How Did You Get Into Fishing?

[HBKFishing]

My father is not a big outdoors fan. When I was about 5 or 6 I wanted to go fishing becase the other neighborhood kids did. So, my mom made my dad get a rod and reel from Efingers and take me fishing. We went a couple of times. But I continued on my own. Pretty much teaching myself and getting tips from the old timers who fished the North Branch. I'm sure they are all gone now, but they showed me how to fish and tie knotts. Once I was a little older my mom bought me my first waders for trout fishing. When i worked for AT&T we had two personal days that we could split up into two hour increments. So, every Wednesday during trout season I would leave work at 2pm and get ready to fish the North Branch. I'd do to the South Branch on Tuesday. The Musconetcong on Sunday. Love the Musconetcong. Haven't fished in freshwater in about 4 years.

Saltwater is a different story. The old timers at Morrison's in Beach Haven used to teach me. As before, I am sure all of them are gone as is Morrison's. We would rent in Haven Beach on the bayside. I would fish and crab from the bulkhead on Colorado Avenue. I would go to M&M's Steambar and get fish heads for free. And get squid from Fisherman's Headquarters. All of my saltwater stuff is from there. Except for a couple of things. Fished on the White Star as kid. Its also gone. Most of my time back then as it is now has been on the Carolyn Ann. When I was a kid, we would have crabs with dinner every night. I had a big yellow basket and my dad would go to the beach and get sea weed to line it. We aslo had tongs to get the crabs out of the traps. It was so funny, my mom would be so amazed that we had all these crabs. Some of the larger snapper blues would be kept. The oyster crackers would be used for bait in the traps. My parents loved it there in Haven Beach. The bay and that bulk head were the baby sitters. My sisters and myself would spend all day there. When I was 21 I blew my knee out. Out of work for 4 months. My mom brought me to LBI and I went back to my youth. Morrison's. Cought some small blues and hooked a sea gull. Luckily some of the old times were around and helped me out. I was on crutches and could not do a thing about.

My Mom's Aunt Mae lived in Point Beach on the Bay Head border. So, we would spend some time there. Of course there was the treck to the wall to drop me off to go fishing. Small fluke. Nothing ever really to write home about. But I loved it.

With the job I have now, I work 3-11 and a lot of overtime. Sunday is normally the only day i do not work. And Monday in the summer. So, I go to Point Beach for the Sunday afternoon fluke trip. Then I discovered the Highlands again and I fished there on Monday's. Shorter driving trip for me. And this year I discovered the offshore sea bass trip. I am so hooked. Can't wait to do it again in December, January, February and March. I'll work the overtime to fund it but I want to go again.

I was on the very first Mi Jo trip back in 1987 or 1988. He was new and the mailroom crew chartered it and we had a blast.

I'm 42 and i have only won 3 pools in my life. One on the old Miss LBI. A fluke that was maybe 4 pounds. I won a wopping 26 bucks. Won a blue fish pool on the Miss Barnegat Light. There were 10 people and we were waiting for some folks from PA to show, they called the boat and said to the crew there were coming. Well, they showed up at about 830am and it was 27 Quakers. They do not gamble. The pool was 20. Two bluefish caught on the boat that day. One of the Quakers had a small blue and I caught a 8 pound blue to take all the loot. My third pool was on the Miss Norma K. It was a Monday fluke trip. I was on the Sunday trip and the pool was like over 120 or something. The guy who won did not leave Amanda one red cent. This was in 2006. The next day was Monday. I had a coupon so the trip only cost me like 10. And we all were talking about the guy who did not leave a tips and won that huge pool. I told Amanda that if I ever won a pool I would just want my Money back and give the rest to the mates. Well, I won the pool that day, it was like 60 or 70. Amanda said to me, remember waht you said............... I said, yea, can I have my 10 dollars please. I gave the rest to the mates plus the money I normally bring for a tip. The bottom line is I really could care less about the pool. I just love being on the ocean and meeting new people and hope to have a few fish in the box. But, you'd think with all the tons and tons of miles I have logged, I would have had more than 3 pools in my entire life......... HAHAHA

My favorite type of fishing is the inshore sea bass. I live for that. But now, the offshore bug has bitten me.

