Question to all bass fisherman/women 2024

pondbassin101 reply :

How did you guys start bass fishing?

I caught my first bass on an old spinning reel and rod and jerkbait that I found in the garage. I'd gone catfishing a few times before but fishing really started when my friend told me about the t-rig and thats where it all really began.

N Florida Mike reply :

I knew nothing about bass fishing.I was catching a few bream and saw a longer fish swim by and I wanted to catch it. That " it " was a bass.

42 years later, I still want to. A friend taught me the basics,although my dad didn't bass fish,he taught me a lot about fishing in general.

If I had to choose one kind of fishing and not do the others anymore,Id choose bass.And I live near some great saltwater fishing!

fishwizzard reply :

I got into fishing later in life and was out at a reservoir trying to catch panfish when this guy hit my lure;

I was like "oh man, this is lot more fun than catching panfish". That isn't my first bass, but it was my first "decent" bass.

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/8/2017 at 11:00 AM, Bunnielab said:

I got into fishing later in life and was out at a reservoir trying to catch panfish when this guy hit my lure;

I was like "oh man, this is lot more fun than catching panfish". That isn't my first bass, but it was my first "decent" bass.

My first bass was caught on a random jerkbait with some random gear in a random pond with 0 experience, I fished that thing like a swimbait and somehow still caught fish

Bassin' Brad reply :

Grew up pond fishing here and there but when I was 19 my boss took me out in his bass boat on a lake and I was forever changed.

fishwizzard reply :

Yea, it's hard to see, but there is, tied to like 6lb briad, a huge snap swivel hooked to a thick mono leader. To that was tied a heavy wire 1/0 saltwater circle hook with a green gulp worm threaded on it.

I wonder why I wasn't catching many panfish?

Bluebasser86 reply :

I was 9 or 10, fishing an 1/8oz red roostertail catching panfish when I started catching bass. They hit harder, fought harder, and got bigger. After that I started trying to catch them on purpose instead of on accident.

th365thli reply :

I've always like fishing for as long as I can remeber, I was just too stupid or young to care about what kinds of fish. Freshwater I started with crappie fishing with my dad in North Carolina, 5th grade. We all knew squat about how to catch them, but a very nice gentleman at Falls Lake showed us exactly how to rig a bobber with a minnow. In hindsight, compared to all the bass crap in the market nowadays it's laughably simple, but to us it was the holy grail. Snagged 3 crappie that day. Every now and then we'd catch bass but it was always when we targeted crappie.

At a camping trip, a family friend showed me how to texas rig a weightless worm and catch bass. I caught 2 by myself afterwards and for a kid, the sense of accomplishment was immense. The very next day I bought a 2 dollar spinnerbait and proceeded to tear up the dinks in my neighborhood pond. Then came the 2lber at my friend's pond. Then came the six pounder at a lake......the rest is history.

Bass fishing is addicting not just because catching them is fun, but because the sense of progress is palpable. There's just so much to learn. Nothing quite like putting a new technique to test and watching it produce. There's a lifetime of knowledge and skill out there.

davecon reply :

Grandfather taught me. 30 plus years later I inadvertently caught a Snook. Changed my whole perspective. Don't get me wrong, bass fishing is still a passion, but Snook fishing is kinda like a young kid discovering sex. There ain't no turning back. And believe me, I am blessed to have been born and raised in west central Florida. Have caught literally hundreds of bass over 8 lbs. and several much larger, biggest being 14. They don't hold a candle to Snook. The Snook I learned on my own, but it was my Grandfather that got me started in this lifelong affliction.

hstaple1979 reply :

I have always fished. When I was about 8, I begged my Dad to take me to our neighbors pond for a week one summer. I guess he didn't want to dig worms to watch me stare at a bobber, so he gave me his old Abu Garcia 5000 and a Lew's Speed stick worm rod. Tied me on a Texas Rig worm, showed me how to do that. Stood on the pond bank and showed me one cast with a baitcasting, told me he wasn't going to pick back lashes out all night, so don't mess it up. Handed me the rod, made his own cast, showed me how to work the worm. And away he went. My first cast was terrible (barely went 3 feet off bank) but a 14 inch bass made off with my worm and managed to hook himself in the process. Wasn't my first bass, but first while using a bass lure, and the rest is history. My Dad was with me in our boat when I caught my PB 9 pounder. He has been gone for 6 years now. Stories like this one still make me want to cry ?

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

It is bill dance and hank Parker fault.

Kris2016 reply :

It was my Mother who taught me how to fish after she was taught by a co-worker. That was mostly for perch in rivers off the Chesapeake Bay. As time went on I fished a local river, Patapsco, with Friends or by myself once in a while. In those days we caught anything that would eat a nightcrawler.

Fast forward to after the Military and I started fishing for bass since I got a couple chances while on active duty. A neighbor had a boat and fished local reservoirs, that lit the fire again. From that point to now is ancient history.

scaleface reply :

I always fished and use to go to mom and pop tackle stores too look at all the cool bass lures . I wanted to catch fish on those lures .One summer I bought two. Forgot which one was first . A jointed Mirrollure and a Storm Thin Fin .

NHBull reply :

I grew up as a trout fisherman. Fly rod, dry line, lead line, trolling, ect......

Took a 30 yr hiatus and joint my brother-in-law for some strippers....it has all been down hill from there

crypt reply :

I was 8,started catching bream. then my dad took me to the golf course to fish while he hit balls and caught my first bass on a worm and that was it. nothing has been the same since. all for the better. even took up golf to hang with dad. he wasn't much of a fisherman but saw what it for me in a positive way. and for that am forever grateful.

Mosster47 reply :

I would watch it on TNN as a kid. I thought Ray Scott was cool and Bob Cobb's name and how seriously he said it made me laugh.

We would go to the lake to troll around for trout (insanely boring) and I would see guys over on the bank standing up actually fishing which looked infinitely more appealing.

