[Mullet Mick]

What happened, how did you do, did you catch?
.

 

[north west piers]

I started fishing when I was 10 a few mates asked if I wanted to go. my old man got me a rod n reel. I Always fished Workington blocks/northside as that was my local mark. Caught a few fish no doggies back then. Cod and gurnards. Fished for about a year or two. As I got into the teens I got into wrong crowed. Anyway got back into it when I was 22 I think. A work mate asked me a long. So for my birthday my mam got me a cheep rod n reel. And as the years have gone past iv caught a number of different species of fish. Got the proper gear now. Now I'm 28 it's like an addiction. But I love sea fishing and would not look back. Now I know my Riggs/marks etc. and also Im into fishing boats as you might know.

There you go.

 

[bens1247]

Can't remember my first time as such but know it took me a good few trips to catch my first fish off Southend Pier. I started to fish at about 12 years old with a 20/30lb solid fibre glass boat rod from Going Bros fishing off the stem of the pier; after a few trips anther lad came done with a bucket of pout he'd caught from the end so we moved up there. Plenty of snags so we had stones and spark plugs for weights but we did at least catch some fish (pout). Over the years got to know that pier like the back of my hand knowing exactly which state of the tide I'd catch certain species on - still the venue I probably know best even though I haven't fished it for about 15 years.

 

[Para Handy]

1955, Inverary Pier. First "drop" (I was 6 years' old) - a herring. Second - a herring. Third - a herring. That was enough for tea. My mother probably did her best to appear pleased.

 

[RayA]

Coarse fishing for me, I can't remember how old I was , probably eight or nine years old, we would catch flatties on earthworms from the river Tyne and roach, perch and eels from a pit pond called the reeth , I only ever fished in the sea off Newbiggin rocks with coarse gear whilst on holidays there , only took up proper sea fishing about 5 or 6 years ago.

 

[Guest]

Got some secondhand freshwater gear when I was about 7 so went fishing over Minster marshes with my mates. Used to dig worms from the compost heap and catch perch all day long in the Stour.

When I was 11 I won £25 on a premium bond. That was quite a lot in 1968. I said to my mum that I wanted to buy some sea fishing gear but I was told to save the money for "a rainy day".
After nagging at my mum for about 3 weeks, finally it was chucking it down so I told her this was the rainy day we had been waiting for and I was allowed to spend about half the amount.
We went into Ramsgate and down Harbour Street to Bunnys bait & Tackle. This is now where the Surin restaurant is located.

I chose a nice solid fiberglass 9ft pier rod and a Penn 76 multiplier (which I still have). Also included in the £12. 9s was a tackle box, some hooks to nylon, weights, brass paternosters and a bell on a clothes peg and he threw in half a score of worms (to my mothers disgust).
Off we went down to the West pier at Ramsgate Harbour (the ferry terminal side but that wasn't there then).
I baited up and cast out then spent half an hour sorting out the birds nest before casting out again. After about 10 mins the bell rang and I reeled in. Result.. 1 rockling. That was it, I was hooked on sea fishing.
We didn't stay long after that. I don't know if my mum was chucking the worms in when I wasn't looking but the bait was soon gone.

After that I learnt to dig my own bait at Pegwell Bay and dodge the hovercraft!

 

[RayA]

Dinghy fisher just reminded me where the money came from for my first fishing rod and reel , I would play out all day when I was young, one day this black Labrador befriended me, he had a collar on with brims engraved on it , so I spent the whole day playing with brims and generally messing about in the fields that adjoined our council flats. When darkness finally arrived and it was time for both brims and me to go our seperate ways, he had other ideas and refused to go and followed me home, I explained the situation to my mum and dad who then told the neighbours, one of whom realised brims wasn't the dogs name, but the owners, it turned out he belonged to the millionaire owner of brims construction, who came to collect him and gave me a substantial reward for looking after him, enough to buy a whole new fishing outfit and then some , it was quite a special day , the day I met sooty ( his real name)

 

[conanthewhittler]

with me dad,we fished some old sandpits that were virgin territory full of golden rudd and fat perch.tackle was a 5 ft solid glass rod with a little pressed steel centre pin with a ratchet that would wake the dead,quill float and a no 12 hook with a little bit of bread paste nipped on.that was probably 43 years ago but it seems like yesterday.....halcyon days.

 

[seasafe 14ft]

I was five years old when my Dad first took me sea fishing off the beach in front of the KingsHall at Herne Bay. My Dad had a three piece white split cane rod & gave me one of his spare rods, a blue glass fibre rod which I loved. On the day before we went he took me down to the local tackle shop & bought me a new multiplier reel, got home loaded it with line sorted out the tackle bag & we were ready to go. Next morning we went down to Hampton & dug some lug worm & went fishing later on that afternoon, as you can imagine at five years old I could not wait. Once we were set up & bait in the sea it was action from the start, three eel's, 16 whiting ( no surprise there ) & 1 rockling, that was it I was hooked.

 

[Mullet Mick]

My first memory of fishing was back in the late 50s with my Dad and older brother, we would fish our local stream for brown trout, my brother had a reel made by a company called Amberdetrous, top of the range in those far off days, we often caught a few brownies they were destined for the frying pan. happy times.

