Thread: Who or what started you fishing? What keeps you fishing?

My love for fishing began with my Dad. I can think back to countless trips with him from bank fishing in a farm pond catching bass and bream to deep sea catching grouper and snapper. Growing up crappie fishing was always done for us in the spring under a cork with a minnow teasing the bite. That was and still is our favorite fresh water fish to catch.

As I’ve grown in the sport of fishing my love specifically for UL fishing has taken forefront in my favorite way to fish. From chasing crappie year round to walking creeks in the warmer months there is nothing better in my opinion then the fight and the wide variety of fish you will catch with the UL gear specific.

What keeps me fishing is the love/thrill of the catch. So long as the good Lord blesses me with good health I will continue to go when I can.


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It’s all I have ever known my entire 67 years. All my kinfolk were fisherfolk’s, freshwater and in the salt. I fish to be in nature and for the thrill whether with other folks or by myself.
I’ve caught many different species of fish over the years but there are still a few I would like to go after. But I have to say my favorite is that tap or seeing that cork bobble or “float”.

Dad & mom took us kids some when they could. Moms parents lived in Illinois so we’d go there every summer on vacation & I usually got to stay most of the summer with Granny & Grandpaw. He’d take me fishing at the ffa lakes almost every evening then go to the hen house restaurant for coffee before going home. Man I still miss him every day. Later a neighbor who him & his wife ended up being like a second set of parents to most of us kids around home started taking me fishing at Lake Cumberland all the time & the rest is history. He also started me coon hunting & deer hunting. Needless to say I hunted & fished more than most grownups around home let alone the kids. Lol

My folks have pictures of me fishing with a fishing pole when in diapers, knee high to a grasshopper you could say. Been having fun ever since.

It's what i do with dad now that he's older too. We go fish. Don't have to get up early or walk thru the woods in the dark, just get up and go to the boat ramp, get him in the boat and we're off to the races.

Fishing is different things to different people and fishing, unlike many hobbies, continues to intrigue us year after year. We anglers are lucky to be able to appreciate that which many cannot. Regardless of who took us fishing for the first time or at what age, the challenge and adventure of catching fish, apart from the daily routine, is forever part of us and something to look forward to until we can't.

I was raised in an old cotton mill town on the Tallapoosa river. The area was poor in monetary values but rich in knowledge and community status. Most men were raised there and worked in the cotton mills. The first shift ended at 2:00 pm every day and as kids we waited for the men to get home and play dominoes and tell fish stories. I have fond memories of walking to the river and loading up on crappie and bluegill as a 5 yo. We would dig up wigglers in leaves and slop areas on back alleys. Raised up on cane poles and fly rods. I remember first time getting to go telephoning on the back water. Which is lake Martin now. One neighbor had a pickup , one had a jon boat and one had a 9.9 Johnson with a gas tank. It was a group effort when they fished no such thing as a complete truck boat combination in that village , things have changed a lot. It’s illegal to telephone now. Not sure about the early 70’s but seeing a 50 lb yellow cat roll up was exciting. I was hooked from an early age. I had to earn my keep to get to go telephoning by testing the equipment The old men made me hold the telephone wires while they cranked the old army phone laughing as I shook. Nodding that the telephone was working. Mom caught me testing the telephone at an early age and my telephoning days came to an erupt halt. But my love for fishing had been developed and the knowledge of earning my keep was instilled in the mill village. I operated a very lucrative HVAC business for many years allowing me to buy boats and build lake houses. I enjoyed many hrs and nights of fishing for crappie and catfish. Some of my fondest memories of fishing has been with my dad . Later on I hooked up with a local youngster who guides now. I’ll refer to him as the fish whisperer. His passion for fishing is legendary. Him and me have set on my pier never cranking the boat and landed 60 crappie 12-15” long off a deep water light I had on my pier. Good times I tell you. I’ve held a couple crappie camps at my lakehouses with CDC members. What a wealth of knowledge there is in the CDC community.

Thanks all for the great stories and sharing your memories. These have been some good rides.
Bob

My father & mother, as they were boating almost every weekend before I was born and for several years after.