Pro Logcatcher reply :

My dad got tired of catching panfish with me

CTBassin860 reply :

Caught my 1st trout on a push button mickey mouse fishing pole.Stopped fishing for a long time.Got back into it about 6 years ago catching crappie.Then I caught a bass...I'm not sure if I hooked the bass or the bass hooked me.I've been broke ever since.

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/8/2017 at 7:38 PM, MassBassin508 said:

I'm not sure if I hooked the bass or the bass hooked me.I've been broke ever since.

pretty sure thats everyone here

basseditor reply :

I don't remember ever not fishing.

A-Jay reply :

My Dad enjoyed it & he was generous enough to pass on the passion.

A-Jay

ThePolkFolk reply :

My dad is a bass fisherman. One day I'll get a big boat and I can pay him back for all he taught me.

Jtrout reply :

I went fishing without bait one day so i caught some baby frogs on the bank and used them as bait and caught like 7 bass i was like man this is fun! Hooked ever since.

Hawkeye21 reply :

My dad took me fishing and I loved it. Didn't matter what we were fishing for, I just enjoyed it. When I got a little older, like 10, my uncle would take me out on the river fishing wing dams.

jimf reply :

Specifically bass? I don't remember, it was sometime in my late teens/early 20's that I started targeting bass. I have fished for as long as I can remember, my Dad was one of those that almost looked at fishing as a chore to get dinner. Not that he didn't enjoy it, he did. But, if you caught your limit in an hour, you went home because you were done. There was no need to fish anymore. When I started releasing fish and talking my Dad about that concept, I think he wondered what went wrong with me. He's 82, and to this day he still can't quite get his head around that concept.

I actually spent about 15 years through my 40's doing most of my fishing for trout. I have really recently come back to my roots so to speak, which is bass fishing about 2/3 of the time and spending the other 1/3 chasing a variety of species including carp, bluegill, walleye, and trout.

pondbassin101 reply :

Seems like most people either discovered bass fishing by accident or had it handed down from there dads

WIGuide reply :

My dad had a love for fishing and passed it on to me. It started at a very early age watching fishing shows with dad, looking through the BPS catalog like a bible, and catching panfish. It quickly grew from there, going out with my dad more and more trying to catch bass and northerns. I bought my own boat in 5th grade and I've never looked back.

One disadvantage of starting so young is I don't remember my first trip or my first fish or any of that, but I really must have enjoyed it because it kept bringing me back time and time again growing this fishing/bass fishing thing into a passion I'm sure nobody could see coming haha. A few pics from the early years...

jimf reply :

I remember that B.A.S.S. patch your dad had, I put it on a jacket I think. Completely forgot about it until I saw that picture.

bowhunter63 reply :

Caught a smallie when i was about 8,Been hooked ever since.In-fisherman magazine got me going too.

Bankbeater reply :

When I was little my Dad and I always use to go catfishing from the bank. When the catfish weren't biting we would cast for bass. Neither one of us liked cutting up bait, or messing with the dough bait, so gradually we started fishing for bass all of the time.

gimruis reply :

I learned how to bass fish on my own about 15 years ago. I was an intern surveyor with the MN DNR one summer doing a northern pike study and I was allowed to fish some of these small lakes in study in between surveys. That was usually when the weather was questionable or during the middle of the week. Prior to that I mostly targeted walleyes and panfish.

wdp reply :

My Dad & Grandfather got me started, but mostly it was my Dad. My Dad & I still fish together a few times a year as our schedules allow.

About 43 years ago, I hooked this 7 & half pounder. It was a bedding fish that I caught with a dead shiner on a Zebco 33. We could see it in about 2 FOW in some weeds. Near end of day & all the minnows in the bucket were floating. My Dad said to put one of the dead minnows on and shake the rod when it got close to the bass. When my bobber got too close to the bank, he said throw it back out & keep repeating. Did that for about 30 mins when she finally hit it & boy did that Zebco start screaming. Dad had to come help me reel it in. Here's a pic after we got home. I was 7 then, and the rest is history.

Heres a more modern pic of my Dad who mostly likes bream & crappie fishing these days.

ScottDB reply :

I used to fish for bluegill with my dad a long time ago and didn't pick up a rod again until about 3 years ago. I borrowed my buddy's uglystik and was just casting out expecting little bluegills then something fat hit my line. The adrenaline rush and feeling the bass was enough for me to purchase my own rod and start going regularly. I ran into some problems after that where I couldn't go as much and stopped going all together for about 2 years. Those problems subsided and I started going regularly again about 4 months ago and I'm in love with it more than ever now. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder I guess haha

Cesar reply :

12 hr drive from E Paso TX to San Antonio basketball game. Game turns out to be a dud..All starters benched, next day Brother in Law says im gona show you how to really fish.. Been fishing a local pay daily for fishing channel cats lake in El Paso. Thought i was a fisherman til he told me the basics. Texas Jig..jerk jerk.rest....jerk jerk jerk rest and.........more luck than anything...but i was hooked...5 pounder that felt like 10....I have the pics but this .15 mb restriction is not helping out...Been fishing local lake since, 1 lbs max 10 inches. Cant wait to get out there again

Sam reply :

Family. My family fished so I fished, too, down in south Louisiana.

Crestliner2008 reply :

When I got out of the service in '69, I was into trout fishing more than anything else. A friend took me to a local Oxbow with a tub of shiners and I caught my first bass.....maybe 2 lbs.. That was IT. What a fight! And the jumps sealed the deal.

NYWayfarer reply :

My dad introduced me to bass fishing as a toddler thru my teen years.