Except for the times at my Aunt's place we were on Long Beach Island. Vacations and long weekends. I'd go with my mom and she'd be at the beach and I'd go fishing. Been going to LBI all my life. Long Beach Island is God's country to me. I used to travel a lot for AT&T and I've seen a lot of this country. When asked what my favorite place is, my answer has been the same all my life. Long Beach Island, NJ. So many great fishing memories from there.

As i said, I havw been al over this great country of ours and met a lot of folks. I ahve to say this witha lot of pride. Some of the best people in the world I have met are on the boats. Either other patrons or the captains, the crews and so on. And of course the folks on this board. If you have a question or something is new to you, someone on the boat will assist you. The same goes for this board. I can speak first hand, the folks on here will go out of their way to give advise or assistance when someone is trying a different kind of fishing for the first time. That means a lot and shows a lot of charactor.

Been all over the map here but its after work for me and its very late. Thanks for reading.

[Sharkyispy]

HBK- you're lucky I guess. I'm 44 now and 20 some years of fishing on the ocean now I've won 1 pool and it was last year on a winter flounder trip!

[Kup]

I started fishing when I was 2. Uncle Frank (Pop's best friend at the time). Had a 15 hp outboard. They would rent a row boat from Sunset Beach in Cape May. I vaguely remember the crane on the beach pulling the row boats up and the cement ship. There was much more too it then.

From there it was fresh water in Royce's Brook in Hillsborough that ran through our property. Catfish, sunnys, crayfish, polywogs and even a decent size bass once. An occational trip on the Miss Jamaca.

My older brother got hold of a old 16' ply-wood boat with a 40 horse Scott-at-Water on it. He moved to Cape May and we would fish the Delaware Bay for tons of weak fish.

Other storries include renting row boats and fishing Sandy Hook Bay. Rowing out and standing a paddle up for a tow back to the dock.

[Salmo Trutta II]

It started 32 yrs ago, when my father said to my mother " now is the perfect time we have a Child, and that child will be made a trout fisherman, during those 9 months in the womb, i was making false casts and roll casts with my mini-2wt fly rod just waiting for the day when i can hurl nymphs into pocket water"

All seriousness, I come from a long Lineage of fisherman. My dad and grandfather used to take me and my meatheaded brother to our families lake in west milford, which is where I reside now. We used to use a Bobber and shiners purchased from franks tackle on the abundent largemouths that inhabit my lake.

Growing up in Parsippany (Before it got overrun) we used to fish the Rockaway river from the "Lawyers Pool" down to the Golf Course after St. Claires.

As I got older I became friends with people that lived in Mountain Lakes/Rainbow lakes area and we used to pound those lakes without regard for life or limb. Even caught a few stripers in one of the lakes (not Dropping Names)

Now,that I have a son on the way. I can do the same things that my dad and grandfather taught..its funny how things are passed down....

[ReelErIn]

I grew up in Clifton my dad fished and hunted with his uncle Frank who
moved to Hardwick Twp/Blairstown in 1929. From the day I could walk
I started to fish as I grew up I loved it more as each year went by.
In 1962 I took NJ Hunter in the baserment of a gun smith in Clifton still
have the passing card. I will never be the fisherman my Father was but I know he's looking down a saying to me WHAT ARE YOU DOING I would say nothing he would say GOOD GET IN HERE WHERE I CAN SEE YOU DOING NOTHING

[snafu313]

