Can You Remember The First Time (Bass Fishing) 2024
Oregon Native reply :
I remember back in the early sixtys I would ride my ten speed 3 miles out to a farm pond north of town in Hillsboro, Oregon. I remember fishing nightcrawlers and such and this guy comes walking by flingin weightless worms and rippin on em. He was nice enough to give me one floresent orange six inch worm and it has been down hill ever since!!! I remember when I got home that anything plastic in my box was modified. Took a lizard I found ... I remember it being a clear brownish color. I cut the legs and head off and just ripped on em the next saturday I rode out. Ohhh the good ol days and the memories. I remember red and white daredevils were good too. Don't believe I even own one of those now.
Tight Lines
Megastink reply :
I'm only 26 years old, but I remember the first time I discovered a pattern! I was about 12 years old, and I just watched KVD (before the fame) catching bass on a spinnerbait. I had never caught a bass on a spinnerbait before. My dad bought me a yellow and green 3/8oz double willow spinnerbait from Wally World. I was chucking it around a rock outcrop near shore and wasn't getting bit. Then, I botched a cast and threw over on of the rocks. I dragged my spinnerbait over the rock, and three cranks of the reel later, WHAM! Two pounder. A few casts later, I biffed again. Drug it over the rocks, wham! Another two. Then the hamster started running...... Five bass later, I was on my first pattern!
I also remember my first jig bass. I was using a black and red Renosky jig (no weedgaurd, but a bait keeper screw that you screwed your trailer onto and Texas rigged. It was June, the bass were cruising, and I saw three of them hanging out by my boat on shore (I was on shore). I pitched to the boat (may have been my first pitch) and watched a three pounder come in to investigate. I hopped the jig once, he inhaled it, and I had NEVER set the hook harder! It was awesome!
Memories, memories!
Goose52 reply :
My introduction to bass fishing was by catching a "brim." My Dad gave me a little cane pole and some bread and showed me how to catch brim (bluegill mostly). One day he says "go catch me a brim." I do and bring him a little brim. He sticks a big hook throught the back of the brim, tosses it out in the canal with his Ambassadeur 5000, and says "now, I'm going to show you how to catch a bass..." 
Bass Junkie reply :
The first legal bass I ever caught was while fishing for crappie. A couple of the other guys in the boat had landed bass, and it was killing me. I was young at the time (7-8) and wanted like everything to catch a bass and to be one of the "Big Dogs". Then a 12" largemouth comes along and takes my little minnow, and I basically propelled it into the boat with one swing of that old Abu Garcia spinning rod. (Yeah, the ones from way back, with the steel stripper guides that you could put a softball through). It was the first legal fish we'd caught all day, and I was so proud... Now, if I don't get five in a day I'm disappointed.... Things sure do change.
JellyMan reply :
My first catch was when I was 4. Small Jack when I lived in Merritt Island. I remember doing some Bluegill fishing but I dont remember my first Bass. I think I was maybe 7.
Silas reply :
I was about 12 when I was fishing a "borrow pit" behind the levee in Southeast La. I was fishing with a fly rod for bream with popping bugs. An friend of my dad's came up and started casting a casting reel with a "Sidewinder" on the channel between the two pits, and caught about 10 while I was watching. Went home and saved money and bought a Pflueger Supreme casting reel. Started bass fishing!
I imagine not many on this board remember the "Sidewinder."
BassinB reply :
When I was 4 years old I remember I caught a 5lb bass on a bluegill that I had caught on a worm. Was using my dad's ultralight setup, no idea how I didn't lose that fish. Mom took my picture with the fish inside the fish and my dad next to me. Dad had them put the picture in the local newspaper the next day, I'l never forget how proud I was of myself. In the early 90's my dad was big into fishing bass tournaments, learned a lot from him as a kid.
