# Who got you into fishing?



## huntducksordietrying (Sep 21, 2007)

I don't know if this has already been a topic but if it has I couldn't find it. 

My Grandfather is the one who got me into fishing. This time of year always gets me thinking about him and all of our fishing trips to Southern Idaho. 

As a kid I never appreciated all the time and money he would put into taking me out. If the weather was nice on most Saturday mornings he would call me at 05:00 and tell me to get ready to go and then he'd show up with my Great Grandfather (his dad) and we would head up to Twin Lakes, Glendale, Fosters, Johnsons, Treasurton, or Winder reservoirs. We would stop at the "Y" at the North end of Preston and get drinks and bait and if I couldn't afford it he would buy my day fishing license for me. Caught a lot of fish from his old green tri-hull. 

Now both he and my Great Grandfather are gone and I think of those days and the good times we had. Priceless memories of a time I can never visit again. A lot of times though when I look over at my son and see him reeling in a fish with his tongue hanging out of he's mouth like Michael Jordan doing a dunk, I wonder if the happiness I feel is the same reason why my Grandfather put so much effort into taking me out. I guess all I know is that I'm sure glad he did. 

Let's hear your stories!


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

My family has always been into fishing. As far back as I know of, my forefathers were fishing in Utah. My maternal grandfather is the one who got me into fly-fishing, fly-tying, and all that goes with it. I still use his old Herter's vise to tie flies. I even have feathers that he used when he was a teenager. I haven't spent much time fishing with him. He's a different kind of guy. Doesn't fish much anymore.

On my father's side is where most of my fishing background comes from. I remember all the trips down to Richfield to stay with him and go out in his boat to Otter Creek and Fishlake. Lots of good times there. Whenever you would fall asleep on the boat with your fishing pole in-hand, he would wake you up by tugging on your line to make you think you had a fish. He was always a joker that way. 

Most of my fishing has been done with my dad though. We go out as often as we can. Most of the time I am the one dragging him out of bed to go! He's the kind of guy that can't leave work well-enough alone for a Saturday to get out on his own, so I have to plan most trips, but he willingly goes, and never regrets spending time on the lake or stream. I look at the times we had with my grandpa (his dad) and want to be sure when he passes on that I don't look back wishing we had gone more often. Truth be told, I'm more of a ******* than just about anyone in my family has ever been, so when I have kids, you can bet we'll be out there most weekends wetting a line.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Grew up on the docks of Lake Eire- didn't have a choice


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

Good question...as I reflect back on my life my answer to this question is me, myself, and I. No adult figure encouraged my fish'n in my younger years. Grandparents raised me and we would go to Canada and then Grandpa would fish. But fish'n back on the Chain-O-Lakes in Northern Illinois it was me doing the fish'n and teaching myself the do's and don'ts. :wink: :wink:


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## Leaky (Sep 11, 2007)

Boy, talking about memories, very fond and funny too. It goes back a ways, a lot further than most since I'm older than dirt.  When I write this, maybe I should keep it somewhere for my kids, for "memories of their old man". Now I'm getting mushy, sorry.  
Anyway,it goes back to about 1941, earlier or later, but not much. Grandpa, an old German immigrant, about 80 years old?, took me fishing to Sloan's Lake in Denver. Lot less homes/development and stuff then. I think, looking back on it he did it to get out of the house away from his sharp mouthed, critical wife that was always chewing him out (in German) for not doing what she thought he should be doing around the property, making the wrong play in cards, etc. She was also German and very tough minded and always won at "66" an old German card game. This is when I learned all my German cuss words. 
Anyway, he'd mix some bread and cotton dough balls for carp and on separate occasions he'd bring some live minnows to fish for crappie. Which ever, I was always puzzled why he didn't pay much attention to what his line/bobber was doing. I can still remember yelling at Grandpa, "your bobber went under" and his very very slow reflex did nothing. Now, in reflection, he just was happy to be away and did not much care about catching anything.    I really don't remember what happened to the carp and crappie we caught but I have my suspicions. I do remember a few, very few, fish dinners. She had a lot of roses to feed.   
For whatever reason ( both of my parents were not interested in fishing at that time) I just kept on doing it a bit more and a bit more until I was hooked in later life.