Like most of you folks, my father got me started fishing. I grew up in North Jersey and we were pretty much your typical bennies. My first trip was when I was 5 years old. A half day fluke trip out of Belmar on what I think I remember as the Big Marie-S. As soon as the boat started sailing, I started crying my eyes out and eventually fell asleep in the cabin. By the end of the afternoon, I woke up and got over my fear in a hurry. We always fished on party boats, like your typical tourist. After that, I remember my first night bluefish trip with my father when I was 9, it was the first time that I was allowed to stay up all night. I remember the school of whiting that decided to show up at the Long Branch Fishing Pier. I remember my father losing his rod and reel to a bonito because he wasn’t paying attention and getting it back 10 minutes later when the same fish came up with the rod and reel still attached. I also remember the stories of tuna and tilefish trips he told and he’d tell me that he’d take me tuna or tilefishing if the tilefish ever came back.
Unfortunately, as my father got older, he fished less and less and if he didn’t go, I didn’t bother going either. When I was in college I met a friend that owned a boat and I would go with him. There I got the bug again. From there it was back to fishing the party boats. I don’t own my own boat and I don’t have the time or the patience for it either.
My father passed away a few years ago and every time I go out, I think of those times and it’s nice to have that connection with him again. Especially when I went on my first tilefish trip this past year. Lets hope that the next generation will be able to enjoy what we love so much.

[Carol Ann]

When I was 12 my Grandpa, had me row across the lagoon in townsend inlet(Avalon) and put stakes with traps and wonderbread in the swail, and of course marked it with the bread bag to trap killeys for morning fishing. At 5 am my first trap had eels in it I thought "I don't think so"...and of course he saved them and cooked them up later....Well anyhow, we opened the other ones and we had plenty of bait,there was no going to a bait shop. And lo and behold we set out to fish, drift and drift....well when I finally hooked my first Fluke it was 3 lbs....as day went on we ended up with just 6 fish...and it was then when the prop broke and we were towed in..then I ran down the street and jumped in the ocean..to celebrate my catch..THATS HOW I GOT HOOKED, AND THE DINNER NEVER TASTED SOOOO...GOOOD!

[TheLefthander]

Grew up in Michigan a mile from Lake Michigan and started out with my Dad and my brothers with cane poles and bobbers and big perch off the breakwater. They introduced coho salmon into the Lake in the late 60's, when I was in my early 20's. When I was 8 or 9 my older brother and I took a small shovel and dug up nightcrawlers to fish for bass and trout and catfish and suckers in the rivers. We would ride our bikes to the Pere Marquette River with fishing poles and shovel and if we were lucky, a Nehi Grape or Orange soda. Good memories.

[SHAMROCK EDDIE]

WOW this topic brings back some great memories many years ago, In1965 we move to the Jersey Shore across from the original Port Monmouth Marina owned by Capt John Ketchow before it became Gateway Marina. I got to hang out in the shop and watch the guys work on and repair all the boats in the yard. I was about 5 when I start fishing with George Philips he was in his late 70s at the time and was well known throughout NJ as an accomplished fisherman. Mr. Philips as I would call him was Dick Ketchow’s grandfather Dick owns Gateway marina so I was learning from some of the best.

We would fish from shoreline to shoreline digging our own baits and tying our rigs he was always teaching me something even if I didn’t know it at the time. We fished together every chance we got it was always a great time and always ended stopping for an ice cream cone! After a few Mr. Philips passed away but I’ll always be thankful to him for teaching me this great pass time I should have been a better student (lol) Now that we I’m running charters and in position to help young kids it’s always nice to give a little something back to the game.

One of the biggest things he taught me is if your gonna kill it you better be going to eat it! Or let it go so we can catch it tomorrow.

[Sam3]

Growing up on a lake in Northern NJ, I remember fishing off the docks at an early age with my father and grandfather. Our lake would stock trout and that would always be alot of fun for all us kids to catch our limit, go to the Yacht Club to have the fish weighed and measured and hopefully come home with a nice prize. Man, that was fun.
We also ice fished our lake too. My grandfather and father were in construction and would invite their friends up on the weekends to hang out, eat, drink and fish out on the ice. My mom has a pic of my when I was 8 years old when I was on the ice after I caught my first pickerel. My grandfather insisted that we cook it and eat it being that I caught it myself. I remember the bones were horrible but grandpa didn't mind. It was alot of fun catching and cooking the fish with him.
Great memories....