lmbfisherman reply :
Last season (2012) was the first real season where I actually tried my hardest to bass fish. Before then I thought freshwater fishing was for wimps, I was an avid Saltwater fisherman. Pulling in sharks, linc cods, skates, even octopus...and was like HA, bass fishing how hard can it be? I tried half heartedly a couple years before that and I was skunked many times (just sticked with nightcrawlers and shiners). 2012 opened my eyes after I decided to take it more serious, I did a lot of research and decided to try out jigs first. The very first bass I caught was throwing a jig (Booyah I think it was some type of brown) with a ribbon tail worm on it. It was near a downed tree, it was only a 1lb bass, but the feeling of WOW came over me. This is fun, the feel was something I can't put in to words, all I could say is..I caught a BASS! To this day I still have the same feeling and the excitement to catch bass like it was my first. Now I know I was wrong and think Bass fishing is on a whole different level than Ocean fishing. Takes knowledge, skill and luck too...my only wish is that I was turned on to it when I was a kid. I'm still learning which I think is part of the fun, I have yet to have a very good day though like some of you guys have experienced where you get one fish after another. I would love to experience that some day!
mrmacwvu1 reply :
First bass was on a jitterbug when I was 8 at a local farm pond.
Darren. reply :
I don't remember the first time. I'm one of those people who doesn't remember a lot of their childhood. Only bits and pieces and "big" memories....
But I have snippets of being out with my Dad and fishing for bream, etc. As well as a snippet when I let my Dad's prized ultralight slide off the boat deck into the depths of Conesus Lake in NY...
Paul Roberts reply :
I do. But oddly I do not remember the catching as much as the fish itself -a 12" LM caught on a small flooded lowland impoundment in southern NY somewhere. It was some kind of magical fish and I couldn't keep my eyes off it. I remember constantly pulling up the stringer to look at my prize, when at one point I pulled up just a short piece of chain and no bass. I was shocked and sad. We figured a snapper got it. I remember two other things from that trip pretty well: the large bluegills on their beds along shore, and the guy in another boat netting a large bass and the blue plastic worm I could see in its jaw although we weren't all that close. This would ahve been in the late 60's.
Then there were the first bass I ever saw, two my Dad had caught on a Jitterbug in 1966. I remember the bass pretty well lying in the kitchen, my Dad coming in after dark with them. I was mesmerized by them. I swear I can still smell them, but that can't be so. They were caught on my Dad's father's Jitterbug, and I still have it. It's caught a lot of nice ones since. This year it's my son's turn to catch with it. Can't wait to get that photo and show it to my Dad when we visit for his 80th bday this summer. My son and I are on a mission this spring.
flipin4bass reply :
It was the mid 1960's, my dad took me to a local lake and handed me a Zebco 202 with a red Creme worm and I landed a 2 1/2 lb bass...I've been hooked ever since.
TrippyJai reply :
My parents used to take me camping with some of their family friends every year during the long weekend. We used only live worms and caught 100s of sunfish/bluegill. The odd pike/catfish and bass. It wasn't until I was in highschool I got back into fishing and started to use artificial lures to catch bass. The Zoom Finese Worm wacky rigged was the lure that caught my first bass returning to fishing.
ww2farmer reply :
I don't remember the first time I ever went exclusively for bass, but I do remember the first bass I ever caught. I was 11 years old, and caught it on a piece of nightcrawler under a bobber while bluegill fishing, it was probably only a 12"er but compared to the bluegills and sunfish I was catching it was a whale. Ever since then bass have been my #1 target species, with little breaks to go chase pike, or panfish through out my teens-20's. Now the only time I am fishing, and it's not for bass, is when I am standing on the ice looking for bluegills, or chasing gills/perch/crappies in open water when I need a little "break". Who would have thought a 12" fish, caught on hand me down equipment, and free worms caught in the yard would have led to a life time of being broke................but happy. Fishing is the one thing in my whole life that's never gotten old. I am like a kid again when ever I catch a good one, or have a good day on the water.
