What was your first ever fishing experience?

[crazy hawaiian]

Mine was when I was 10 years old, and I spent the summer at my grandmother's house in Puente, CA, a small farming community 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's name was made famous by the first War of the Worlds movie when the city's name was mentioned as the site of the first spaceship landing.

My aunt lived next door, and her son, my cousin Eddie, was about the same age as me. He had lived all his life in the small community, who's biggest feature was a movie theater inside a surplus corrugated quoset hut.

The day before our trip we went to the only general store in town, and with a fortune of $10 each we purchased two rod/reel combos, some snacks, and a couple bottles each of soft drinks.

We got up before the sun, and armed with new rod and reels we started what would end up being a 8 mile hike along mostly dirt roads until we arrived at the lake my cousin Eddie had told me about.

It wasn't really a lake but rather a man-made pond, about 200' across, circular in shape with a small island in the middle, covered mostly with reeds. We didn't know who's lake it was since there were no signs around, but since there were also no fences we figured it must have been our lake.

After rigging up we both attempted our first casts, hooks baited with worms that we had dug up in my aunt's rose garden.

"Cast's" is probably a poor word to use since neither of us had ever attempted this before, and the sinkers landed, just a few feet away from where we were standing. Big birdnests stuck out from our reels, and after unraveling the line, and after attempting to cast again a few more time we both finally managed to get out lines about halfway to the island.

We must have gotten to the lake at feeding because we both started catching fish after fish as soon as our baits hit the water. The fish we caught were a mixture of small trout, small bluegill, and small bass. Notice that I included the word "small" before each species, because that's all we managed to land, although all the fish landed by us provided us with a pleasure that I still experience today. Can't remember if we took any fish home that trip, it was too long ago, but it sure opened up a new world to a kid from the city.

As a short foot note I should mention the reels were a far cry from what we use today. They were stamped out of sheet metal, and did not have anything like the drag systems in the reels today. The spools spun freely in both directs, only your thump controlled the spools.The rods were simply thin tubular steel.

I only fished that lake two times during summer, and never got a chance to return until about 50 years later when I went looking for that small circular lake. Sadly EVERYTHING is paved over, a large city now sitting in the area where the lake and small town were located.

At least I know they can't take the Pacific Ocean away from me.



Sorry if this got a tad long.

[Bigfish69]

Mine was when i was about 12 and she touched me inapropriently! Its was on like a white seabass in the middle of febuary on the end of my long rod. Knees where week, back went out and i felt a little sore in the groin area afterwords. Oh what a day i had.

Seriously though I was twelve and used to fish for mackeral and barracuda at bait barge with my old man on a 14 foot whitehouse skiff with a 40 hp merc. tiller type. That was back when they allowed you to stand on bait dock and fish. A big no no now. That was my first expierience and i'm still not very good at it but i try like hell.

Great thread by the way

John Out

[Afry]

[quote=crazy hawaiian;1204228]in Puente, CA, a small farming community 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's name was made famous by the first War of the Worlds movie when the city's name was mentioned as the site of the first spaceship landing.
quote]

Wasn't that "Grovers Mill, NJ"? I used to live there and that was our only claim to fame.

My first fishing experience was as a seiner, netting my goldfish out of the bowl to change the water.

[Stanley]

Lake Wohlford...a long time ago in a land far away.

Learned how NOT to grab a bluegill. I was probably 5 or 6 years old.

[ConSeaMate]

5-6 years old......Crystal Lake .....and Legg Lake......

[lpfflyer]

1964! Six years old!
The big kid across the street took me to Lake Murray, we had a small can of corn and two old fiber glass poles. Got my first fish (trout) and it survived the trip home.
My dad was happy as hell as it was swimming around in the wash tub happy as Hell!
He came out as I was watching my new pet swim around the wash tub and snatched him out for LUNCH!
As the story goes, my Mom says I did't talk to him for two weeks! I still do not like trout to this day!

[kerncat]

Either 1943 or 1944..about 6 years old..Boone County Nebraska...Cedar River....dough balls or a worm....Carp...I do recall a collapsing or telescoping steel rod and an old fly reel....Here it is some 65 years later and still chasing carp (different kind) when I'm up to it.

I'ts been worth the whole ride.

[ConSeaMate]

nice boots Bob!.......

[Johnny B]

Reseda Park in the valley. 5 years old. Caught a duck.

[kerncat]

Originally Posted by WarpDrive

nice boots Bob!.......

Deckhand specials...how about the hair cut? I think my Dad used the medium bowl.

[Az.monkey]

Jackson pond somewhere in L.A , I was 3 or 4 on a family picnic with the grand parents. Gramps set me up with a stick, some line and an itty bitty gold hook and I landed my first fish... a whopping 2 " bluegill on a red Putzkee (sp) salmon egg. ( I still have that rig in a glass case) We took the lil guy home in a milk jug and kept him until his demise when i was 16 and he wieghed out at around 7 lbs. Miss ya Grampa and thanks for the memories

[marlyn]

puente ca. a small farming community? damn are you like 100 years old or what! frank,i fished legg lake and crystal lake too,i always wanted to try that damn lake they tested the torpedoes in going up to crystal lake in azusa canyon.