1st fish memories

[rasbo]

I cannot remember mine..But my wife's was awesome.when my wife and I were 17 I ran a little marina for house boats,and I worked at another marina at the same time.My wife worked there also. we were not married yet just living together.This was on bethel Island in the San Joaquin delta.well I took her across the slough,and set her up for catfish,small rod,light line #4 hook.I put a fresh water clam on and tossed it next to the tules.I rigged up for stripe rs.6oz slip sinker,36inch leader and an anchovies rig or bullhead rig..Penn level wind. Had my boat anchored in the middle of a trough.I was set for the big one,clicker on free spool.after a few minutes I here a ooh ooooh ohh I think I got one my wife yelled.I looked over and her line was already in the middle od Dutch slough,so tight it sounded like a guitar string,I jumped across the boat and eased the drag off and handed the rod back to her.Her eyes wide as a mason jar lid,she hung on as the line screamed as it was flying off the little reel.I tossed the anchor line and let the boat drift with the fish.Other boats gathered and watch the fight..well after 20 minutes of back and forth reeling and striping she landed the fish into the net.It was a 18 lb stripper.I still love to think of that day,and the excitement on her face and others as this took place..She has been hooked for ever

[tomy salami]

Wives do have a way of yarding in the toads. In the last three and a half years, my wife has been totally skunked, being generous, 5 times or less.

I cannot remember my first fishing memories. But, like you, watching hers has been a ball. We were just looking at pics of her first steelhead last night.

After talking her into going fishing for her first time, she picked up two steelhead on her first trip. As long as I keep her geared up to stay warm and dry (super, super important) she keeps going.

She has been fishing for bout 3.5 years now, and has a headcount on fish that makes me jealous. First king was 40#, got a 21# silver this year, last year she cranked in a 40.5"x22" steelhead. She does it all with the most unconventional fish playing techniques ever devised. Have to run 50# power pro on the reels to accommodate such neck breaking power.

Either way, with her in the boat, I have found my chances of hooking a trophy go up so much. And the lunch gets packed, to boot. Now, if I could only teach her to back up the trailer..........................   

[NWBREW]

The earliest one I can remember is when I was about 7 or 8 years old. My family would go to a place just outside of bishop or independence calif. We would stay there for a couple of weeks and catch lots of trout. The best memory is fishing with my gramps back in the 70's. We would go to Lake Arrowhead in Texas and catch a mess of crappies. Both were good times. Thanks for jarring my memories rasbo. Those were really good times.

[boneaddict]

I've got a great picture of my wifes first fish.

[10Key]

I was fishing near Bateman Island on the Yakima River with my dad, uncle and big sister, we had recently moved to Washington from Ohio...I was 2 or 3. I vaguely recall everyone's lines in the water and me grabbing the container of worms and setting them free...I still get razzed for that, but that was one of those trips that I am sure played large role in my obsession with fishing.

[GoldTip]

I don't remember my first fish, but I have a picture of it.  We lived in a trailer at what was once the edge of town, and my Dad took me down to the river which ran along the back edge of the trailer court.  Picture shows me holding it up still on the hook and the rod, back at the house showing it too my Mom.  It was about a 12" squaw fish.

Best memories was fishing the little backwoods streams for Cutts with my Grampa when I was a kid.  Anything longer than 6" was a keeper and if you caught a 10" cutt you damn near took it to the Taxi to get mounted, but man did we put a lot of fish in the creel.  Grampa always cooked'em up in a fry pan with bacon grease, dipped in flour and then just sizzled till golden brown and they went down bones and all.  Great memories.

[JackOfAllTrades]

I probably don't remember my first fish.  I do remember coiling some cord over the landing at Steilecom and catching a star fish on that one hook, and more star fish in the crab ring. Years later I remember I caught the biggest fish in our group of family and friends that day; (I was probably 8yrs old) It was a cutthroat from the Hamma Hamma river mouth. I have many memorable fishing excursions with my dad over the years.

Truly memorable is my son's first Chum from the Skagit after he'd fallen in the water on the deep side and almost got swept down stream. And several Trout from Davis Lake with both of my boys. It's a little tradition we have the day before general buck on the east side. We hit Davis Lake for dinner. 

-Steve

[BIGINNER]

my first fish was a 2 inch bluegill.  it grabbed my little worm right when i was lifting it from the water.  i was so exited that i jerked the pole too hard and my line got tangled in the tree right obove me with the fish.   the brach was to high to reach and too thin to climb,  so we had to tear the line and my first fish was left there hanging in the tree....  i was 4 yrs old.

[weathergirl]

Now, if I could only teach her to back up the trailer..........................   