gr8outdoorz reply :
My first bass was only about 6 yrs ago due to spending my life chasing trout. A good friend took me to a local pond. Rigged me up with a T-rig ribbontail, black with blue tail. Slowly dragged it on the bottom with a twitch of the rod every now and then. Caught 5 that morning, but the first was the biggest. I spent less weekends on the river after that and more at ponds/lakes. I still have to feed my trout addiction as well so I am very thankful my fiancee loves to chase both species too 
Tuckahoe Joe reply :
My first time bass fishing was at the end of last summer. I had just moved and my little brother came down to visit. I had expressed an interest in getting into bass fishing since I now lived within a couple minutes of a few nice ponds/lakes and he gave me some of his gear that he no longer used. We went out that morning for like 4 hours and got skunked. Headed back to the house and he ended up going home. But I just wouldn't take no for an answer. I went back out myself that afternoon and caught 3 in about 45 minutes just before sunset on a blueish purple t-rigged ribbontail worm. The smallest was 12 inches and the biggest was around 18 and really fat. I kept em, fried em up, and they were the best fish I'd ever eaten. I practice catch and release now about 95% of the time but every once in a while Ill keep some of the smaller ones for the frying pan. Looking forward to perfecting my bass fishing skills this year and many years to come!
Naterwedge reply :
My first time catching a bass it was a 6lber out of Nolin River. I was at the ripe age of 5 at the time (27 now). I grew up trout fishing, using nothing more than a small treble, splitshot, and garlic cheese 
that's what I was using that day, and I thought I hung a log. Had to have my granddad help me get it in, on an old zebco stingray spinning rod and reel. It's one of my best memories ) I got out of trout fishing about 15yeads ago and didn't pick up a rod again until 4 years ago. This time I wasn't after trout though, I wanted the bucket mouths 
None of my friends bass fished, and my family were all diehard trout and panfish anglers. After wasting oodles of $20 bills on tackle that didn't work, I bought a rat-l-trap and started catching em. It's been downhill ever since, and now I've gotten confident at chasing ole bucket mouth I still use spinning rods though, some habits are just hard to break
Sam reply :
Yep. Around 11 years old with family visiting family on the bayou in south Louisiana and threw a red and white spoon on a spinnning rig into the marsh area and nailed my first largemouth bass.
It was not a big one, maybe a pound, but it was large enough to get me hooked on the sport.
That was when the world was water!!!!
---=Martin=--- reply :
yep, i was 5 or 6 years old when i caught my very first fish! i was living in Poland at the time, and went with my mom and step dad on a summer vacation at a near by lake (we stayed in a small cabin). i remember seeing other fisherman and wanted to do it, so here's what I did (TRUE STORY, i remember every detail to this day): i found some old tangled up fishing line, managed to pull 5-6 feet of it, i found a straight thin metal pin with I bent in half myself to make a hook; i tied the pin to the line and the other end to a stick i found laying on the ground. i used a small ball of bread and i caught my first fish: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C5%82o%C4%87 (sorry, the wiki page is in Polish but you can see a pic). ever since then i've been fishing as a kid in Poland; then i stopped for years and slowly picked it back up in the States. last 6 months i really got back into bass fishing (i've bass fished when i was in HS and College a little during my summer breaks).
Basspastor reply :
I was blessed to grow up in a family that had a cabin on a lake that was full of bass. My dad took me out in the boat with him fishing when I was an infant and as soon as I was old enough to reel in a fish with my dad holding the rod I was catching bass and panfish. We caught so many bass and panfish and were at the cabin so often I can't recall my first bass as the memories all run together now. I'm 43 now.
My fondest childhood memory is one particular morning not sure how old I was at the time maybe 5 or 6 when dad and I got up before sunrise. It was dead calm. We went out to a sunken island that I'd fished many times before and many times after. I know dad caught a good fish or two on that spot that morning and I had bites but I'm not sure if I caught any or not. We were using live frogs for bait. For whatever reason that morning stands out.
CoBass reply :
Up until about 10 yrs ago I was mostly a shore fishing trout and panfish guy who would throw out some bait and wait for a bite. I found a pond that had some really big bluegill and crappie and once or twice per trip I'd hook into a 2 lb or so bass on my nightcrawler. I decided that catching a few bass per day was more fun than catching a bunch of panfish and I started trying techniques specifically to catch bass. That one pond changed my fishing style from bait fishing for the easy fish and hoping for the occasional bass, to throwing artificials specifically for bass.
