Who Influenced Or Taught You To Fish? Here's One Of Mine! Video

[ness]

Tom Skerrit, Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt.

Seriously...dad wasn't much of a fisherman, but loved to hunt, so we didn't fish much as kids. Drowned a few worms here and there. I got married 25 years ago, and my wife's family all fished. I took it up and her uncle Roger became my fishing mentor and also a great friend. He had a fish & ski, and we'd fish the local reservoirs for crappie, bass, smallies and walleye.

Before I had my own babies I had a nephew, who didn't have a dad, and I took him out all the time to fish. So, really those were the ones that influenced me -- one as a mentor, another as an enthusiastic student.

I started reading up on flyfishing at some point, and it really sounded like something I wanted to do. Sorta dove into it head first, and have really been my main thing for many moons.

[exiledguide]

My Dad and his fishin' buddies who let me tag along a lot more than I would have. But the biggest influence was Gadabout Gaddis "The Flying Fisherman". He had learned to fly in the Army Air Core at the very end of WW1 and had a TV show where he flew his own plane around the eastern half of the USA on his syndicated TV show and I can still see the one were he flew to Minnesota landed on water took out his Fly Rod and started catching Smallmouth Bass and I was hooked...........About 15 years later I walked into Hog Creek just south of Houston, Mo and just down the hill from my brothers home cast a 1/16 oz. black Bass Buster crappie jig and on the very first cast I hooked a legal Smallmouth Bass I was hooked again and never got away. I have enjoyed fishing throughout the Midwest from Arkansas to NW Ontario and standing in an Ozark stream is still my favorite fishing.

[fishinwrench]

Dad was only a part time fisherman but a full time quail hunter, he lived bird hunting all year round and knew the names of every pointing dog in ours, and surrounding counties. His dad, my papaw, was the "real fisherman" of the family and HE knew the names of every bend of every creek/river north of I-70. There were only 2 flyfishermen in our area and as far as I know he was the first. I don't know who influenced him but waist high stacks of F&S and SA served as end tables in my grandparents house so he prolly picked it up from Zane and Tap.

He fished "the seasons", starting the Spring off chasing flatheads, then buggin' for bass, then limb lines for channel cat during Summer with a few trips West for trout thrown in right about the time school was starting (was pissed that I never got to go on one of those). Then in the Fall it was back to bass buggin'.

The flyrods never got a break during the catfishing spells since their job at those times were to keep the lines baited after he had bought every XL goldfish from every baitshop within driving distance.

I'll probably get some hate mail after revealing this: but I have yet to see the numbers of 15+ Smallmouth in the "Ozarks" than what was common in the Salt river tribs. Before I moved down here I expected the SM fishing to be AMAZING because of what I had read about "Ozark streams", but aside from the scenery and the coloration in the fish I still remain a bit unimpressed. Those ol'muddy creeks up north grow some brute smallies. You just have to concentrate on the stretches that "remind you" of Ozark streams and ignore the long stretches of mud/clay banks.

[Feathers and Fins]

My grandfather was the prime influence followed by my father and uncles. As I matured and was able to get out more I made contacts in the Southern California Sport fishing Fleets and learned from some of the best Captains in inshore and long range fishing. When I moved to Florida I was able through contacts to meet some of the Captains down there and learn from them and share what I knew by then with them.

What I have learned most about fishing is you give back more than you take. That is to say as you progress in knowledge you should share your knowledge with others. You learn from everyone you meet and should share with everyone you meet.

[oneshot]

We started with 12 foot Cane Poles caught plenty of fish with them along the Missouri River.Remember having them tied to the side of '55 Chevy Station Wagon.

oneshot

[Wayne SW/MO]

My dad loved to fish, but WWII put a crimp in his fishing with trying to get back into providing a future for his family. I pretty much taught myself through Fish and Game, Outdoor Life , etc, In a small town creeks and rivers along with some farm ponds offered lots of class room.

I actually probably got a better start in terms of diversity because of this. I got a good look at many different forms.

