whats your most memorable freshwater fishing trip?

[Mikey topaz]

So evreyones got them! Whats your most memorable fishing trip? Mine has to be my first trip to the salmon river. one day i asked jimmybait jim where is the closest place to go salmon fishing? Turned out was salmon river we realized it was like 4hrs away. we left on a friday night got up there all psyched in hopes to catch salmon lol well they were all dead it was january lol. so guy at fat nancy told us all thats in the river are browns and steelhead so we tried for them. not knowing squat started at altmar we had 8ft surf rods 8-17 lb test, about fifth cast i hooked into a 7 lb brown fought it and lost it in a tree stump, so the trip went on sat and sun,jimmy live bait caught a small brown maybe two lbs nice colors and my bro got a smaller brown so hr before we leave we said to each other lets try ellis cove at the bend near the parking lot ( the hole evreyone knows) i busted out my 9wt fly rod we fished for a hr there nothing jimmy live bait turns to me lets head for home told him few more casts,threw one a chartreuse estaz and whammmmm fish ran up ran down jumped outta the water once or twice, was nothing like i ever hooked in jersey at the time! Ended up landing it beautiful fish my first steelhead ever from that fish on i was hooked!! And til this day i always remember that moment fighting that fish and never returned with a spinning rod up there ( basically what also turned me onto fly fishing) whats yours guys???????

[Skunk City]

Guided backwater trip in Marco Island, Florida with my father and brother. We were landing Reds, Trout and Snapper all morning until the Guide took out his big boy rod, put a circle hook through a Snapper and tossed it out into the water with a balloon float. About 45 minutes later, the balloon disappeared. The guide picked up the rod, set the hook, and handed it off to me. About 10 minutes later, I had my first Bull Shark, a healthy 5ft long beast full of teeth.

Besides the lights out, non-stop fishing, the sights were absolutely amazing. Dolphins, Turtles, Manatees and Birds galore. Nothing like South Florida :D .

[Buschwacker]

Fishing in Canada with my Dad, Grandfather and Uncle ... fishing with my Great Gransfather and Uncles (prior to being married) ... best fishing trip(s) ... any with my wife and daughters!

[huntcountypussbuck]

The big one that got away at Round Valley. Back in the 80's early 90's I had a fish on for about 1 hour and half and never even got to see it. Chased it all around the res by the North Tower Point Fence area. Took a EXTRA large herring (like 6-8 inch long) that I had bought at Sabo's bait shop for a couple dollars each. Couldn't fish after that as the line on the rod\reel just bunched up and I had to pull up the line by hand. Gotta love the old Stren Clear Blue. I still have the 1/0 salt water hook and the memories of that day.

[jmurr711]

so many its hard the day i went 22-25 on carp was pretty epic. another time my father got inside intel on a special breeder trout stocking in our local creek in the fall it was not made public but we went and caught 12 rainbows & browns between 3-8lbs on 2lb test we broke off even more in philadelphia thats pretty cool.

[Ol Pedro]

In 1962 my Dad took us camping to Otay Lake in San Diego . We got settled in Friday night and had a hearty camp breakfast . Dad descided that we would hike across the dam and work our way down the rock riprap on the other side to fish the face of the dam . My Sister Terry , Dad , and I headed off on our big adventure . Getting across the dam was the easy part as there was no path to the water . We had to walk on the rock rubble down hill some one hundred feet to the shore below . Dad tied on a Lucky 13 , Terry had a bobber and some garden worms , and I had a big Daredevil red and white spoon . Dad had picked up a Compac spinning set up for me when he was in Japan on his last cruise . I put some 30 lb test mono that I had salvaged from the trash on it . I could only cast a few feet with it but I didn't know any better . I was in Heaven just casting that spoon . My Dad caught a Bass around 1 1/2 lbs right next to the dam and my Sister caught a couple of Sunfish . I just stood in the same spot on a big rock casting for hours . I managed to get the big Pike spoon 15 - 20 foot out and watched it flash as I reeled it in . As the Sun started to head toward the Mountains to our West it happened . The spoon disappeared in a big boil right next to the rock I was standing on . I lifted the fish in one reactionary heave onto the rock . It was a 3 lb Largemouth ! With that rope I had for line he never had a chance . Dad said that we had to go in five minutes or it would be dark and we had to climb . He had another fish on the next cast . It was a Bullhead around four pounds on a Lucky 13 no less . We strung it and started back up the rubble . We walked into camp out of the gathering darkness . We cleaned our catch and enjoyed eating fish the rest of the weekend . I didn't catch another keeper sized Bass until I was 10 or 11 . I miss my Dad . He was the only one in my Family that got it .

