What/who did it for you?

[RickBomba]

Oh yeah,
I din't finish the story...anyhow, it's 97 and I'm catching a lot of fish, just not big ones, so I'm a little embarrassed to let anybody know that I obsess about stiper fishing.
Three years and like two keepers go by, and I decide to have knee surgery which will keep me out of work for two months. What do I do in my convalescence (while the ex is working 80 hours a week, me on painkillers the whole time)...surf the net.
January 14th (I clearly remember the date) 2001, I logged on to SB.com for the first time!!! Oh boy, when I went back to work two months later, I had a game plan for boats and shore, Dad Bomba bought me a rat boat, and what a great four years it's been.
The Nahant trip did it for Mikey, but it really was this website that did it for me...A lot of you early guys really helped me (even bassmaster, who I though hated me until about two months ago), and I'd just like to say a long-winded thanks.
PS-I remeber ellman before he left!!!
Later,
Rick Bomba

[Saltheart]

My father took me to Scott's Pond in Central falls and we caught sunnies which we called roaches at the time. I remember we had a green and yellow bobber that I watches closely and had a hard time not yanking the line if that bobbers twitched even a hair!

[Raven]

grew up as a tricycle riding little dude on the charles river in Newton....
so i was introduced to fishin at a very young age....but what did it was fishing out of a row boat in Mattapoiset where we rented (late 50"s) @ Crecent beach. We would dig clams at low tide and then using a RED drop line fish just off the Local beach. My first fish nearly pulled me over the side and pulled the boat around. Thats all it took. After that i was a little fisherman.

[pmueller]

Dad taking me to Mashpee/Wakebe, DW field park in Brockton, and my friends to the reservoir in Randolph, along with the cemetary on North street.
Man, we caught some decent fish in the resy and cemetary.

[Backbeach Jake]

Way,way back in the 1900's, the 1950's my Grandfather took me fishing at Pilgrim Pond in North Truro. The pond is at the bottom of a hill on top of which he lived. I must have been 4 or 5 years old. We caught horned pout. I learned my first real swears when a 'pout stabbed him! When he and my Grandmother passed and the house sold I missed my chance to get one of those old cane poles.Tarred line, cork bobber... I'm still kicking myself for that.

[CAL]

In the late 60's my grandfather would take me to fish for flounder from the pier in Hull, I was probably 4 or 5. Back then you could toss over a spreader and catch 2 at a time and fill and old laundry basket in no time. One time I caught a lobster that refused to let go.

A couple times a year we'd go out in my great uncles boat and handline for flounder and maybe fish for bass for a bit. I got my first striper around '71 and I remember thinking it was a monster, at least compared to a flounder. My dad says it was only around 26" or so

[Bass Babe]

First time fishing was with my sister. I must have been 4 or 5. We took worms down to the river across the street from my house, and I don't know how she did it, but somehow we both caught fish, the hand-dug worms didn't crawl away, and I didn't nosedive into the water. Good old sister Ray. Then I got into fish at school, and now I have a degree in fisheries conservation from Umass Amherst. My first striper was thanks to Rob Rockcrawler, and it was only last season. He's a wicked awesome teacher, because I've gotten a couple keepers this year already. And I am SO hooked.

[pmueller]

Oh yeh, I forgot about the times Dad took me down to the Canal as a kid, along with trolling worms in Plymouth Harbor. Never really hooked up too much, but it did the trick.

[CANAL RAT]

when my mother was carrying me she was fishing with my father off the plymouth harbor jetty.my first striper was a schoolie and i caught it using clams. then my mothers frend bob when i was 6 fishing in his 25ft boat in boston harbor we were throwing sluggos at dock pilings and thats when i saw my first big striper 25lbs if i remember right.bob also introduced me to hunting and i have never looked back.bob also taught me catch and release and i still get a wierd feeling when i catch keeper i just have to release it

[thefishingfreak]

grandfather.
zebco 33.
the rest is history.