My interest was rekindled in the 90's while watching Roland Martin's show. My friend and I would plan weekend trips to whatever body of water we could find to drop a line for bass. "Posted" was our least favorite word in the English language at that time.

lonnie g reply :

my dads was actually that guy that would rather sit on the river back with three or four different poles all with different baits. the excitement being not knowing what he was going to catch ,or how big. but he and my bass fishing cousin would also take me to ponds and lakes bass fishing. I like the river thing. but for some reason bass fishing seemed to trip my trigger the most. I guess the challenge of it in general and the feel of that bite. I love the quest of figuring out the game and the passion for wanting to win that game. thanks to dads and elder cousins for showing young kids a sport or passion of something to do that will challenge them as well as there mind. then if you add family time and building relationships. is there any one thing better to teach or try to master? NICE POST! POND BASSIN 101.something for us all to reflect on.

RMcDuffee726 reply :

This fish, circa 2013. Don't know why it hooked me, but it did. Never have looked back since.

BCline reply :

I grew up saltwater fishing with my father. I joined the boy scouts in 1976 and one of the requirements for the fishing merit badge was to catch a freshwater fish on an artificial lure. One nasty, rainy morning we head out to a public pond in Savannah, GA and I throw a fly rod for hours until a 6" large mouth bass finally hits the fly. I land and identify the fish. Dad and I looked at each other and said well that sucked, we won't be doing that again and head home.

Fast forward 37 years to 2013 and I find myself in-between jobs in Saint Marys, GA and a short walk away from a community pond. While waiting for replies to my resumes, I kept myself sane by float fishing for blue gills. After catching hundred of pan fish out of that pond, I tried something different and tied on a top water buzz bait. The first time I saw the water boil under that lure I was hooked. I walked that same bank, throwing that same lure for hours everyday until I rejoined the work force. I caught dozens of bass out of that pond with a few 3 pounders included.

I now live in the bass fishing capital of the world (South Florida) and bass fish everyday during my lunch hour and frequently on the weekends. I have caught many hundreds of bass since living here with my PB being 7-4 (the one in my profile pic).

RPreeb reply :

Really, no idea when I actually caught my first bass, but it was probably in the late 1950's while I was still using a cane pole fishing with worms and bobber for sunfish off the dock. My first outfit where I was actually fishing for bass was an ancient steel casting rod and reel that belonged to my great grandmother, using an equally aged redhead Bass-O-Reno (my only lure).

bma3 reply :

I saw a picture of a huge bass when I was younger in a tackle shop and always wanted to catch one. One day I threw a popper out into the middle of this pond and it got blown up on immediately. That's when I was hooked.

XpressJeff reply :

I had never done any Bass fishing. Did a fair bit of salt water fishing while stationed at Camp Lejeune but when sent to NAS Jacksonville for a few months one of the guys at work told me the St John's river was pretty good. Had a really good day and have been hooked since. I still have that spinner bait in my upper lip I guess!

Columbia Craw reply :

I came to earth from another universe where my planet did not permit fishing or hunting in any form. My planet is called PETA and everyone there wears clogs. Anyway...being the rebel that I am, when I settled into this form you call a body, I went right to work hunting ducks and fishing for anything that swims. Being that I was green and had scales myself, the bass was the first species I went after and the rest is history. Don't worry...be happy.

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/9/2017 at 8:40 PM, lonnie g said:

NICE POST! POND BASSIN 101.something for us all to reflect on.

Thank you

Ratherbfishing reply :

I like to fish for a lot of species (if they are biting) BUT the reason I favor bass fishing is that you can catch them with a LOT of baits and a lot of methods in a lot of locations. They always keep it interesting.

Adleyfishes reply :

I had a friend over when I was 11 and I realized I didn't have a rod so the next morning me and my dad snuck out of the camp ground and I bought a pfluger spinning reel. funny thing is... I reeled it upside down. The next day I was throwing a T-rig

RoLo reply :

My father introduced me to fishing in the 1940s, but his target fish were everything but bass.

In saltwater, we targeted porgies, sea bass & flounder, accompanied by blowfish, sea robins and eels.

In freshwater, my dad mostly targeted trout, carp, catfish & yellow perch, using very different methods for each

By saving my weekly allowances I was able to buy my own fishing outfit in the early 1950s.

It was a blue Conolon spinning rod with a black Mitchell-300 cap reel filled with brand-X nylon monofilament.

I quickly gravitated to largemouth bass, and though I'm not sure that I remember my very first bass,

the first bass I do remember catching was like yesterday. I was alone in a quiet backwater slough

casting a Creek Chub Injured Minnow, which is a topwater plug with fore & aft spinners.

Though it was the last thing I expected, suddenly a defined "V" wake headed straight for my lure

then shattered the water surface! That did it for me!!

Roger

pondbassin101 reply :

Great stories everyone

HawkeyeSmallie reply :

Great question, thanks for asking.

I grew up river fishing, small rivers to be exact with the occasional trip to the Mississippi. My favorite fish was a Smallmouth.

Fast forward to now and I fish mostly for Largemouths in small lakes mostly because they are close. Probably three years ago I took my son fishing for anything that bit and we caught a couple pretty decent bass. That's all it took. It's full of weeds so my first purchase was a Mojo Bass frog pole and started chucking some Spros. Oh man talk about exciting.

NC Bassin' reply :

My dad taught myself and my brother how to fish when we were really young. Started out with catching panfish on cane poles from docks, to when we got older with better gear and a drive to seek out bass. Now it has become an addiction that I'm passing on to my kids.

StevesBass reply :

My grandfather died when I was two but I remember seeing newspaper articles and pictures of him hanging up in the bait shop at Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee. He used bamboo fly rods he built himself and he caught some monster bass. I think he was somewhat of a local legend down there. Anyway, I like to think I got my love of fishing from him.

Scott F reply :

On Father's Day weekend, in 1965, I was 10 years old. My dad took me on a road trip driving all night from Gary, Indiana to his childhood home near the St. Lawrence River. We spent 4 days living in a big house on an island in the St. Lawrence where my uncle was the caretaker, catching bunches of smallmouth on inline spinners and minnows. It was probably the most influential 4 days of my entire life. I still am a smallmouth nut. I run a smallmouth club, I still love taking road trips to go smallmouth fishing and even my house is decorated with artwork that reminds me of the river.