[Mikey topaz]

Guys those are some awsome stories!! Ol pedro and skunk AWSOME !!!!!!!

[Mikey topaz]

Hunt county. any idea what was the one that got away ??? Big laker?

[AndyS]

Watching my wife reel in her 18lb. brown trout at Round Valley.

2nd, was sitting in a boat with my dad and hooking him in the nose with my Mepps spinner.

2 trips I'll never forget.

[UglyStick]

Damn Andy, that's a big brown for NJ... care to share a pic of that fish?

[bassnbucks]

Lake Oneida, was fishing a 2 day tournament.Day 1 weighed about 10 lbs. for 5 fish.Day 2 we were moving from our first spot to another across the lake.We saw a few birds working and stopped.Smallies were feeding up top.We caught fish all day.I was using a zara spook and they beat the bait up to the point all the paint was gone. It didnt seem to matter to them.We ended up with just under 20 lbs for 5 fish.

[JimmyLivebait]

Well boys since mikey topaz and i have been best friends and fishing partners for almost 14 years now...pretty much every memorable moment has been shared with him...wow that didnt sound rigt...anyway....one of my favorites was trout fishing with mikeytopaz at KLG and he decided he was to utilize a tree to get to a hole..well he went to jump off the fallen tree and it wound up slingshotting mikey topaz head over heels in the opposite direction he intended for...i was in tears for an hour and still laugh as hard telling it...he stjll caught the hell out of the trout just like any other species he targets but just a little wetter. Any day out fishing with close friends is memorable i just forget a lot haha...and we are all blessed to have those funny,wet,even painfull selfhooked experiences with our friends and im thankful for every damn one of them

[Mikey topaz]

Lmao i remember that hah that sucked!!

[AndrewT]

Lake bomoseen, VT about 10-15 years ago. Between my dad, brother, and I, we caught about 70 largemouth in about a 4 hour span. ALL of the fish came off a slate pile about 100 yards long. All we did was drop power worms down about 20 ft, let it hit the bottom, feel the tap tap, and set the hook. It was stupid. The biggest was 5lbs + but most were 1.5lbs. It was one of those days all fisherman dream about.

[Duck or Bleed]

Salmon and Steel head fishing with Mikey Topaz and crew :D FISH ON!!!!:cool:

[JimmyLivebait]

You got that right duck or bleed!

[Lard Almighty]

The last time I fished Lake Fork in 2009. My dad and I had booked a guide, Rick, for four days of fishing. The first day a huge storm rolled through and cancelled any hope of fishing. Day 2 and 3 were both horrible, with cold temps, wind, and cloudless skies. I thought Day 4 would be our day as we were greeted with cloud cover and milder temps. It started out well with some nice bass, including a sweet 6-5, and my PB crappie. But as the day wore on, the weather got colder, the wind picked up, and the rain started.

By the afternoon my dad and I were both soaking wet, and the already modest fishing had taken a nosedive. Rick wanted to know if we wanted to head in early. I looked back at my dad on the pedestal seat, shivering and doing his best to keep the chill out. I could tell he was done. But I turned to Rick and said, “Let’s try one more spot.”

Rick motored us to a cove that was about as sheltered from the wind as we could find. As he dropped the trolling motor and I threw my first cast, it felt like something clicked. I don’t know whether it was knowing that this could be the last time I ever fish this lake, or that on any given cast I could hook the bass of a lifetime, or even if it was just to spite the lousy weather that ruined my dream fishing trip. I no longer felt the cold, or the wind, or the rain. I was on auto-pilot, focused solely on the reel, the lure, and where my next cast was going. Almost robotically, it was cast-reel, cast-reel, cast-reel. I have been in a zone before, but never had I been this focused, this entranced by the act of fishing.

WHAM!

My automated motions screeched to a halt as the rod doubled over. Muscle memory took over and I set the hook hard on a nice bass. After a strong fight, I brought a nice 4 pounder to my thumb. Rick smiled in approval. My dad snapped a photo as I held the fish up high and proud. I laid the fish back in the rain-buffeted lake and it swam off strong. I said to Rick, “Let’s keep going.”