[Al Agnew]

My dad was a reservoir bass angler by the time I got big enough to go with him, but he taught me a great deal about bass fishing early on. He also probably turned me against religion, since the only day he could go fishing was Sunday. If he didn't go, my sainted aunt would come to the house and drag me out of bed to go to Sunday school. I spent a lot of time lying in bed about 5 AM on Sunday mornings praying...praying the Dad would come in and shake me and say, "let's go fishing!"

Dad had fished the local streams a lot in his younger days, and told me stories about smallmouth fishing, but it was my grandpa that actually took me on a creek where I caught my first smallmouth. He was a crappie fisherman, and would go to creeks to trap his crappie minnows. I'd tag along, and one day we were at a low water bridge with water running through box culverts under the bridge. I saw these fish just hanging at the upstream edge of the box culverts, and pointed them out to Grandpa, and he said they were smallmouths. I was excited, having heard Dad talk about smallmouths, and I wanted to catch one of those fish, so Grandpa dug out a rod he always carried in his old car, put on a hook, and told me to go catch a couple of crawdads. I did, and he proceeded to hook one of them and told me to let out line and let it drift under the bridge. That resulted in my first smallmouth, all of ten inches, and I was so excited I forgot to reel and went running across the bridge dragging the poor thing up and onto the concrete. I think I was about eight years old at that point, and I'd already caught 6 pound largemouth fishing with Dad, but I was as excited about that beautiful little smallie as I'd been to catch a big largemouth.

After that, I kept pestering Dad to take me fishing on Big River, and finally he relented and we did a float trip in his 16 ft. aluminum johnboat that he used for reservoir fishing. I didn't realize it at the time, but getting that boat into and out of the river where we did, and paddling it down the river, was probably the most work he ever did while fishing, but we caught a few smallmouth and I was hooked on floating. From then on, it was learn as you go, reading everything I could about smallmouth. I had a best friend who was almost as avid as I was, and we taught each other by trial and error, with lots of errors. By the time I was about 12 or 13 years old Dad bought me a 12 ft. jonboat to float the river, and Rick and I did it any time we could talk our parents into putting us in and taking us out. I bought my first canoe the year I graduated from high school, and although I was still a reservoir bass fisherman with a tricked out 14 ft. jonboat with a 10 HP motor and trolling motor, and was into tournament fishing, the canoe still got more use that the jonboat.

I had a couple of other friends whose dads were avid smallmouth anglers, and I learned quite a bit from them relaying it from their fathers. And I got to know a couple of old timers who were willing to show me a few things. But mainly it was just going every chance I had, often by myself (even when I was only 12 or so years old).

[Bird Watcher]

This guy. He used to take me starting when I was 6 months old and put me in one of those back pack baby hauler things while he wade fished and frogged farm ponds. Moving on and getting older, I had a pallet of blankets under the steering console and used to take naps in the dry storage under the front deck to get out of the sun and rain. If I was to do the same with my daughter these days, they would probably take her away from me for child endangerment, lol. I loved every minute of it though. You couldn't drag me off the boat with a tractor and logging chain. It's all I knew. I can't even begin to count the hours we've spent together in pursuit of critters on land, water, and air. Truly the best friend I've had in my life and thankful for every minute I've had with him. Now days, I think I more take him instead of him taking me, but the older I get the more aware I am of how lucky I am to be able to do it. Thanks Dad.

[fishinwrench]

Some really cool accountings here.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall when someone asks my kids the same question in the future. I stopped trying to "teach" the day I realized that my barking instructions was making my oldest daughter nervous. From that point on I just bit my tongue and let her figure it out on her own. She's 18 now and I'd put her up against any 20y/o boy around here

I hope she keeps fishing long after I'm gone.

[LittleRedFisherman]

Good stuff guys! It's interesting to hear the different accounts. Alot of Dad and Granddad's it sounds like played big roles, as it should be!! My dad got me started fishing for sure, he took me a lot dipping worms in ditches and ponds around here. The bass fishing part of has evolved over the years, and still evolving. If you told me 5 years ago I'd be fishing out of a kayak, i'd said you were crazy.....