WTnPuddleJumper reply :

I was fortunate. I was raised on a 17 acre lake. had a 6 foot glass rod and a zebco 33. our go to bait was one of them mepps spinners that looked like it had a little catfish as the body. Back then it would catch anything in the lake. I'm 51 now and still greatful of such a good upbringing on a lake.

Thanks Mom & Dad

pondbassin101 reply :

Has anyone here discovered bass fishing completely on accident?

Bucky205 reply :

My grandfather got me started fishing with cane poles and crickets when I was young. I don't remember when I started bass fishing. I've chased bream, marlin, and even sharks. As long as something may bite the hook I'm willing to fish for it. Bass fishing has over time become my favorite. For whatever reason I find bass fishing the most challenging. IMO It is more difficult to catch a 10+ lb bass than a 500+ lb marlin

Bucky205 reply :

On 5/9/2017 at 4:52 AM, jimf said:

I remember that B.A.S.S. patch your dad had, I put it on a jacket I think. Completely forgot about it until I saw that picture.

Back in the early 90s my patch came as part of a welcome package for new B.A.S.S. members. Many of us over 50 have one. LOL...Now I'm feeling old.

MTPanda reply :

I actually started saltwater fishing with my dad at the age of 5 or 6. He was always an avid angler and took my brother and I on his trips to the pier and eventually out on the boats. I didn't start bass fishing until a few years later when I would visit my older cousins in Arizona who were doing a lot freshwater fishing for bass, carp, catfish and trout. It was actually one of my cousins who really got me into bass fishing after spending a summer in Arizona fishing the local ponds and the Salt River. I believe at the time my cousin also had a Bassmaster magazine and we would spend hours reading the articles and trying to apply new techniques at the pond. I just got hooked on bass fishing because the bass would hit the lures so hard and put up such a great fight that I started bass fishing my local ponds in California.

pondbassin101 reply :

I actually forgot to add that I'd done some saltwater fishing with my dad before, bass fishing was something I discovered on my own

Rick Howard reply :

It started with my father when I was so young I can't even recall. I do recall from abut 6 or 7 years old fishing in the back of the old mans fiberglass tri hull with a whopping 9.9 mercury. I drove the "big motor" he worked the troller in the front. That boat retired 15 years ago but the old guy and I are still going 33 years later. Different boat and I stand in front now

Dinger0306 reply :

My dad had fished for a while for catfish and such, but got away from it for some reason while I was growing up. I think I was 11 or 12yrs old when our grade school class went on a field trip to a local lake to fish. Didnt catch anything but a few of my classmates caught bluegill and I wanted to catch something. So when I got home I asked my dad to take me fishing the next day.

We went out in his little storage building and found some old push button reels, grabbed the two that had hooks still attached and a sinker on the line. The line had to have been 10yrs old and the hooks were pretty d**n rusty. Went in the backyard, dug up about a dozen earthworms and headed down to a local creek.

Thats where I caught my first fish, probably a 12" largemouth bass. After that day I was HOOKED on fishing in general, and my dad got back into it too.

I think I learned about bass fishing from TV or the internet. Caught a few bass here and there on random lures like grubs or small plastic worms but nothing any big. Ended up saving up $70 to buy a used baitcaster off of the fishing flea market from this site (good deal on a barely used $130 reel) and told myself I'd learn to catch bass. Gander Mtn had a free shipping no minimum order deal and I had a few bucks on a debit card so I bought a 3/8oz White House brand spinnerbait from there mainly to get rid of the $3 that I had sitting around.

Caught a 17" bass on that spinnerbait and that's what really got me hooked. The rest is history...

Turner9087 reply :

i got started after my grandfather gave me a rod and reel and showed me a little he started me on a texas rig and i fell in love

Bassun reply :

Not a weird question at all, and has elicited some great stories. And nostalgia... nostalgia rocks!

I started fishing with my dad using literally a stick and line for blue gills. And I mean a literal stick with a line tied to it. Not even a cane pole, lol. Dad had a few spinning reels, but I was way too small to use them so we used what was around. I LOVED IT! Fast forward a couple years, and I was probably 6 at the oldest and had gotten a "Snoopy" pole. So, I went up to my aunt and uncles place, who had a small, muddy, farm pond.

My aunt tied on a 6 inch red creme worm, and told me there was a huge bass in that pond that no one had ever caught. They had hooked him a few times, but none had landed him. I, being 100% boy, was just positive I could catch him, lol. I cast out a few times, and BAM something tried to steal my pole. It scared me. I jumped, and threw down the pole, lol.

Someone grabbed it, and gave it back and told me to reel. So I did. Like a mad man. I just reeled the devil out of it. I'm sure it was high quality line (ahem) but luckily the drag must have been set decently as I never broke off. And, eventually drug this huge fish out of the water. The adults were all going crazy, so I got excited. Turns out, my first fish on a real rod was a citation sized Largie that no one had ever landed before. That was that, hooked for life!

It was a few years after that when I discovered this feller on TV catching fish like that on every cast, I still blame Bill Dance for me having too many lures lol. I saved up and ordered my first set of lures from Bass Pro, and the lure craze has been on ever since.

TheMississippiOutdoorsman reply :

I started out with a 5"8 button cast rod and reel from the great place called "Walmart" I used the tried and true H&H spinnerbaits, and 10lbs test, and the rest was history, I now fish almost 4 days a week, and have a few baitcasters and more lures than I know what to do with

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/22/2017 at 4:44 AM, TheMississippiOutdoorsman said:

I started out with a 5"8 button cast rod and reel from the great place called "Walmart" I used the tried and true H&H spinnerbaits, and 10lbs test, and the rest was history,

What was the casting distance with that? I can imagine it was terrible

scaleface reply :

On 5/22/2017 at 4:44 AM, TheMississippiOutdoorsman said:

I started out with a 5"8 button cast rod and reel from the great place called "Walmart" I used the tried and true H&H spinnerbaits, and 10lbs test, and the rest was history, I now fish almost 4 days a week, and have a few baitcasters and more lures than I know what to do with

The H&H spinner was my favorite spinner for rivers .

ww2farmer reply :

I have lived my whole life on my home lake.

