What got you started?

[Muskieman]

Found another one ...Tomiko Rock Bass

 

 

 

RFS

[Greencoachdog]

I'm only 36!!!

 

 

Ha!!!... I've got underwear older than that!!!

[mojobass]

I started by just seeing a local fisherman fishing at a pond fishing for carp. My cousins and I decided to make our own fishing rods with broom stick and tied rope on to a safety pins with bread at the end and started to catch carp at a local pond with my cousins when we were 8.

[irishfield]

I think growing up with the Rideau River flowing past our back yard had a lot to do with it. We swam in it or fished it almost every day. Really wonder what we were thinking swimming in it 40 years ago... It's, somewhat, cleaner now...

Edited October 27, 2009 by irishfield

[MCTFisher9120]

Papa and Dad didn't get alone for a long time so My mom got the idea to get them fishing together. Guess who came with? I was about 5 or 6 when I went and it was Lake Scugog as I remember. Caught a pumpkin seed from the picture in my mind.

[laszlo]

For me it was when I was 11 years old living in a very small town (Scotland Ontario) with very little to do. My best friend at the time Chris and I would ride our bikes around finding endless ponds, lakes, rivers and creeks. For 3 summers we fished almost everyday. Eventually I stepped away from fishing to discover new things but over the last 5 years the passion has come back and I'm loving every moment.

 

Now I just have to learn how to fish for Steelhead. Let's just say it's been a bit of a struggle but I still have plenty of fight left in me.

Believe me, all of you will know when I have success (a report will quickly follow).

[bigugli]

Does your uncle still have the cottage up there?? Is your uncles name Harry?? (long shot)

 

I spent the first 4 years of my life living in Pickle Lake (Northern Ontario) Fishing was necesary there. So I guess that's when I started fishing.

 

Once we move south, I began spending a few weeks of every summer at 6 Mile at my grandpas cottage. I also fished the Maitland River a few times a week growing up in Wingham.

 

Some great memories..

I have an Uncle Harry in N.S. . No , my great uncle Johnny had the place on 6 Mile. Cousin sold the old place Was just around the bend from Jerry Bye's and 4 docks down from Ronnie Allen's, right opposite Tolle's Island.

[mikeh]

I had an aunt and uncle who owned a cottage in the Port Mcnicoll area and I spent about 5 weeks of the summer there plus every weekend , and fished alot . When I was 16 they bought me a boat (12 foot aluminum and 6 hp chrysler) and I fished as long as it wasn't rough. I'd get up in the morning and go catch my minnows and go fishing, the bass and pike were plentiful back in those days. It's still one of my favourite places to fish.

[ciceri]

Like everything, my bestfriend (my dad) got me started.

[Dabluz]

I started real early too. I was 2. My dad would stand me up in his pack sack and we would go creek fishing for brook trout. Went walleye fishing when I was 3 and mom never knew how dangerous that spot was. Fishermen can no longer fish from that spot....too many fell into the rapids and drowned.

 

Went fishing almost every time my dad went. Then, when I was about 5, I started to go fishing by myself. My dad was a travelling salesman in those days. I either fished for chub near the house or took my bike to fish in a big creek about 2 miles away for turtles, chub and sheephead.

 

At around 8 years old, we moved to Ottawa so I did a lot of fishing from shore for bass and catfish. We moved to Amherstview just outside of Kingston when I was 16. From age 8 till age 20, I did a lot of fishing and camping and hunting with my Dad and sometimes with him and his buddies. Anyway, from age 8, I did not need help, kept a low profile, bought my own stuff etc, took care of myself and didn't bother anybody so I was always invited to tag along. When in Kingston, I often went fishing by myself on Lake Ontario. I used to carry the 7 1/2 Evinrude, tank and fishing equipment to the lake and borrow a small aluminum boat or just fished from shore. I'm 62 now and still fish at least 3 times a week, year round. My son fishes quite a bit and my daughter likes to fish but her husband doesn't fish. My grand daughter who is 5 has been fishing with me since she was 2. Contrary to my Dad, I like to eat fish often. I guess he ate too many fish during the depression. He died about 15 years ago.

[tonyb]

You guys have some great stories!

 

For me it all began as a kid peering into the water off the end of the dock at my grandmas cottage on Manitoulin Island and seeing fish hiding out in the rock cribs supporting the dock. Nobody really fished in the family, so I was on my own to learn and experiment, so I went searching for gear and found a rusty metal tacklebox with various scraps of tackle and hooks and an old baitcaster with dacron line on it in the garage that was collecting dust and cobwebs. I tied a hook on it and flipped rocks to find critters for bait that I would impale the hook. One day I finally caught a fish, a smallmouth bass. I remember it darting around and really pulling hard and even jumping! my heart was racing and i finally dragged it into the shallows and picked it up to admire how cool it looked, I even ran up to the cottage to show everyone what I had caught...and that day was the start of my lifelong addiction to fishing.