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## mjschijf (Oct 1, 2007)

My dad got me into fishing. He took me out a few times a year when I was a little kid. I was never really THAT into it back then, but I definitely enjoyed it when he took me out. I remember catching my first "nice" bass from Mathis Park Pond in St. George (which no longer exists) when I was about 6 or 7 years old. From that same pond, I was using a topwater bass lure one day and caught a HUGE bluegill. I think to this day, it's still the biggest bluegill I have caught. I also remember a day at Quail Creek where I caught 13 bluegill. I was thrilled to catch so many in one day. Come to think of it, I'm not sure if I've caught 13 fish in one day since! :lol: 

I also remember catching quite a few good-sized bass out of a golf course pond near my old house in St. George. I caught my first bullhead from that same pond too. 

I have other memories of catching trout at Pine Valley Reservoir, Duck Creek, Quail Creek and other community ponds in St. George. 

Then when I was in my early to mid teens, I hardly fished at all. I guess I just thought I had better things to do. I played tennis pretty competitively all throughout high school and just got caught up with that more than anything else. 

I'm not really sure what gave me the desire to start fishing again, but about 3 years ago, it started to become an obsession and has been ever since! Not to take anything away from my dad because he is the one that got me into fishing, but I have learned more from online forums than anything else (especially UWN and the old DWR site).


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## Pez Gallo (Dec 27, 2007)

Caught my first silver salmon when I was 7 on a beat up trout rod and some nasty salmon eggs my dad gave me. I distinctly remember that no one else caught jack that day, and when I hooked up, my dad wanted to help get the fish in. I refused the help and landed the fish. I spent the rest of my childhood/teen years chasing salmon, steelhead and sturgeon.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Why the sawsmans ole' man of course :wink: . As soon as I was old enough to walk he had me out, teaching me, showing me how to tie different types of knots and such. I soaked it all up like a sponge. He's told me I would sit in the boat all day long and never complain, just sit there watching my pole, waiting for the fish to bite. I was too young to remember that. He taught me how to fly fish when I was around seven... Ever see the movie "A River Runs Through It" ? Kinda reminds me of how my brother and I grew up.

Most of my early years were spent fishing with Dad at Scofield, Fish Lake, Strawberry and the Boulder. Lot's of good memories at those places.

Thanks Dad!


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

My family has always fished but after i was old enough to realize they didn't do it enough, i took it upon myself. I was self taught for a long period of time but after i started meeting other anglers and learning new tricks i began to become obsessed thus leading me to where i am now. My 7 year old son is a better fisherman than my dad. That might sound harsh but it is the honest truth. He has caught more species of fish than my dad ever has. I just wish my parents would have been more involved like i am with my kids when it comes to fishing. 
The only thing i hope for is that my son passes it on to his and so forth. Life without fishing is not worth living IMHO.
Also, a special thanks to everyone on this site and elsewhere that have taught me priceless lessons and techniques over the years. You can only learn so much on your own.


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## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

I remember going fishing down on the river a few times with my Uncle. Fishing with yellow jig looking things with catfish stink bait on them and catching some catfish. I loved it he took me a couple times and said I think your ready for carp. So well we put a worm on and a while later a big carp hit and jumped out of the water and I missed the hook set. I ended up getting my dad to take me and I caught my first carp. I'm glad my uncle got me going because my dad just has a passion for big mule deer and nothing else it seems.


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## hunter_orange13 (Oct 11, 2008)

My mom actually, how cool is that? She use to take me fishing, but now as i'm getting older and older, i'm taking her more and more often ahah. I remember we went to wally world and bought some poles. we fished forever together when i was around 10. SHe taught me how to put worms on, tie knots, clean the fish and even cook them. I wasn't very old (still not) but i've been addicted ever since. And now i'm trying to get into fly tying and fly fishing. Good days.


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

My dad got me into it, but it looks like McIff and Herbert might get me out of it!


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## orvis1 (Sep 7, 2007)

My dad he was a worm dunker I think I wanted to fly fish on my own. I saved my money and bought my first $30 dollar south bend combo in my early teens. In my dads later years he got into trolling and it rubbed off on me. Out of a family of 4 boys I am the only one it has stuck with though.