When I was 8 or so my parents split up...things were ugly, and my grandparents (mothers side) took me in and raised me from that point on.

My grandpa took me fishing for bullhead in the spring, and we caught a bunch, as well as some bluegill. That's my first memory of fishing.

When I was about 12 or so, I started riding my bike to the lake, which was just on the end of the road I grew up on. At first I fished for bullhead, and panfish, but caught a bass or two here and there.

What hooked me on bass fishing was catching my first one on an artificial lure....a yellow mister twister grub. I promptly told my grandpa I was done with chasing bullheads and panfish and was going to be a bass fisherman from now on. Without saying a word, he went out the shed in the back yard, got some old rods/reels out, dusted off a big metal tackle box, and with a smile on his face said..."OK, me too"

That box held bass fishing treasures from days gone by. He never said a word to me, but he too liked to chase bass and pike years and years ago.

We started renting small fishing boats from the local boat livery on the lake, and spent weekends, and evenings after work fishing for bass. We used mann's jelly worms, floating rapala's, jitterbugs, johnson silver minnows, and many other old classics, and caught lots of bass and pike. We did this for many years, through my late teens, and we constantly mixed in new lures/techniques I would read about in magazines like In-fisherman or see on TV. We also would fish some small local derbys/tournaments. Never won anything back then, but we had fun.

When I graduated high school, moved out, and started working, we, and I rarely fished anymore. It was about 10 years later I got back into bass fishing. I used my modest savings to buy a shiny new aluminum bass boat (which I still have and use daily) and Grandpa let me keep at his house as it was just up the road from the lake.

For the first couple years I owned that boat, it was just like old times again. Gramps, now retired and all alone (my grandma passed a way a few years before I bought the boat) went with my all the time. We fished our home lake, made trips to explore and learn other lakes, and had a ball. He could still catch them, and I showed him all the new fangled things and ways to catch bass.

A few years into it, he started wanting to go less and less, and then he had a stroke about 5 years ago, and I couldn't take him at all anymore.

Grandpa passed away early last summer, but he left me one last smile on my face.....I won the next four tournaments in a row that I fished. I have won plenty over the years, but never 4 in row....I don't think it was luck.

Now my boat sits in a new spot. His house, my childhood home, has been sold off to strangers. But I drive by it all the time on the way to the lake, and the cemetery he, my grandma, my sister, my mother, and my uncle who was like a brother to me are buried in over looks the lake, so every time that boat hits the water they are all with me and watching.............Sorry guys, it just got a little dusty in here.

Wild Idaho reply :

Ive fished since I was a little kid. Didn't care if it was a trout or a carp,just wanted to fish and hoped to hook a pig. When I was 20 I offered to build a pole barn out of town on a reservoir that has big smallies. The guy we built it for let us take his little 16' sled with a small outboard out on the water after work each day. I was just fishing night crawlers and hooked into a 5lb smallie. Absolutely hooked after that. Over the weekend I spent hours online and digging in field & stream mags on gear,rigs,lures and what to look for to fish. Bought a rod & reel & a bunch of plastics,mainly tubes and worms. I pounded the weeds,rocks & every point I came across. 12 years later I don't think I've touched a night crawler haha. I love steelhead fishing,salmon fishing and fighting sturgeon but bass takes the cake for me.

TheMississippiOutdoorsman reply :

On 5/22/2017 at 7:11 AM, pondbassin101 said:

What was the casting distance with that? I can imagine it was terrible

Well once you get the hang of it, you can get a solid 20yrds

Especially with a 3/8-1/2 ounce spinnerbait

On 5/22/2017 at 10:34 AM, scaleface said:

The H&H spinner was my favorite spinner for rivers .

It's crazy how good they are for like 2$, the frog like hooks pin them so well. I still use them

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/22/2017 at 10:44 PM, TheMississippiOutdoorsman said:

It's crazy how good they are for like 2$, the frog like hooks pin them so well. I still use them

Might get some, my spinnerbait selection consists of one 1/2 ounce booyah spinner

Lures'n'Liberty reply :

My story is a long one, started as a toddler with dad and or one of my grandfathers with a bobber and a worm catching whatever. After my grandfather passed, grandma and I took a week long trip to Erie when I was about 8 and she wanted to take me fishing. We chartered a boat and basically watched a guide fish all day and the coolest part was when he let me drive the boat. The next day, however, she wanted to really fish, so we rented a little Jon Boat. It was awesome, I was on the stick. We brought our Zebco 33's, the same poles my mom and cousins used when I was a little kid. Grandma also stopped at a bait shop and bought some Hula Poppers, which I later found out were the only lures she knew how to catch fish on. We slammed smallmouth all day. I still fished with Dad on his cabin cruiser with a bobber and a worm during the day and I really liked going out at night with some big bait in the water chasing flatheads but it was always kinda boring, not as much fun as throwing the lure with grandma and fighting those bass in. Dad took me to trout camp with the guys when I was 12 and things started changing, at 16 when I could drive, it was all trout or catfish. I tried bass in college but my baitcaster kept ticking me off and I never knew what lures to throw or when and never really got into it. Once or twice a year, between girls, I'd give it a go, I'd catch a few, birdsnest, and drink a lot of beer. I caught my PB (the monster 27 lb largemouth in the picture) when a buddy took me out after a bad breakup and I caught the bug but hated the reels. A few years ago, a friend with a youtube channel invited me out with my neighbor who owns the oldest established Daiwa Warranty Center in the USA. He sold me a goldcast when everything that I owned that was suitable for bass fishing failed and I mounted it to the custom rod I bought in college. I went back to basics and hit a few ponds with Grandma's old Hula Poppers and my spincast combo. The bug started biting back. Fished with buddy some more, watched more of his videos, started learning more and more within the past year, especially when another friend started inviting me out with him and I quit drinking. With the addition of bass to my fishing, I can stretch a day into a fishing marathon. I used to hit the pond at 4 or 5 PM and catch a dozen bluegill to take to the river before chasing flatheads all night. Now, I get up at the crack of dawn and hit the bass on the ponds and lakes until around 4 or 5PM...

