Where did you catch your first fish.

[old pudd fisher]

All I can say is Legg lake at about eight years old with my dad, I remember the day like it was yesterday what a thrill it was to catch my first trout.

[Ifishtoolittle]

I know I was too young to remember, but I believe it was at Catalina in Avalon where I caught a feisty Opaleye. Apparently I was esthetic like a 3 year old tot should've been. Been fishing ever since.

That is the one thing that I'm truly thankful of from my old man. He sparked my passion of fishing; and the sport has only gotten more expensive for me with each passing year. :LOL:

[Hometown]

I cant remember but I would say 1969 on the sportking at the old norms landing.My dad worked on the boat when he met my mom she worked at the Ports o call.I was born 1966 and been fishing ever since.Shoot maybe I was concieved on that boat

[Cartman]

Bream on a cane pole in the bar pits behind the levee. MOSQUITOES and the sweet greasy chemical perfume of 6-12, copperheads in the water, six foot skeletons of alligator gar on the bank, and the all enveloping din of insects. Lots of fish, though, lots of tiny fish.

[TaperSteve]

Granby lake in the Colorado Rockie Mountains!

TS

[Which Way Out]

Old Pudd you expect me to remember that far back?:ROFL:

I can say I truly don't remember for sure, however my oldest sister has all the old 8mm home movies. One of them has me sitting on my Dad's knee with a cane pole catching perch near Warren Ohio. I could of been 3 or 4. We didn't live there, but we did a cross country trip from our home in Riverside.
Otherwise I can say the most fishing I can remember at a young age was at Fairmont Park (in Riverside) every SAT. morning with my Dad and Grandpa. Catch catfish till noon and get a milkshake on the way home.
I remember it like it was yesterday.

So anyone reading this with little ones, don't hesitate to take em out fishing, it might be the best thing ever in their life to remember you by.

Thanks OP for the post. Memory lane baby.

WWO

btw- My Avatar photo (me in the middle) not sure if those were Yellowtail or Albacore. I would like to say we caught them at that age, sadly we didn't. Those were caught by my Dad and brought home. I always begged to go, but it was a guys (men's) trip, no kids. Got my first Yellowtail around 16.

[LGHT]

Echo park lake. Went to a family BBQ and got bored so I while walking the shore by the lake at around 5-6 with older cousins I found a little hook on some string. I put a little piece of bread on it and 2 minutes later I had a nice little sun fish!!

[Skyler]

Rainbow, Arrowbear lake, 4 years old.

[ThatKidCASH]

Echo Park when I was in 1st grade. I still have the same rod and reel. My Dad kept is as memorabilia. We would fill our bucket up with bluegill and then dump them back when we would stop for lunch, then go back and start over. He taught my CPR at a young age. As I got older, we switched to catfish and trout, until one day my Dad caught a bass. The rest is history.

[CraigH]

Don't remember for sure. We lived in Upland in the mid-1960's, and my Dad would take me bluegill fishing at Puddingstone. My Uncle would take me trout fishing at Happy Jacks, so it was one of those two places. One thing I do remember is my first reel. It was one of the black plastic Zebco reels with the white push button on the back. I think the model number had three digits, with a zero in the middle. Don't remember the rod.

[DarkShadow]

Belmont Pier.

A cousin of mine took me one day, we bought a bag of frozen anchovies, and realized that mackerel will eat anything.

[tracker16]

Old River in the delta a cat fish i was about 7 years old, im 65 now a long tine ago at the Tracy Gun and Wild Life Club

[sweetfish]

Lake Henshaw.

Caught my first fish (crappie) on red/white mini jig on the fishing dock.

[TUNAVIC]

Hollenback Park,east Los Angeles,my brother and I use to go there with bologna for bait,we would peel off the end of the bologna and put a 3inch piece on,it looked like a worm,and then we would catch sunfish,bluegill. All handlined.
Side note:my brother was about4yrs old I was about 8yrs old,times were different then and we would actually go there on our own,we lived about 3 blocks from the park. 50yrs ago!

Cya Tuna Vic

[old pudd fisher]

Here is my first reel, it's old like me....3478334784

[Natural Lefty]

Good topic, Ted. I don't remember catching my first fish, but family lore has it that I was cranking in wild trout from the East Walker River when I was 3-4 years old. This was above the reservoir, not below, and these were mostly small fish, which according to my parents, didn't appear to be regular Rainbows. They may have been the native Cutthroats there or Cuttbows. There were probably also native chubs and suckers in the mix. There was a field with cattle in the meadow there where I remember going when I was a kid. We had to watch out for angry bulls though. :Shocked:

[Which Way Out]

Here is my first reel, it's old like me....3478334784

I remember those reels. Never had one myself. To fancy:LOL:
These are what I moved up to from a cane pole, Still in working order.
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx340/WhichWayOut/Oldreels1.jpg

[old pudd fisher]

I remember those reels. Never had one myself. To fancy:LOL:
These are what I moved up to from a cane pole, Still in working order.
http://i769.photobucket.com/albums/xx340/WhichWayOut/Oldreels1.jpg

Glad you still have them, I still have most of my old gear and use it sometimes just for the heck of it.

[VIVID_FLY]

When I was 7 years old (1968) my dad took my twin bro and I to Oceanside and departed on a Cattle Boat First fish was Bonita. I remember taking the head and tail in a jar of water to school "show and tell". We also caught mackerel. I am sure the live bait was anchovies but maybe sardines. My dad would bring home them also and we would grill them.