Downeaster2010 reply :
I was in the Coast Guard, and had just returned to Maine after 3 years there. It was 1972, and a friend
at that time had just returned from Okla University, where he went to college with Jimmy Houston. Well
none of us in Maine had a clue how to catch a bass other than throw a Rebel, or a Daredevel and see if
you get lucky. Well, my friend taught myself and another how to fish for bass with rubber worms and
spinner baits. At this time, rubber worms and spinner baits were completely unknown, and no store had
anything even similar. You couldn't even find a baitcast reel and rod at the time. We had to order our
rods, reels, fishing line, and worms, all by mail from Bass pro shops. They had a big catalog and we
would dwell over the stuff in it. We would fill out the order blank, then mail it in, and wait anxiously for
the package to return.
Bass fishing in Maine was in its infancy, and largemouth and smallmouth were in many of our lakes
and ponds and extremely big fish. A typical outing we would catch 50 fish, and sometimes 25 fish a
day between 5 and 8 lbs. Maine has many water with large fish, and we would travel 50 to 80 miles
without batting an eye, to fish 1 pond in the morning, and a different one in the afternoon. Those were
what I called the good ole bass fishing days.
jignfule reply :
About 30 yrs ago/ floating rapala/ out of a canoe with a friend/ about 3 #'s
bartdude186 reply :
I remember my first bass like it was yesterday. I have older parents than most my age, i was about 10 years old and my dad was 55 and was a die-hard Crappie and catfish fisherman but also had a few old (and i mean old) bass lures in his box. i had fished for Crappies and catfish since i was 4 but one morning we were camping and i woke up before anyone and snuck out of the tent and into his tackle box and found an old spinnerbait thats skirt was old, brittle, and falling apart. i tied it on my zebco 33 (which was the only reel he believed worthy enough to use). I made one cast from the bank out near a rock sticking up from the water and reeled it in like i had seen on TV and WHAMMMM just as it passed the rock a 5lb largemouth smashed it and i was in for the fight of my life on the old zebco. i reeled her up on the bank and started yelling for my dad.About a min later i seen him crawling out of the tent with a big smile on his face. i will never forget that fish as long as i live. On another note the most fond memory i have is about 6 months before my dad passed away after being bed ridden for more than 4 years he asked me to take him fishing, i was as excited as ever and that saturday i wheeled him to my truck in his wheelchair and picked him up and into the seat. he was in alot of pain but still as happy as ever to be going fishing. i took him to one of our favorite old Crappie holes and we fished for several hours, as much as he could handle. that was the happiest i think me or him had ever been. I almost tear up just writing about it.
papajoe222 reply :
Caught my first bass (sm) fishing for walleye from a rip rap shoreline. That fish went airborne at least three times and of course I was hooked. A gold/black Rapala accounted for that and many smallies since. In fact, when I wade the local river for smallies, a #7 in that color is the only thing I bring.
jhoffman reply :
I started fishing the rivers for smallmouths at such a young age I dont remember the first. I was so little in fact my grandparents would take me and when I was off doing something and not paying attention they would catch a fish, hook it on my line and then let it go. One of my fondest memories from those early years was sitting in a 10ft jon boat in the Juniata river with my grandfather in a pouring down rainstorm just catching massive smallies one after the next. They bought the boat due to my passion in fishing. He asked me if I wanted to go home and I told him that wasnt an option. I would give my bass boat away for free to have one more day like that with that man, forever missed.
TeeJay reply :
I'm pretty sure it was behind my grandmother's house in Orlando on the little canal that lead to the lake. And I'm pretty sure it was on a cane pole when I was maybe 11 or 12.. I lived over seas most of my life so I never really got to experience fresh water fishing until then.. been in love with bass fishing ever since but I really started getting in deep the past few years. I'm 28 now.. Lol..