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/23/2017 at 5:22 AM, Lures'n'Liberty said:

. I caught my PB (the monster 27 lb largemouth in the picture)

Did I read that right?

Lures'n'Liberty reply :

On 5/23/2017 at 6:26 AM, pondbassin101 said:

Did I read that right?

You did and if I tell the story 4 more times, it will be up to 28! Really, though, it was 16.2 and came out of a private pond that used to be a pay lake.

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/23/2017 at 7:47 AM, Lures'n'Liberty said:

You did and if I tell the story 4 more times, it will be up to 28! Really, though, it was 16.2 and came out of a private pond that used to be a pay lake.

New something wasn't right, current world record is 22lb. The fish gets bigger by 0.5 lb every time you tell it right?

UPSmallie reply :

Just saw this recently. I started fishing on my own probably at the age of about 13. Never had a dad, Grandpa, or friend to take me fishing so it all really just started at the local kid's trout pond. First time I ever fished, I showed up with a Walmart rod for $10 and didn't have a clue what I was doing. It was one of the happiest days of my life when my dad purchased that rod for me. Out of frustration of never knowing what to do, I quit fishing for some time. A year or two later and my Uncle downstate took my brother and I fishing for bluegill and crappie at a local lake. Hooked into at least a 2 lb bass that shook the hook, but the seed had been planted. From that point on I read and I mean READ everything I could get my hands on pertaining to fishing. 1970s books at the local library, fishing articles, snippets here and there, everything. A lot of things didn't necessarily translate to where I was fishing, but after a while things started to sink in. I showed up the following summer and slayed those stocked trout with nightcrawlers and corn. I learned how to use pliers, scissors, splitshot, things were looking up. All those hours of reading about fishing started paying off. It wasn't until my Junior year in high school until I caught a truly wild fish in the form of a Pink Salmon. Year after year I kept getting better and the fish kept coming. There's not a strong population of bass where I live, but every now and then I am blessed enough to catch one. I would say that today I am 100% of a different fisherman than I was 7 years ago. Being self-taught is hard because there is a steep learning curve, but if you are observant on the water, things will start clicking and fish will start biting. Fish On Everybody.

TheMississippiOutdoorsman reply :

On 5/23/2017 at 2:59 AM, pondbassin101 said:

Might get some, my spinnerbait selection consists of one 1/2 ounce booyah spinner

It wouldn't hurt to try em, they're cheap so if you break one off, it doesn't hurt near a bad as when i lose one of my 7$ war eagle spinnerbaits

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/23/2017 at 10:48 AM, UPSmallie said:

Just saw this recently. I started fishing on my own probably at the age of about 13. Never had a dad, Grandpa, or friend to take me fishing so it all really just started at the local kid's trout pond. First time I ever fished, I showed up with a Walmart rod for $10 and didn't have a clue what I was doing. It was one of the happiest days of my life when my dad purchased that rod for me. Out of frustration of never knowing what to do, I quit fishing for some time. A year or two later and my Uncle downstate took my brother and I fishing for bluegill and crappie at a local lake. Hooked into at least a 2 lb bass that shook the hook, but the seed had been planted. From that point on I read and I mean READ everything I could get my hands on pertaining to fishing. 1970s books at the local library, fishing articles, snippets here and there, everything. A lot of things didn't necessarily translate to where I was fishing, but after a while things started to sink in. I showed up the following summer and slayed those stocked trout with nightcrawlers and corn. I learned how to use pliers, scissors, splitshot, things were looking up. All those hours of reading about fishing started paying off. It wasn't until my Junior year in high school until I caught a truly wild fish in the form of a Pink Salmon. Year after year I kept getting better and the fish kept coming. There's not a strong population of bass where I live, but every now and then I am blessed enough to catch one. I would say that today I am 100% of a different fisherman than I was 7 years ago. Being self-taught is hard because there is a steep learning curve, but if you are observant on the water, things will start clicking and fish will start biting. Fish On Everybody.

I'm pretty much in the same situation, started fishing on my own and slowly picked up things from there . Thankfully there are resources like youtube and bassresource.com that have helped me tremendously in learning about bass fishing

stepchild reply :

My dad decided to bring me out one day when I was around 8 years old I imagine. It was on a small river known for its walleye numbers and we were going to try and get dinner. We paddled out in a canoe and made our way to bottleneck area, where there was a big eddie. My dad thought it would be a good place for some walleyes. He didn't know a heck of a whole lot about fishing and only went out a handful of times per year, but on that day, we stumbled on a whole school of smallmouth bass from 1.5 to 3lbs. that just turned my world upside down!

We didn't keep any of the fish, but from that moment on, I knew I wanted to go back there every day!!

Lures'n'Liberty reply :

On 5/23/2017 at 8:05 AM, pondbassin101 said:

New something wasn't right, current world record is 22lb. The fish gets bigger by 0.5 lb every time you tell it right?

It's a sliding scale and a joke between a couple of us who have all caught the same fish before the lake was drained . I didn't weigh it when I caught it, but a friend caught this fish a few weeks prior and put it on a scale. I still maintain that it was bigger when I caught it as it had more time to eat and I knew that it's last meal was about a pound, as when I caught it I was actually trying to catch the flatheads that eventually led to the draining of the lake and I had a pretty big panfish on as bait, so I figured it was 17.2. He told everyone that he caught a 17.2 lb fish (which he did, although it wasn't that weight at the time) and every time we told the stories together or to the same person at different times, it tended to grow by a pound. Once we got past believable sizes, it grew even faster.

pondbassin101 reply :

On 5/23/2017 at 10:58 PM, Lures'n'Liberty said:

It's a sliding scale and a joke between a couple of us who have all caught the same fish before the lake was drained

what happened to the bass?