[Sublime-Steve]

Great thread... First fish 15 lb salmon. lake michigan.. 13 years old 34789

[The Lone Fisherman]

Greer Park in Westminster, California. Caught bluegill using a long stick, line and worms from the garden. I still remember yanking them up and over my head... Oh! My! now I feel old...

[Cartman]

Great thread... First fish 15 lb salmon. lake michigan.. 13 years old 34789

I am so glad you are not licking that fish.

[kenny8308]

Caples Lake near Tahoe. Rainbow trout on a floating silver rapala with my grandpa. I was around 10 years old if I remember correctly.

[DockRat]

Alondra or Big Bear ?
Early 1960's.
DR

[Norma Stitz]

yesterday @ Lake San Marcos goldfish

[zenmic]

My first fish was in a little pond outside of Greenwood, MS off of some country roads off of State Highway 7. It was with a cane pole and a simple bobber rig with a live cricket. It was a bluegill. I had to be about three years-old. Since then, I still have the addiction.

[Santa Fe Eric]

Great Thread!
It was 2005. I was 35 years old. I spent my childhood on the concrete. No opportunities to go fishing etc. When I turned 35 I said I need a hobby since my body doesnt tolerate the sports anymore.
I bought Rapala Fishing for PS2
I bought Tiger Woods Golf for PS2
Played them both and decided that I would try fishing first in real life. Fished santa Fe Dam for a couple of months with no results. Took a trip to Big Bear. there was an older Asian man who had a little dog that did not need a leash. he caught his limit then asked me what I was doing. I pulled my rods out of the water and he shook his head when he saw my set up (what I learned from TV I might havew had a Banjo Minnow soaking out there). He fixed my rigs, said you will have a fish in an hour, got in his car and left.
10 Minutes later Fish On!
Seven years later and I have never been to play Golf yet!

Great Thread
SFE

[Armofisher818]

Balboa lake when I was 3 years old 12 years ago I think it was tilapia or bluegill fed them to the birds lol with my grandpa it was my first fishing experience.

[GdHkSet1]

HB pier mid 70's, the gang would get up for the dawn patrol - rig our bikes, take the back streets and break out the lucky joe rig for herring.

[Mischief]

Bishop,.. rainbow trout!

[Armofisher818]

I am so glad you are not licking that fish.

Lmfaoooooooooo

[fishinarteest]

first fish was at apollo park, it was a catfish when i was 8 years old.

[Kelster]

1968, Kadena, Okinawa......
My dad was stationed there and I would head out to where the locals fished and used to use mackerel in a dough paste to catch fish in the lagoon.

[ZipperWurm]

i can't actually remember my first fish because i was so young, maybe 4 years old? i think my dad said it was a rainbow in the mammoth lakes area...possibly mcgee creek. im 28 now and been hooked ever since!

[smokehound]

First fish I ever caught was a nice Northern-strain bluegill from tri-city park. That thing was fat, it was around 9-10 inches. man I miss those days.. I'm gonna start fishing the pudd, I'll find some nice florida strain gills there.

Some nice redears there too.. maybe I'll swing by laguna lake and pick up a bunch of freshwater clams..

[1HR2BBL]

I can't remember where I caught my first fish, but I've taken my Niece and Nephew to Jess Ranch in Apple Valley and can say this is a great place for first timers. If they don't catch in the larger lakes, they let them catch one out of the lunker pond. Alternatively you can fish the lunker pond and pay per fish instead of general admission. They provide a "fishing certificate" for the first timers.... great fun for the kids and you can be done within an hour or two. Great for the short attention span of the young ones and good memories.

[lalo56]

McArthur Park. Aluminum can with string and hook and some weights.

[Hitts0n]

A baby catfish at Balboa Lake....maybe 1997.....

[DockRat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD5OJeLeunc

[heydaad]

1961 ... Balboa Pier, Newport Beach. 5 years old ... 5# bonito. Am looking for the pictures, and will post once I dig it up.

[pcuser]

1955, Parchers Resort (of course, back then it was called Parchers Camp), lower end at the bend in the old road. Great memories and a soft spot in my heart.

[The Fishing Queen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD5OJeLeunc

This video made my day, sooooo cute!!!!!! ......

I caught my first fish in my friend's pond when I was 17, but I don't remember what kind of fish it was. We had it for dinner though.

[Carptain_Bao]

Probably when I was three, a red koi in Beijing.I had a photo that I was holding the fish and I actually peed my pants lmao

[trollmiester]

the bridge at ballona creek at playedellray when it went all the way across to venice. Before they blocked it and the army corps of enginers built marina del rey.FISHED OFF the oil drericks too.RODE MY BIKE THERE STOPPED AT HAMBURGER HANDOUT AND FELT LOKE A KING.FIFTY CENTS CHEESBURGER,FRIES AND DRINK.PARKED MY BICYCLE NEXT TO ALL THE C ARS ,THEN RODE HOME TO INGLEWOOD CARYING BUTTERMOUTH PERCH AND BARRED PERCH.MAN IT WAS 1959 WOW WHAT A GREAT TRIP ITS BEEN.

[misterBAITer]

I can't remember exactly where, but it had to be Belmont Pier or the Pier J area (mackeral or croaker) around 1983.