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Too good to leave in chatter!

I dont remember my first time fishing, but do have many many happy memories of fishing with my late grandfather.

From catching trout down at Rooksbury Mill, to Pike at Kingston Bridge, to Eels in the drainage ditches at Sheppey.

I do however remember my first Cod!! Fishing with my good friend George.

October 2nd circa 1998. We arrived at Dens Tackle in Hythe to collect our bait.

We were told that there was a big competition being held on the Parade and that we may be better off fishing on Fishermans Beach.

So off we went. Putting up the brollies to shelter us from the rain that was being driven by a stiff onshore wind we wondered if another venue may be a better idea.
We stuck with it and set up. We started off catching Whiting and then my mate, George, had a bite that id never seen the likes of before. The rod lurched over, and then sprang back up with the line falling to the shingle. George lept up and grabbed the rod, winding the reel like mad. I couldn't understand why, as far as I could make out whatever had grabbed the bait must be long gone, looking at all the line laying on the shingle! If id known then what had caused it id have jumped in my car and driven away, never to return to a beach again.
George kept winding and the line tightened and the rod began to bend over and over.

George called for me to go down to the breakers and help retrieve his fish, as he now had it ready to beach.

It appeared, a golden green bar flapping away on the shingle. I picked it up and carried it up the beach.

"What is it George?" I asked.

A Cod, came the reply.

I was hooked, I wanted one, no, needed one, no, I must catch one of these.

George landed five more before I landed my first. That was it, I was hooked!

 

[MrE]

Around 1966. The real Palace Pier at Brighton. One of the Dads in the street used to fish, so we thought it would be a good idea to go. In those days a group of 10 year olds was Ok to be walking the streets on their own. I remember my Mum made me a float with a wine cork and a biro going through the middle and she painted it as well. This went on a handline, one of those orange ones... Straight to the bottom as the watch face weight was a little heavy. I do remember we were in the rockpools in between the girders and catching masses of Pouting. That was it. Summer holidays sorted. Packed up when I met the wife around 76ish and only got back into it last year again as we moved to London. All those wasted years...

 

[Specihunter]

Coarse fishing in Oxford with a fisher price set up.

 

[Thameside]

Aged about 10 or 11 fishing with a friend on Clapham Common .He gave me a length of line and a float . Tied it to a milk crate & caught a Perch. Sea fishing was on one of those tourist boats out of Tenby feathering for Mackerel . I was the only one to catch a fish ,which was around 27 years ago .

 

[Guest]

Super thread this... My first fishing experience was with my Uncle catching little Roach out of a tiny pond when I was a nipper.
I then turned to proper fishing after after spotting a bloke land eel after eel down the Dee estuary and I wanted in on it. I soon had my first little rock/pier rod matched with a bright yellow Silstar reel and off I went with my 2 hook flapper (shop bought of course) and loaded it with the fattest garden worms I could dig and that was me, hooked.
I caught so many eels back then, some really good ones too but sadly their numbers have disintegrated but that's another story!
I had a considerable break from the sport due to 'enjoying my youth' and now doing my bit for queen and country but the last couple of years I've been as keen as I ever was to get out and fish.
No other sport brings back memories like ours does, it's great!

 

[mackfish]

I remember years ago, going to different lochs with my father and one of his friends, I'm 30 now so it was around 20-25 year ago. I remember sitting down waiting to see the float disappear. We spent many evenings fishing for, what he called, white trout, and landing many too!..
I myself didn't catch my first fish until a few years ago, well, 4 years ago..I caught a pollock on an argos bought telescopic sea rod, it's still goin strong today, I take it with me the odd time. I still reckon I'm a complete novice yet and only have a handful of species under my belt, pollock, mackeral, thornback ray, blonde ray, dogs, Rockling, dabs, Flounder, coalies, scad and one lonesome squid...
But I'll be doing it for many years to come..

 

[lipslicker]

For me, Skye aged 8, with a father not that into fishing, though he had small fly rod.
We stopped at a big loch by the side of the road, and I took one look and said I would rather fish the tiny one on the other side.
"But the bigger fish will be in this one", said my father.
"Yes", I replied, "but they will be more tightly packed on this side!"
And I caught one about the size of a fish finger.

And, caught mackerel and a pollock off a boat the same holiday.
Loved it ever since.

 

[youoldduffer]

Think I was around 9-10 when we lived in rosneath and my dad took me out on Gare Loch, with a set of feathers, I caught the only fish a spent mackerel and that was me hooked

 

[flipside-of-b]

Think i was about 5 or 6 went with my brother and dad to Heysham harbour wall. Can't remember what we caught. But i know since then that fishing in some form or other has been a passion for the last 50 yrs. So i must of liked it. As far as i know my dad still holds the record for a plaice 4lb 4 oz caught from Half moon bay oil jetty. This was back in about 1963. So probably well broken by now. But it never will be in my mind.

 

[blakdog]

Not only do I remember it I have these two ... found the slides stashed away like treasure when my grandfather died a few years back. He wasnt really into fishing but he had the knack for sure (and a lot of patience) and one little boy walked away from that first session having caught two of the smallest trout in the world. As well as the fishing he also introduced me to a toolbox and a love of tinkering with fishing reels ... I owe him a great deal.