Lures'n'Liberty reply :

On 5/24/2017 at 3:20 AM, pondbassin101 said:

what happened to the bass?

Bad things. Unfortunately someone (it's suspected that his someone was a person who was thrown off the property for being disrespectful) stocked the pond with monster flatheads and sauger. Most of the bass became food for the other fish and the old man who owned the property died with a broken heart over it's demise.

pondbassin101 reply :

So it went from a great bass fishery to a total disaster because someone had nothing better to do in life than ruin it?

LxVE Bassin reply :

I caught my first bass on a night crawler while fishing for bluegill when I was in the first grade. I was participating in fishing competition for the kids who's parents where members at the local VFW. I actually got the biggest fish award. Watching outdoor channels got me hooked on bass fishing after that. My first bass on an artificial lure was caught on a buzzbait that didn't even break the surface.

pondbassin101 reply :

Any more stories?

huffman1988 reply :

I started trout fishing when I was a kid and it just led to bass fishing. Almost everyone I work with now has a boat so it's pretty awesome. I would feel out of place if I didn't bass fish lol.

Jaderose reply :

On 5/22/2017 at 10:34 AM, scaleface said:

The H&H spinner was my favorite spinner for rivers .

H&H is STILL my favorite Spinner. Throw them all the time

pondbassin101 reply :

On 6/7/2017 at 2:02 PM, huffman1988 said:

I would feel out of place if I didn't bass fish lol.

Im the same way. I have absolutely no idea what I would do if I didn't fish

soflabasser reply :

On 5/8/2017 at 10:14 AM, pondbassin101 said:

How did you guys start bass fishing?

I caught my first bass on an old spinning reel and rod and jerkbait that I found in the garage. I'd gone catfishing a few times before but fishing really started when my friend told me about the t-rig and thats where it all really began.

Caught my first largemouth bass over 2 decades ago and my grandfather was the one who taught me the fundamentals of bass fishing.

davecon reply :

Since you're looking for more stories, here goes. Caught my first fish at age 4. Can vaguely remember it. Was with my grandfather fishing from shore where 2 small ponds were connected by a very small creek. Cane pole and worms. Bluegill.

When I was 6 went to a small pond of about 5 acres with my grandfather and father in an old wooden row boat. I picked up a Shakespeare push button rod on a 5.5 ft Wonder Rod and cast out a black plastic eel with red fins, 3 hooks, a spinner and beads attached to the front.

Somehow managed to catch a 6 pound bass. Can remember every detail about it - can still see the fish, the pond, boat, dad and grandfathers expressions, clothes we were wearing etc. and that was 60 years ago.

Today can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning but can remember all those minute details from so long ago.

Crazy isn't it ?

Needless to say I have been hooked ever since.

Only thing more important than fishing for the rest of my life has been my family.

Have had several life threatening surgeries over the years - the kind that you were not sure you were gonna live through it with some very tough recovery periods. I mean rough. One of the main things that I truly believe got me through that were prayers from family and friends and a burning desire to catch more fish !

I must be off my rocker but I am to a point in life where I'm happy with that. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

pondbassin101 reply :

On 6/9/2017 at 10:51 AM, davecon said:

One of the main things that I truly believe got me through that were prayers from family and friends and a burning desire to catch more fish !

Who wouldn't want to live to catch Florida Largies?

Troy85 reply :

I've fished inshore saltwater my entire life. A few times as a kid we would go bass fishing with some of my dads friends from his job, but that was it. It wasn't until about 3 years ago that I decided that wanted to give Bass fishing a serious try, 5 additional rods and 2 full tackle bags later, here I am. Then a year ago me and my brother discovered local tournaments. Bass fishing just has a special draw to it, that I don't get from salt water fishing. I still enjoy salt water fishing very much and still go quite often, but there is just something about bass fishing that keeps calling me back.

BuzzHudson19c reply :

My father had me fishing from the time I could hold a pole. We never used live bait. He didn't think it sporting and that kind of stuck with me to this day (unless I'm looking to eat some catfish). I still have the first tackle box and lure he bought me. It was a double-sided Plano and a Rapala original floater. When I got older I would fish everyday after school. Sometimes I could coax my friends to go, but to them it was something you did once in a while. Flash forward 20 years and its still the same.

pondbassin101 reply :

On 6/11/2017 at 2:30 AM, BuzzHudson19c said:

Sometimes I could coax my friends to go, but to them it was something you did once in a while.

At least you had friends that fished, I fish pretty much by myself.

Savage33 reply :

Always fished for bream and catfish growing up. I don't really remember my first bass, but I started targeting bass about 12 years ago. My dads boss owned 4 private ponds/lakes that he managed for bass. The first time I went there I was throwing a green and chrome Rat-L-Trap. I probably caught 100 fish that day. A couple weeks later I hooked into a giant and lost him at the bank. I had junk gear back then, losing that fish caused me to save up my allowance and buy a baitcaster. First trip with it, I caught a 6lb 7oz. And that's all she wrote.

I put out that fish on the wall, I was 14 at the time and promised I won't hang another one on the wall unless it's over 10. I've caught several over 8 and a couple over 9 since then. Just can't seem to get one over 10. Lol

BassThumb reply :

Biking two miles to the Mississippi River, chaining my bike to a tree, and wet-wading for smallmouth bass among a bunch of islands. It was great. Had the whole place to myself. I started in my early teens and did it almost every day.

whitwolf reply :

When I was young(maybe 4) me and my daddy would fish for supper. It's what drove him. He was a meat fisherman his entire life and thought it silly to release a fish back to be caught another day. I, like many others in the South, started fishing with a cane pole. We caught many bream, catfish, crappie, and an occasional bass. I simply liked to fish.

