First Fish Ever!

[ness]

I was thinking about my first time fishing today, and thought I'd share the story. Like most of us, it was on a farm pond. But not just any farm pond...

My great great great grandfather Samuel arrived in Johnson County, KS around 1868 and started an 80 acre farm.  That farm stayed in the family through at least WWII, but then was sold. My uncle repurchased the farm in the 1960s and that's where I fished for the first time. I don't remember a lot about that trip or the fish,  but I'm sure it was a little bluegill that I caught. We stayed there a few times, and us kids really loved it. Mom not so much. Here's a Google Earth of the farm and pond today:

That square white building is the barn we all played in,  and that was a ton of fun for us city kids. My uncle kept the farm for several years, but it was eventually sold. At some point the old farmhouse burned and now it's a hodgepodge of metal buildings. But the barn looks the same, except for having a little tilt to it.

SO...what's the story on YOUR first fish?

 

[Quillback]

I can't tell you which one was my first.  I do have memories of fishing or being with my dad or grandad.

My dad got out of the navy, went to school at Wichita State, and worked nights at the post office.  He'd fish every once in a while, no boat, so local rivers and streams.  He'd drag me along, I wanted to go and mom was probably happy to see us both out of the house to give her some peace and quiet.

Once he was fishing the Arkansas river with me in tow.  I wasn't fishing, but was there with him.  The Arkansas was low at the time, lots of braids with some pools and generally a sandy river bottom and banks.  I remember he was fishing a pool on a side channel that had a steep bank on the other side.  That steep bank had some small holes in it.  All of a sudden out of one those holes a snake shot out like an arrow right at us.  I was maybe 4 years old at the time and that snake looked pretty big to me.  I took off running and so did my dad.  That's about all I remember, but I'll never forget it.

I have never seen a snake do that again to this day.

[Terrierman]

I fished vicariously through Field and Stream/Outdoor Life as soon as I could read.  Asked for and got a spincast outfit for Christmas when I was nine.  Rode my bike down to a little creek on the edge of town.  Caught two bullheads.  Took them back home and my grandmother helped me clean them and cooked them for my lunch.  I don't think I have a sweeter fishing memory - and after searching the memory banks I'm sure.  Thanks for a good topic Mr. Ness.

[ness]

1 hour ago, Terrierman said:

I fished vicariously through Field and Stream/Outdoor Life as soon as I could read.  Asked for and got a spincast outfit for Christmas when I was nine.  Rode my bike down to a little creek on the edge of town.  Caught two bullheads.  Took them back home and my grandmother helped me clean them and cooked them for my lunch.  I don't think I have a sweeter fishing memory - and after searching the memory banks I'm sure.  Thanks for a good topic Mr. Ness.

Great story. Go grandma!

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

I don't remember the first fish I landed and touched.   I do remember the first fish I was supposed to catch.   My brothers took over the fight.   It was on my Zebco 202 combo in Boathouse Lake at Carondalet Park in St Louis City.   I baited it with corn, casted it, and failed to pay attention.   A guy that was older than us saw the take, and frustratingly alerted us.   I started to reel it in, my brothers forced their way to take over.   I may have been 8 or 9.   It was a common carp.   We took it home. That's about 45 minutes to an hour walk through the city.   Then our parents wanted nothing to do with it. LOL.   We were told to cook it on the barbecue pit.   3 boys who probably never started a (controlled) fire at this point.   We (they) butchered that fish.   Still had random scales and bones when it was placed over the fire.  I cant remember the taste. But the texture was not for me.  LOL.   

I've had carp since, and it was good.   

[ness]

1 hour ago, Daryk Campbell Sr said:

I don't remember the first fish I landed and touched.   I do remember the first fish I was supposed to catch.   My brothers took over the fight.   It was on my Zebco 202 combo in Boathouse Lake at Carondalet Park in St Louis City.   I baited it with corn, casted it, and failed to pay attention.   A guy that was older than us saw the take, and frustratingly alerted us.   I started to reel it in, my brothers forced their way to take over.   I may have been 8 or 9.   It was a common carp.   We took it home. That's about 45 minutes to an hour walk through the city.   Then our parents wanted nothing to do with it. LOL.   We were told to cook it on the barbecue pit.   3 boys who probably never started a (controlled) fire at this point.   We (they) butchered that fish.   Still had random scales and bones when it was placed over the fire.  I cant remember the taste. But the texture was not for me.  LOL.   

I've had carp since, and it was good.   

Three kids carrying a carp through town had to be a sight to see!

[ollie]

Like many, I can't remember my first one caught, but being with family when it happened. My dad was always buying the Fishing Facts magazine, so he was hooked and sold on nightcrawlers. I can vividly remember by uncle fishing with us though and he always out caught my dad and us. He always fished artificial lures. As a kid I couldn't understand why we didn't fish that way until I got older. Found out it was much cheaper to keep us kids fishing with worms than losing lures since we didn't really know what we were doing. That and I can remember being dragged out of bed around 5 in the morning to go fishing on the weekends. And if we hadn't caught our limit by noon, we were still out there till dark. As a kid I thought that sucked since I could see other kids out there water skiing and playing the water. We were just hot, miserable and not catching anything! It wasn't until I got older did I really get into fishing like I am now.

[WestCentralFisher]

I have been fishing or going along on trips since I was 3, so my memory is pretty foggy. I remember a few fish I caught that would have to be quite close to the beginning, but it's unclear which is actually the first. 

I can tell you the exact moment I got hopelessly hooked on fishing. It wasn't even a fish I caught. My brother had been watching a fishing show, and told my dad that the weeds along the bank are where the pike lived. My dad said that this was a trout lake, and he'd do better casting out deeper past the drop-off. My brother cast his spinner along the weedline anyway and caught what was probably a tiny pike, but looked huge to us.

Something about the big scary teeth and the fish not being where the Grown Ups said they would be captured my imagination. The sense of mystery that moment left me with has stayed with me more or less ever since. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

My first was in the womb when my mom’s water broke. Still prefer river fishing today 😆

[Flysmallie]

I have no recollection of a first fish. I was taken on camping trips as a baby. My dad started pulling me around farm ponds in a float tube when I was 6 or 7. I know when I turned 8 he would unhook me from my leash at times and let me figure it out on my own.