I know my marriage has been a lot happier since I learned to back the boat trailer up (right, lokidog?)  Maybe I should teach a women's class...   Of course, we have to go by boat just to go to town...

[gasman]

My first memory i have of fishing is when we were fishing at Lawerance Lake (out past Yelm) and the fishing was slow. I was sitting on the bow of the boat with my feet dangling in the water. A Bald Eagle swooped down in front of me and grabed a big trout and flew away. My dad and uncle were laughing and cussing at the eagle, fr we caught nithing but sum sun fish that day.

I was young and do not know how big he was but i know i felt the wind from his wings and water drops on my face when he flew away.

I have been fishing with my family all my life but this is the most vivid memory i have at the youngest age, and i believe i was abut 9 or 10 years old, but i do remember the boat. It was blue and white plywood boat that my dad and uncle repainted and refiber glassed every few years. Never leaked and had a 1957 Johnson 35hp motor (ran like a champ untill the day we sold it, the compression would kick back so hard, it felt like it could break your arm). I took it out on the sound one summer with my girlfriend and some friends and put that engine to its test. were were hitting the waves so hard and jumping out of the water so much, i thought i was going to shake the boat to peaces and sink it.  We had so much fun in that boat untill it became so far past repair we just took a chain saw to it and nurned it in a bon fire.

[lokidog]

Weathergirl, what about your fish memory.  Should be easy since you don't catch very many....    

I can't remember my first fish but remember fishing with my grandpa when very little, still think crappie and bluegill are some of my favorite fish to eat.  Maybe the earliest memory is of a saucer-sized bluegill jumping out of the water and sucking my piece of worm off the side of the canoe where it had just stuck as I lifted my cane pole.

[weathergirl]

Weathergirl, what about your fish memory.  Should be easy since you don't catch very many....    

Well, someone has to work to support your fishing/hunting habits. 

Actually I don't know my first fishing memory--something with my Uncle Bob when I was young...However, my first SNORKEL-FISHING fish was pretty cool.  Snorkeling in the lake in Wisconsin while holding the fishing rod, and watching the crappie or bluegill take it or leave it...it was amazing to see how many fish passed up the lure...that was a pretty outstanding first fish memory.  I only did catch and release that day--too complicated for me to figure out how to get it on the stringer.  I'm sure there's a photo somewhere...

[Shootmoore]

Unlike my first deer, I was to young to remember my first fish.  All I have is an old polaroid at my folks house.  My little brother in the picture  was still an infant so I must of been 3 or 4 but I sure look proud holding up that scrawny little eastern brook. 

Shootmoore

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

First real fish memory was snagging a chinook at oak park bridge on the washougal river in 1984 i was 8 years old and i havn't been the same since. Except i don't snag fish anymore. I found better ways to hook them and it isn't about how many anymore. It is about how many i can get to hit now. The first was 27 pounds and was almost as long as i was tall.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 My gramps made sure my first fish was memorable. When I was 4-5 he took me out to American Lake, I remember we saw an Eagle that day on the water, it was perfectly clear and sunny and before there was a lot of boat traffic on the lake, there may have been 1-2 other boats out there. I cast a tiger stripe Rooster Tail and caught a fat rainbow.

[MuleySniper]

Not my first salmon but my first King out of area 11 was 29 pounds I caught mooching with herring with 12lb test. I was out on a week day before work. I was 17 or so. I remember having to leave to work and bringing that big ol salmon in and stuffing it in the fridge. I ended up hauling it over to Johnny's on my lunch break and having the whole thing smoked.
MS

[Dmanmastertracker]

Not my first salmon but my first King out of area 11 was 29 pounds I caught mooching with herring with 12lb test. I was out on a week day before work. I was 17 or so. I remember having to leave to work and bringing that big ol salmon in and stuffing it in the fridge. I ended up hauling it over to Johnny's on my lunch break and having the whole thing smoked.
MS

 29 is a frigging monster for MA 11! Pics?

[MuleySniper]

Yeah, I have a framed 8x10 on my wall. Before digital days. I'll see if I can scan it and post it up. Funny how it was my first and I have yet to beat it. I lost one to the net a few years back that I'm pretty sure was over thirty. It was fun hauling that big boy up to the scale at the boat house and watch the old timers drool I remember about five years ago the guy who worked the ferry terminal to Vashon caught a 46 or 48 lber off the slag pile. That is the biggest Ive seen come out of the area.
MS

[corktex]

My first few fish were blue gill, at age four,in a pond,with my family all around.Had one on my cane pole and a huge flat head cat fish grabbed it started to pull me in the water,when my grand grabbed me the and cat spit out the blue gill!....I was hooked for life!