When I was seven or eight we lived so rural that It was just fine to ride our bikes to local ponds and the river to fish. We knew everyone on the road and they knew me/us. We caught a lot of Catfish to eat. It was a bonus to stop somewhere on the way home do get a drink of water or sweet tea but mainly cookies, from the few houses on the road. The oldtimers would always, and I mean always, take a few Catfish we offered as there was always many. It also taught me a good life lesson In that generosity was free. Those days are gone now but those memories will always be warm.

When I was 10 my daddy bought me a Mitchel 300 spinning reel and some off-brand rod. It was magic. I started to read anything I could get my hands on that was related to fishing. I still fished what I knew but there was the occasional want to throw something new and the first artificial for me was a small crankbait of unknown origin. It caught everything except a bass, oddly enough.

I fished, and fished, and fished. I caught several bass on red worms and it was exciting. Fast forward to when I went off to college. I still had the same reel, several baits,(they were there for show as most had never been fished) and a true love of fishing. As luck wold have it I became acquainted with two guys that would have a dramatic Impact on my learning to bass fish. They had a 16 foot Jonboat and after several times asking to go, they finally relented and let me join in a trip. The one thing they Insisted on before we launched was that we were going to be there all day and that If I complained even one time they would drop me off on the shore and I could walk home. This(fishing from a boat) was all new to me and I can safely say that while we only caught one fish that day(a 2 lb. white bass that I caught) I knew from that moment on I would bass fish. The next weekend we went to a small lake and I caught my first seven(7) largemouth on a Rabble Rouser Baby Ashley crankbait. It's a squarebill that was one of the 4 baits those gentleman had given me to start a "bass" box. I still have that bait and It hangs proudly with the other three baits they gave me in the tackle room.

These boys were unselfish and taught me all I needed to know about the basics of bass fishing for the next three years. If not for them the learning curve would have been much steeper. While I would have fished now and can never thank my daddy enough for getting me started those two boys we gracious enough to start me on a life long passion chasing those beautiful green fish.

Redial2416 reply :

The black and white house in the background is my childhood home. My father took me to the creek about three hundred yards behind the house when I was old enough to hold a pole. There we caught everything under the sun. I am almost 59 now living in a southern state and have started fishing again over the last five or so years with a focus on largemouth bass, but happy to catch anything that bites. My father in law loved to fish and gave us his 1970 vintage fiberglass boat with a 15 horse 2 cycle Evinrude engine about a year before he passed. My biggest regret is that we never got to go together. I can't help but think that every time we do catch he is watching and smiling, and when we miss and cuss or get snagged he is laughing.

A-Jay reply :

On 6/12/2017 at 12:43 AM, Redial2416 said:

The black and white house in the background is my childhood home. My father took me to the creek about three hundred yards behind the house when I was old enough to hold a pole. There we caught everything under the sun. I am almost 59 now living in a southern state and have started fishing again over the last five or so years with a focus on largemouth bass, but happy to catch anything that bites. My father in law loved to fish and gave us his 1970 vintage fiberglass boat with a 15 horse 2 cycle Evinrude engine about a year before he passed. My biggest regret is that we never got to go together. I can't help but think that every time we do catch he is watching and smiling, and when we miss and cuss or get snagged he is laughing.

Nice ~

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource

A-Jay

Jartbek reply :

I was really young my dad, and grandparents both took me fishing. Started on green sunfish, and bluegill with just a worm and bobber. When I got older I caught my first bass with three others on that day. I loved it. When I got into junior high we had a bad winter, majority of the fish in my grandparents on my mom's side pond died, a year later my other grandma started developing alzeimhers, and my dad left when I was younger so I stopped fishing .

This year my Grandfather on my mom side past away and I remember the good times I went fishing with him so I started fishing again. Yesterday I caught my tenth fish of the year and been enjoying it.

pondbassin101 reply :

On 6/11/2017 at 11:33 AM, Savage33 said:

. Just can't seem to get one over 10. Lol

Get in touch with BamaBass

pondbassin101 reply :

On 6/11/2017 at 8:19 PM, whitwolf said:

These boys were unselfish and taught me all I needed to know about the basics of bass fishing for the next three years. If not for them the learning curve would have been much steeper.

I can imagine how steep of a learning curve it would be if people didn't do research and went by trail and error.

On 6/11/2017 at 8:19 PM, whitwolf said:

These While I would have fished now and can never thank my daddy enough for getting me started those two boys we gracious enough to start me on a life long passion chasing those beautiful green fish.

I think for most of us fishing goes beyond just a hobby or something we do for fun, it's a passion and love that lasts for a lifetime.

LakeDaze reply :

My first memory of fishing was with my dad, fishing for trout in the sierras on a camping trip. I vividly remember using salmon eggs and actually seeing the trout in the river. My grandfather had property up in the local mountains and a few of his neighbors had ponds on their property. Fishing those ponds is when I fell in love with bass fishing. Every weekend I wanted to go visit grandpa so I could go fish. I had a favorite lure, my blue and Crome rattle trap, and it worked for me every time. Looking back I think most of the fish were no bigger than 2 pounds, but I remember one year there was an explosion of frogs at the ponds. My grandpa told me to go catch a frog and he'll make sure I catch the biggest fish in the lake. Rigged up a bobber, hooked the frog through the back leg and cast it out. I kept thinking I had a fish because the frog swimming was sinking the bobber, but my grandpa said to wait until it stays under water for 3 seconds before I set the hook, and set it hard. Well, it finally sank for 3 seconds, and I set the hook as hard as I could and I got a good one. It was probably only 4 pounds, but it was the biggest bass I had ever caught. I was hooked:). Every time I would go up from then on I asked if the frogs were back, but no luck. So, he taught me to catch bluegill and use them for live bait. Man, what great memories:)

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