Mud River Matt reply :
I had caught a few bass when I was younger and fishing for anything that would bite. I didnt start "Bass Fishing" until last year though. I had a decade long heroin addiction and didnt do much of anyhting at all in those years. So last year, I started hanging out at a local archery and bait shop a little bit, and those guys took a liking to me and talked me into going to rehab. Well after rehab, I kept hanging out with them and about this time last year, I was taken on my first bass fishing trip. It has been downhill ever since. I thought my heroin addiction was bad but this fishing thing is ridiculous. Every bait I see I want, every reel I see I have to have, and every rod I see I have to pick it up and play with it. I have bought a boat and now I fish at least 3 times a week, a lot of weeks I fish 5 or more times a week. So that is my story, I am very thankful for being introduced to this great sport, which has really helped me stay clean. Good fishing guys
Grizzn N Bassin reply :
oh yeah back when I was little I used to go catching perch and catfish.. but around 7-8 years old I went every weekend with my uncle he taught me A lot for that age I remember the first bass I caught it was on a weed less frog with Salomon eggs on the bottom of the hooks. we nailed them all morning on them.. that's the day I got addicted to bass fishing and I've fished ever since.. I'm 21 now
SirSnookalot reply :
I don't remember my first bass but I do remember my first pike. My dad and I were fishing in the Detroit River on the Canadian side, I must have been about 7. We had some motor trouble so we docked the boat on Bobolo Island and while he was fixing the engine I was casting a plug, and I caught my very first pike. 60 years ago seemed like it was yesterday, from that moment on it was nothing but artificial lures for me.
Hogsticker reply :
On 4/16/2013 at 6:41 PM, Oregon Native said:I remember back in the early sixtys I would ride my ten speed 3 miles out to a farm pond north of town in Hillsboro, Oregon. I remember fishing nightcrawlers and such and this guy comes walking by flingin weightless worms and rippin on em. He was nice enough to give me one floresent orange six inch worm and it has been down hill ever since!!! I remember when I got home that anything plastic in my box was modified. Took a lizard I found ... I remember it being a clear brownish color. I cut the legs and head off and just ripped on em the next saturday I rode out. Ohhh the good ol days and the memories. I remember red and white daredevils were good too. Don't believe I even own one of those now.
Tight Lines
I started my early fishing days on Henry Hagg Lake. Very fond memories. I believe the current State record smallie came outta that water.
Ratherbfishing reply :
To an eight year old boy whose combined fishing experience amounted to a few trout from a local pay lake and some yellow bullheads under a bridge where a small stream widened, bass fishing, like any other kind was more an abstract thought than a reality. Somehow I had managed to procure a propeller rigged creme worm and, with a zebco 202, caught a small grass pike that scared the living daylights out of me. It was so exotic and dangerous I was afraid to touch it. But it had me hooked! I had actually caught something with a lure! Me!!! I found and purchased a Garcia fishing magazine from a local Ben Franklin 5 & dim. Ah, it was beautiful! I poured over the glossy pictures of trout, salmon, and bonefish found in reaches no closer than 8 hours by car (or 800 hours by 1-speed bicycle). My fingerprints must've been all over that magazine. I can't remember ever actually reading (or comprehending) many of the articles but those gem like images fueled my imagination! Then, sometime in early high school, a friend who lived near the Middle Fork river introduced me to Smallmouth bass-or at least the concept of smallmouth fishing. Mostly we caught rock bass and creek chubs) but now my obsession (sickness) had gained in strength and is only worsening The prognosis, I fear, is terminal. But what a way to go!
basseditor reply :
My first bass was while musky fishing in Wisconsin. I dont remember how old i was. maybe 8 or so. Caught it on a suick worked over the top of vegetation. I was disappointed it wasn't a musky.
But we had a great trip. Several 4-5 lb largemouth, 42" northern and 48" musky. My dad caught the musky but the newspaper ran a picture of my brother and I holding it. I misplaced the photo. That was more than 50 years ago.