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

My dad & my grandpa got me into it. I have been fishing & hunting as long as I can remember. My dad has pics of me when I was 1 & 2 years old holding fish. He said I caught them myself, but not sure if I believe that :lol: 

I can remember as a kid, as far back as I can remember going on spurt of the moment fishing trips with my grandpa, It wasnt anything planned, More like a be ready in 10 mins & we were off. I can remember especially during my summers off from school, Me & my gramps would take his old chev truck with a shell, we would go to Yellowstone (or anywhere really) for weeks straight just sleeping in the back of the truck, Come back for a day or 2 for my parents to know I was ok, then we would be gone somewhere else again. Miss that old guy.


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## kochanut (Jan 10, 2010)

STEVO said:


> My dad.


same

Stevo check your email about the trip


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

My Dad would be my introduction into fishing.
Back in those days, worms or salmon eggs was what everyone was using to catch trout.
So this was the method that I was taught.
Later in life, I became captivated by fly fishing.
This I learned the hard way. On my own.
No regrets though. I love it!


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Like many of you, it was my dad. He was an ardent and quite skilled angler that had me fishing when I was 3 yrs old. I have fond memories of these trips. (Some of the things we did we wisely didn't share with mom) Before I was 8-9 yrs old, I became hooked and was pestering dad to take me fishing every weekend. He happily obliged and the memories of the times spent during these trips will last my lifetime.

I have tried to do the same for my girls, and they love to go, but they aren't as fanatical as I was as a kid to fish hard for hours on end. -Ov- Maybe my 18 month old son will be more like the old man. :wink:


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## Wilford (Mar 31, 2009)

No one "got me into it." I had just listened to enough talk I thought it would be fun. I talked my dad into taking me the first time. I was hooked. I was also only about six years old. My aunt and uncle had a farm with a creek running through it that was relativley safe for a youngster to fish by himself. I spent hours on that stream and it was the only place I fished until I became a scout. At that time our leaders took us to Strawberry and to the Grand Daddy lakes. When I got a driver's license I was truly liberated and went many places to fish. If there is a better sport, I haven't figured it out yet.


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## scottie985 (Jan 4, 2010)

Just something the family always did. Pics go back much farther then my memory does.


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## bugchuker (Dec 3, 2007)

My grandpa got me into fishing. Actually I think I have always been into it, he just fed the addiction. In the winter we would sit on his bed for hours and look at outdoor mags and talk about all the fish he had caught, come spring we would hit the lake or canal and fish from sun up to sun down. I thought he knew more about fishing than anyone, He would sit on the bank of the canal, fly rod in hand and smoke his pipe. He used his fly rod like a bait caster, usually with a worm or garlic cheese on the hook. Catfish was his specialty, he caught one close to twenty pounds on his old Eagle Claw glass rod out of Decker Lake. He always wanted to go to Strawberry, I told him "as soon as I get my license and a car, we'll go" He died a couple months after I got my car and we never got a chance to go. So Decker Lake was his haunt, that nasty old mud hole reminds me of him every time I drive past it.


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## Bhilly81 (Oct 18, 2009)

well it was me that got me into fishing my dad took us at random times but the salmon eggs he always had never worked his dad was never really into fishing (he was into the wwf) so my dad didnt know anything about fishing i learned different tricks through the scouts i caught my first fish at a scout camp when i was 14 on a red and white #2 mepps and a boyfriend my sister was dating then it just blossomed from there i went to wal mart and got my first fly pole "kit" when i was about 17 and played for hours with that in the backyard and up on the lake a bit but it never really stuck at first then i started to get into it more as i got married and had a kid i couldnt really go fish the rivers as i wanted to so the fly rod sat for about 3 years then last summer i pulled it out again and started to get more serious with it its great to create the memories that i have with my boy fishing now and its really good to get my dad out as well we have taught him to fish as we have learned over the years it really funny though you have to watch dads pole for him he will pull out his game boy or a book and just zone out one day it took 4 minuets to get him to understand he had a fish on and this year i got him out on the ice for the first time in his life and he really enjoyed it


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