Me as a young angler

[steelhead_killer]

Me on the left, great day tossing hoppers into the crystal clear high mountain creek near Crater Lake, Oregon.
Rogue River Steelhead
Klamath Lake Rainbow

[Marcq]

Cool pics!! You're lucky to have pictures like that, who's the guy in the center first picture?

Marc..

[steelhead_killer]

my uncle Steve

[Marcq]

my uncle Steve

I first thought it was you. My uncle was the one and only that introduced me to fishing.

Thanks for sharing and keep those pics in a safe place 

Marc

[DaBigOno]

That second photo of you is a great one!  It reveals all the joy an angler feels about a prized catch!

Here's to all the uncles that took the time to teach some of us about the art and joys of fishing...  

[alantani]

as a kid, you remember every fishing trip you've ever been on.  it really is that important!

[sundaytrucka]

This is a great post. If you do not mind, I think we could continue the thread and have Members post pics of themselves as young anglers.

-Scott

[foakes]

This is so good to remember --

Exposure and experience to the outdoors is something our kids will never forget.

If we do not have kids, there are always Nieces, Nephews, Neighbors, and just plenty of other kids who through no fault of their own -- would just love to learn to fish, hike, or camp out.

We have a responsibility to change their lives by imparting some of our knowledge, time, and resources.

Nothing more important -- and they will remember these times long after the video game is turned off.

Great pics -- keep them coming.

Best,

Fred

[steelhead_killer]

I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere in southern Oregon.  My nearest friend my age was 1 mile down the road.  What connected us was a stream that flowed from our place to his and it was here that we met and became friends.  However, it would not have happened without a gift of a rod and reel.

I wrote this in my blog---

"Buy a kid a fishing pole"

Over the years we spent many hours fishing the stream through all of its phases.  It was here that I learned about entomology, trout, steelhead and salmon cycles.  It was here that I learned about fly fishing, fly tying and casting.  It was here that kept my attention and kept me out of trouble.  I learned what poaching does to a fishery.  I learned how to evade private property signs.

We walked the banks for hours on end, casting into the pools and eddies that held fish the last time.  We would cut a branch from a tree in the shape of a Y and carry our catch along the river.  I learned how to fish downstream since I was upstream from my neighbor and he learned how to fish upstream.  Today I am still more comfortable fishing downstream. Skating a fly on top of the riffle and watching that big mouth come out of the water and grab the fly was burned into my memory very early.

We fished with a split shot and a fly.  The split shot was for flipping the fly into the slots and riffles with a spinning rod and reel.  It was not until much later that we took up fly fishing with a fly rod and reel.  In the summer months we would collect grasshoppers and caddis flies from their rock cases and flip them into the pools for trout.  We never used worms for some reason.  They must have been too hard to find.
Flies were easy.  Wait for nighttime for my mothers  roosters to come into the coop and pluck the hackle feathers from them and off to the vice.  The vice was a large vice grip to hold the hook.  The flies were basic.  Tail, body and hackle wing.  Grab some thread from my mothers sewing machine bobbins and we were good!  I used finger nail polish for head cement.

So where has this lead?   I have a lifetime of fishing and a passion for all things fishing.   I have a healthy appreciation of nature and conservation.  From my fathers fishing trips to my grandfathers fly fishing trips, they all changed me in a good way.  The time I spent with each of them can't be replaced.  I read a quote on a social media site that said "The world needs more tackle boxes and less Xbox's".  I could not agree more.  If you want to have a positive impact on future generations, buy a kid a fishing reel and pole and point them at the river or stream.

[Tightlines667]

Love this stuff.  I think we need another 'Younger Me'picture thread.

[Alto Mare]

Nice memories that will stay with you forever, nice fish as well...do you still have that Fenwick?

Sal

[sdlehr]

This thread is beginning to capture the essence of what fishing is all about. Thanks, Andy. Nice blog post.

Sid

[steelhead_killer]

Nice memories that will stay with you forever, nice fish as well...do you still have that Fenwick?

Sal

Sal:

     I still have it. 4 piece travel rod. 6lb test with a tiny little reel. Best trout setup I ever used. High school graduation gift from a girlfriend.

Andy

[Alto Mare]

Nice memories that will stay with you forever, nice fish as well...do you still have that Fenwick?

Sal

Sal:

     I still have it. 4 piece travel rod. 6lb test with a tiny little reel. Best trout setup I ever used. High school graduation gift from a girlfriend.

Andy

Lucky you! If the girlfriend that gave you that gift isn't your lovely wife and she tells you to get rid of it, you know who to call

[STRIPER LOU]

Great post Andy! Really quite enjoyable.
Regards,  ..  Lou