waiting for the almighty tug of the line. We all trolled the same setup, Ford Fender, and a leader with a big juicy night crawler. We would do this for hours. My bro never took up fishing after that and really hated to fish with Pop, me not so much. Just to give you an idea of how long ago this was, wood stove for cooking and heating bath water, one light bulb hanging from the ceiling, ah the comforts of a vacation back in the day............GT