The first big fish

[cd1]

I didn't grow up with anyone who fished.  I had to teach myself over the years, and it was a lot more failure than success.  This was back in the late 70's and early 80's.  There was no internet, and if you didn't know someone who knew how to do it, it wasn't easy to get started.

Along the way I found a few decent resources and my success got a little better.  Then I met a guy who was in the Military Bass Anglers club and he taught me a ton.  He used only soft plastics, Berkeley rubber worms, mainly 4 and 6 inch, all Texas rigged.  I'm sure he used a lot more presentations than that, but that's what he drilled into me as the foundation.  That's all we used, so that's what I had as my primary tactic.

Shortly after I started fishing with him I moved off to go to college. The main place I fished was a muddy creek that was an offshoot of a large Corps of Engineers flood control lake.  It was all bank fishing, unless some cover was too far away to hit with a cast, then it became wade fishing. 

One spring afternoon I was casting from the sandy bank in a bend of the creek.  There was a log on the opposite bank that stuck out in the water a little and formed a triangle of sorts.  There couldn't have been a square foot or two of water in the middle of the triangle, but I eventually got a cast in there.  As soon as I did that 4 inch worm got bumped. 

My heart rate shot up after I missed the strike, and that little spot of water became my entire world.  I was going to cast at that spot until I lost every worm I had, or until I got bit.

Over and over I'd try to hit the spot.  Eventually I got in there again and hooked a nice fish.  Easily the biggest I'd caught to that point in time.  It felt like the happiest day of my life, but I was alone. There was no one to share the excitement with.  I desperately wanted a picture of this fish, but I didn't own a camera.  I didn't even know anyone who owned one, and even if I did, cell phones didn't exist so I couldn't have summoned them. 

Ultimately I decided I'd put the fish on a stringer, drive into town, buy a disposable camera and return for the picture.  I was stoked the whole way back to town.  I was also praying that a critter wouldn't come by and make an easy meal of my prize catch.

I stopped at gas station on the edge of town and I bought the camera.  I ran into a buddy there and I told him why I was buying it.  He volunteered to come take the pic so I could be in it too. 

We drove the 7 miles back to the creek, then marched through the woods to the spot where I'd caught it.  The fish was still there!  So here it is, the first "big fish" I ever landed.  It's funny, that fish has been dead and gone for over 20 years, but she lives on forever in my mind and in the pictures.

Lets see yours.

Untitled by scarfam, on Flickr

[Smallie_Stalker]

Great story!  And nice catch too. 

[Cuervo Jones]

Dig the Ren and Stimpy shirt. Like you, I was largely self-taught in the '70s and '80s. Thanks for the memories!


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[cd1]

Dig the Ren and Stimpy shirt. Like you, I was largely self-taught in the '70s and '80s. Thanks for the memories!

. You have to be a certain age to remember Ren and Stimpy.

[Cuervo Jones]

Forgot about the last part. Here's my first "big bass."

Photo taken by my dad. May, 1988 in North Shields Pond, Fort Collins Colorado. Lure was a chartreuse Strike King willowleaf spinnerbait that I got in K-mart for a buck. Rod was a Shimano bullwhip rod from the same K-mart and cost $25. Reel is a Shimano bantam black mag from a pawn shop for $20. Still have the lure and rod and reel and was catching fish on the rod and reel yesterday!


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[cd1]

Cuervo, that is awesome!

[coldfront]

great fish!

[SteveTX]

Cool story 

[mygreenihc]

That is a cool story.  I would have felt the same as you,  but I would never have driven to get the camera and it would be lost to everyone but myself. 


Nice picture


Brad

[zippyduck]

Excellent story and nice fish!