 

We are truly lucky to experience all the beautiful things that occur when you are on the water fishing, a lot of experiences most people will never have in their entire lifetime.

 

Keep fishing and see you on the water

Tony

[Dabluz]

I'm surprised at how many young guys that have never done any fishing. Somehow, they end up going fishing with me. I guess the fact that I have been involved with a bunch of associations, been on t.v. and newspapers and even in schools plus the fact that I was an auxiliairy conservation officer and taught gun safety and now in a bunch of discussion forums has been the reason I meet so many newbies. Anyway, most of those young guys in their mid twenties have become maniacs and good fishermen too. I always try to get them to bring their wives and show them that it's more important for the wife to have fun at first, if they want to be able to go fishing more often.

 

The good thing about going fishing with a person with lots of experience is the fact that the learning curve is sharp. I've had some guys who I took shopping for fishing stuff because they didn't even have any to start with. So you can imagine when you start out with decent equipment and you get to go fishing where there are fish....the fishing disease takes hold real fast. When I take kids fishing, I give them a lot of stuff to keep.

 

When I met my wife over 30 years ago, she had 9 brothers and sisters. None of them ever went fishing or camping in their lives. They all hated winter. Now, many have cottages and every weekend....all year round, they go to their cottages and all have VTTs and snowmobiles. Winter is welcome now.

 

If you do an internet search for ice fishing on the Saguenay River (pêche blanche au Saguenay) you will see that it's a huge tourist industry. Yep.....I was the one who started it all, a little over 30 years ago. I was the first one to punch a hole through the ice and catch cod, halibut, ocean perch, ling cod, etc etc, in the deep salt water parts of the Saguenay river.

 

Very few people have actually started by themselves.

[raptorfan]

thanks for all the fantastic responses. Was great to read something about everyone, rather than an arguement about the tribs and how to fish them. My impression of the forum sure has changed back to what it was the first day I joined.

[oates]

My first fishing experience was in 1989 I believe, I was 9 at the time, It was pouring rain (that isn't a factor where I'm from, it rains 265 days a year, that is, days where precip. is recorded), or as we call it 'lashing', It was with my grandfather, he was around 72 at the time, strong as an ox (worked in the shipyard that built the titanic), we fished of a dock, must have been 30ft to the water, fishing for I don't know what in the North Sea (between N. Ireland and Scotland) on N. Ireland's North East coast. He was having great trouble with the reel I remember, cursing at it here and there, lots of tangles must have been old line. We fished for about 4hrs in pouring rain, as we were leaving, around 20 or so sea lions popped up and started squaking at us, no wonder he didn't catch anything!

 

Fast forward about 19 yrs to Canada, a friend of mine asked me to go with him, for me, it was more about getting out and about, not so much fishing. We were looking for a spot to fish near Rice Lake, eventually we found a near empty campground, at the bottom was the Otanabee (hope I got that right) River, which drains in to Rice Lake. We looked for someone in charge, no one around, so we began fishing, I didn't know how to cast but he showed me, I was throwing out live minnows on a hook, the water was choppy, about 10 mins in, I hooked in to a walleye, didn't really know how, i just felt a tug and got him in, maybe 1.5 lb - he didn't catch an walleye, just a bass (out of season, went back in). As we were leaving, he was cleaning the fish, then his car alarm went off, I said 'that's it, you've done it now' and next thing buddy comes down on his ATV ordering us out and something about cops. I remember the excitement of that catch, intrigued me, in the last two years, I have been fishing a lot, learnt a lot, its quite the science and great stress relief - so in summary

 

a- the thrill of the catch (first time out!)

b- wanting to explore my roots (grew up on an island with fresh and salt water fishing, both my grandfather and uncle were in to fishing, mainly trout/salmon)

Edited November 1, 2009 by oates

[Radnine]

I guess the fishing/boating/cottage thing set in with me when I would go to Bobcaygeon with my buddy Mike's family. I have written about it before on here so I will save all of you the gushy romanticized details. But some of my fondest life memories are of the those trips with them.

Later when we were older, my buddies and I would go on our own and rent cottages to fish, but would mainly drink and play cards. I mean, we would fish, but looking back it was no wonder that we never caught anything.

But my recent complete immersion into the sport was inspired by the relationship between my brother-in-law and his son, and the relationship that I hope to have with my son.

Since getting into fishing in a bigger way I have enjoyed many trips with my family, my brothers-in-law, and with just Will and I. And now when I go with the boys, we still drink and play cards, but we also catch some fish!

Life is good. And this thread is great!

Thanks for posting.

Jim

[Bernie]

Where I grew up as a young lad I thought everybody HAD to fish.

I got quite sick of fishing actually.

But in my late 20's got back into it in a big way. I still go fishing but not as much as I used to. Almost 53 now.