We made our way further around the cove and I once again became lost in my actions. The howling winds, the hum of the trolling motor, the sizzling spatter of rain on the water; my ears were deaf to it all. My hands, cold and trembling less than an hour before, felt warm, steady, sure. Through my damp fingers I could feel the action of the lure. Every wobble, every shake, every bead clacking against the inside felt as though it was happening inside my hands.

And then I felt something different.

I reared back on the hook and felt the shaking head of another nice fish. I shouted in excitement as I pulled 4 more pounds of Lake Fork largemouth into the boat. Out, once again, came my dad’s camera. Cold, exhausted, and as happy as I had ever been, I triumphantly held my catch high. After the moment had been immortalized in pixels, I watched the bass swim off into the murky water. I stood up and looked at Rick, who could tell by my smile that I wanted to keep going. With icy rain dripping off the end of his nose, he gave me his one word answer:

“Uncle.”

The ride back to the dock was brutal. Running unprotected, at 40 miles per hour, through a driving rain, over white caps so tall that the steering column on Rick’s boat broke, is the most miserable experience I could ever wish on my worst enemy. Still, it seemed a fitting end as I believe Lake Fork and I came to an understanding that day. Just as the lake would not always give up its green jewels without a fight, neither would I be deterred by the lake’s best efforts to keep them from me.

I go fishing a lot. I catch a lot of fish. But that day on Lake Fork, in the cold, cold rain, was one of the few times where I felt like I truly knew what it meant to be a fisherman.

[basspilot]

Lard almighty - I hope you write a book regarding your fishing experiences because if its anything like your posts here ill be sure to purchase it.

All the posts on here are just awesome to read to see how many people truly share the passion/obsession I have with fishing.

My stories aren't as great as all of yours but I have shared a lot of great memories with by grandfather over the years. Well be going out a lot on greenwood this year to share many more. Fishing memories start with a rod and real in hand so get out their and fish!

[crewchief2]

Catching an 11 foot sailfish on my honeymoon in Acapulco, Mex.
And up until a few years ago, we had access to a farm with 13 ponds that were stocked in the 70's with bass, and never fished, Used to go down and stay the weekend, with my Dad, and my son, Catching 200 bass a day was common.

[RJHooker]

I have two:

Exploring a region of north Jersey I had never been to, I was looking for a lake and got lost. After about 3 hours, I happened upon a pond. Threw in my lures, and just landed bass after bass. Its been my favorite goto spot ever since.

The other was when my buddies were going to see Ozzfest at PNC bank arts center. I didnt have a ticket so I brought some fishing gear hoping to find a nearby estuary. After an hour of walking aimlessly through the dark back streets of homdel, I noticed the music getting louder. I blazed through a patch of woods, and down a small hill to find myself where all of the tour buses for the concert were. I met Rob zombie going into his tour bus. Then I walked past one old security guard with rod, and tackle box in hand, all while waving hello to him. Then proceeded into the pit right in front of the stage to catch ozzy's entire set.

So no fish on the second one, but a memorable fishing trip none the less!

[Mikey topaz]

I second basspilot, some really great stories guys! Very cool

[bulletbob]

I have had many, but as far as freshwater is concerned, it has to be the time I caught 26 walleyes, all keeper size while casting from the same rock in probably an hour or less. In the bright sunlight about 3-4 PM... Susquehanna River Owego NY, maybe 15 years ago... Simply unheard of with Walleyes. A massive school must have moved into the area I was casting, because it was non stop, a fish on every cast, on any lure I threw, in broad daylight.. I have had similar times with smallmouths and even Lake Trout a few times, but never before or since with walleyes/.. If I catch 3 in 2 or 3 hours, I am thrilled these days... bob

[lunkertaker]

This is almost too hard to post on as there are so many.

Lake Jordon NC went fishing with the wife, way before the kids and she hooks up with a real monster at 3 inches on a roostertail:eek: I proceed to land near dark 3 fish all > 10 lbs on top water baits...some great memories on this lake and almost more > 10 lb lmb than anywhere else...EXCEPT near my Dad's house in Tampa. Out of 4 small ponds there I have personally caught in excess of 30 10 lb bass over the years and many on the same day. In the summer these ponds are way down due to evaporation and are at 1/3 pool with the fish concentrated.

Man I could go on and on...Lake Folk outside Dallas, TX was mentioned...Also a Bass MECA and have had lots of great memorable trips there...

Just too many to mention and nice post.

[NJ219bands]

When I caught 25 carp last year then got flamed by a psycho on this web site.