First ever ...

[JUNGLE JIM 1]

My first fish caught was plastic while fishing in the bath tub when I was two. Mom would fill the tub, add some plastic fish and I would catch fish for hours. First real fish was a bass maybe 8-10" shortly after that. We were in a boat and dad hooked it and let me reel it in. First fish caught on my own was at Carondelet Park fishing with my older sister with cane poles. Between the two of us dad couldn't take off the little gills fast enough. We ran out of worms. That trip lit the fire and it's still blazing 65 years later.  

[jdmidwest]

My first trout was at Meramec State Park when I was 7 or 8.  Visiting family in St James, stopped in for a tour of the spring.  I grabbed one out of the hatchery run with my bare hands.  Fun times.

[snagged in outlet 3]

[ColdWaterFshr]

I think Roaring River was my first real fishing trip..  Not sure if that was my first fish catching experience or not.  Possibly my first fish ever caught was a bluegill at one of the lakes at Southern Hills subdivision in Springfield around 1976.  A small chunk of hot dog under a red and white plastic bobber.  This later led to many early morning expeditions at Lake Springfield, Fellows Lake, Lake McDaniel, Taneycomo, and Stockton lakes.  Zebco 202's progressed to 404's.  Then Daiwa ultralight spinning rod combo's.  Was really impressed with Shakespeare Ugly Stick and its unbreakableness . . . until I fished with a Fenwick graphic rod mated to a Browning Mitchell and later a Shimano Cardinal spinning reel.  Trout and crappie were the first obsessions.  Largemouth, smallmouth, and walleye all came later.  

[WestCentralFisher]

Though I don't remember my first fish, some important fishing firsts I do remember:

First smallmouth bass: Big Piney River, around age 10-12  It was on a float trip that also yielded my first few dozen smallmouth bass, after a number of failed attempts.

First Missouri trout: Maramec Spring, around the same age. I only caught one that day, but it was still a significant improvement from my first attempt, where I hooked only my own hand, but at least it was deeply enough to necessitate an ER visit.

First trout on a fly: Blue Spring Creek, around age 16-17. It was soon after getting my driver's license, and it was about as far afield as I was allowed to go. In retrospect, it's a terrible place to learn to fly fish, but I got plain lucky and caught one almost immediately 

First really big fish: a 12 pound channel cat in the pond near my parents house. I stalked it and missed strikes from it a number of times over a few months before finally closing the deal. He tasted mushy and gamey. This was also the first time I wished I'd released a big fish I caught. I'd learn that lesson, but slowly.

First really big trout: an honest to goodness 4 pound brown on the White River. I was maybe 14 or so. Even the bait-wielding, catch and keep focused guide gently suggested I release it. I didn't. It was the second fish I really wished I'd released, and after this one the idea finally started to take hold.

 

[Greasy B]

It’s funny that I still have the memory, there are whole decades that I’ve forgotten and some I don’t want to remember. It was on a clubhouse dock at Spatterdock Lake near Brickhouse slough in St Charles county. I don’t recall the exact fish but I do recall looking in the water and being fascinated that there were living creatures in there that I could see. The first time I caught something other than a Bluegill was at Memorial Park Cemetery. By the time I moved up to Wabash lake I was a fishing veteran. 

[Lancer09]

I don't remember much but the first fish I remember catching all on my own was a little channel cat on LOZ under a bobber and worm. I couldn't have been more than 4 at the time.

More memorable was first trout on the fly. It at a little size 16 red copper john on a swing. I had no idea what i was doing and had only owned a fly rod for a year. Up to that point I'd only caught bluegill on it so a trout at Roaring River felt like the pinnacle of fly fishing.