Grantman83 reply :
I was 23. I by accident almost caught a large bass and the line broke. I swore vengeance against that fished and promised I would catch him in the future. 6 years later, last summer I went back to that SAME lake and intentionally went to the same area and caught fish there. Truly satisfying
KY Outdoorsman reply :
My girlfriend and i had this same conversation the other day. No one in my family enjoys bass fishing as much as my brother and i, hes the one that got me in the sport. When i was about 17, (now 20), i had just totaled out my first car and I was devasted, i busted my leg up so i was laid up for a week or so. He had just moved to northern KY and invited me up for the week, so north i went. He told me to bring my pole although i hated bassin at the time. The next day we went out to Linville Lake, he and his buddy were catching at least 3 a minute to my one every 10 minutes. His buddy said here man tie this on, it was a shakey head. I tied it on and caught up with them. we ended the day catching at least 30 a peice even thought they were small. I got the concept the very first day and ive been loving the sport ever since. My leg prevented me from standing but i still caught my fair share. I fished for bluegill all my life but that day was when i caught my first bass that i can really remember well. Good times.
greyleg33 reply :
Well, Oregon Native, me too. Actually spent a part of my youth at Gales Creek[or crik as Oregonions say]. It was all about salmonids in those days. Didn't start fishing for bass 'til I was in the Navy and back East.1st one on a Rapala floater.
Oregon Native reply :
I used to fish Gales Creek a lot. Even rode bike from Hillsboro once or twice. Caught lots of slime rockets there. Sooo glad to be away from the salmon/steelhead/trout mentality of the west. Love the fish....not all the attitudes.On 4/26/2013 at 9:10 AM, greyleg33 said:Well, Oregon Native, me too. Actually spent a part of my youth at Gales Creek[or crik as Oregonions say]. It was all about salmonids in those days. Didn't start fishing for bass 'til I was in the Navy and back East.1st one on a Rapala floater.
Tight Lines
Raul reply :
I can´t remember the date, I remember the year, 1980, I know it was a Sunday, always been a Sunday warrior, I remember with what, a Rapala size 7 black and silver original minnow, I remember where, a small lake inside a private community called Lomas de Comanjilla, I remember it was early in the morning, I even remember how I worked the bait, can´t remember the exact weight but it was about a little over a pound; man it´s been a long time if I count by years but I remember as clearly as it happened this morning, years and thousands of dollars in gear later I have the sensation I´m slightly hooked in bass fishing, trout ( what I fished ) can´t stand a chance when compared to bass.
Brian6428 reply :
My first fish was off a local dock last summer. As a result of summer bordness, i decided to build a raft out of plywood, inner tubes and some rope. It worked, and i decided i wanted to catch fish off of it. I have always been fascinated by fishing and always wanted to go, so this was just the reason i needed. The next day I caught 4 bluegill off crappie nibbles but decided I wanted to catch the "big fish", and therefore decided to bass fish. A long month later I caught my first bass off of a bass pro shops brand crank bait. It was about 11' but I have never been so proud of a fish as i have that one.
Scorcher214 reply :
About 5 years ago, I had just gotten my daiwa regal and bionic blade spinning rod and reel combo from BPS and had picked up some misc tackle while i was there. It was my first time targeting bass and I was fishing using a 3/4oz bullet weight and a trick worm in about 2 feet of water. Not catching anything at all. Some guy and his buddy walked up to me asked me how I was doing and i told em i wasn't getting anything. Saw what I was using and suggested what he was catching them on: a 7.5 inch Berkley Power worm in motoroil, 1/16oz bullet weight, and an offset bend hook. I started ripping some serious lips. Must have caught 10 bass on that one worm at least (Which is mind blowing because now I cant get them to last 4 fish). I found the guy again and thanked him a bunch for helping me out.
tritondriver reply :
i didnt fish in my younger years as dad didnt fish, then when i retired from the air force in 1996 at the age of 44 a neighbor of mine took me on a weekend bass fishin trip, first one was on a Rattle Trap about 2lbs..have been bass fishin every since and havent played a round of course since that day...and i thought i spent alot of money on golf...nothin compared to bass fishin but wouldnt change a thing especially when i get to teach my grandkids..that is priceless...
CPBassFishing reply :
My first bass came out of a pond at the end of the street 3 years ago on a watermelon red coffee tube, 1/0 EWG, and a 3/16 oz tungsten weight. I just T-rigged it and was hopping it off the bottom. I like to think that that bass is still in there, but who knows........ not everyone follows the rules of C&R. 
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