Who was/is your fishing mentor? (Page 2): My aunt and uncle got me started with freshwater fishing. I don’t freshwater fish much anymore, just for trout when I do. When I was around 12...

Larry M Loc: North Clairmount, San Diego

My aunt and uncle got me started with freshwater fishing.
I don’t freshwater fish much anymore, just for trout when I do.
When I was around 12 I would hang out at the bait shop on the saltwater fishing pier. They taught me how to tie fishing knots, wrap poles and repair reels.
Used to go on the half day fishing boat for free, just had to help clean the deck after the fishing trip.

Jim Kay Loc: Franklin, Virginia

Commander Bell wrote:

I'd like to give a shout out to my uncle Jim. He had such patience teaching this dopey little kid how to fish.
Uncle Jim will be 90 this coming July. Although he can no longer fish his mind is still sharp and we can talk about our memories and things he taught me. Now it's my turn to teach my grandchildren
If you have a special someone that taught you how to fish, or quit possibly your self taught, give them a shout out here.
Commander Bell out

My Father.

aha Toro

Father, Grandfather, older brother and countless other people that I had the privilege to fish with and meet while fishing.

FishermanLeeSonoma

When I was much younger we didn't really fish much but as I was in my early 20's my brother in law took me up to An Din Nah up on the McCloud and really got me hooked. He also used to take me Striped Bass fishing on his Boston Whaler in SF Bay by Treasure Island, Golden Gate Bridge, etc. and out of Noyo Harbor to Salmon Fish... I got busy working and kind of stopped for a long time but recently Saw1 in the last couple, three years really got me going again on Striped Bass fishing on the Napa and Petaluma River. I would have to say these two really mentored me the most in my fish fishing wise. I am grateful for the time and resources they spent on me.

Just FYI, my Dad was great just not a big fisherman!

OldBassGuy Loc: Temecula, CA

Commander Bell wrote:

I'd like to give a shout out to my uncle Jim. He had such patience teaching this dopey little kid how to fish.
Uncle Jim will be 90 this coming July. Although he can no longer fish his mind is still sharp and we can talk about our memories and things he taught me. Now it's my turn to teach my grandchildren
If you have a special someone that taught you how to fish, or quit possibly your self taught, give them a shout out here.
Commander Bell out

Self-taught, maybe that's my problem.

Foodfisher Loc: SO. Cal coast

Grandpa, When mom needed some "meat" for the table, grandpa would look at me, smile, and say " Let,s go check the crick ".
Done deal.

rriggs Loc: North Carolina

My Uncle Marvin. He taught me as best he could. This was in the late 40's to the early 50's.

holford24 Loc: central Indiana (elwood)

My dad's dad grandpa Bert

HBM

My dad was my teacher. We lived on Valrico Lake in Brandon Fla. We would go in his aluminum John boat and I would sit a little wash tub. I was told not to get out of the tub. We caught lots of blue gills and crappie. I was 3 or 4 years old. I learned how to clean fish cleaning blue gill. I would get stuck by the sharp fins . I hated to clean fish then and still hate it. My wife does the fish cleaning now. My dad was a block layer and got to build a lot of houses around Brandon. Him and my uncle would use a mortar box and fish the lakes after work and at lunch. Bobby

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

While my Dad was "okay" when it came to fishing, it was his sister that bought me my first cane pole at the Western Auto store when I was about 5, followed by my dad's uncle giving me a fiberglass 5' rod with a horrible level-wind reel loaded with that black nylon braid, so popular in the late 50's, when I was 7.
I tried...I truly did...but I found myself fishing about 10 minutes for every half hour+ that I spent untangling backlashes. 7 year olds have a hard time having a good time, when the activity is so frustrating. My eighth birthday came along and my dad's older brother came to visit and presented me with possibly the finest gift an 8yr old could possibly expect...one of those "newfangled" push-button Zebco 202's !!
Helped me put new mono on it ("gotta put GOOD, FRESH line on it, not what they loaded at the factory" said Uncle Weldon...my very first "technical tip"...in 1961 !!!) and mount it on the rod Uncle Will had given me. And then surprised me further, with my first tackle box, with a meager supply of hooks and splitshot, bobbers, and a card of "lead-head dollies" (crappie lures), a couple of red and white spoons, and 2 Mepps "Aglia" spinners. Boy howdy...was I the envy of my Cub Scout den, or what ?
Everybody needs a rich uncle who had no boys, just girls who had zero interest in fishing...hehehe.
A few years (and hundreds of panfish and bullheads from farm ponds later), my Dad's district superintendent, the Rev. Charlie Knight wrangled an invite to accompany my dad and I to fish my aunt's (same one who bought me the cane pole) well stocked 6ac pond in pasture next to their house.
Well, that day with Charlie became the nexus of my "fishing addiction". He not only showed me my first proper catfish rig (now referred as a Carolina Rig), but more importantly, showed me how to work a rather new fishing lure fad....plastic worms with a weedless hook for chasing largemouth bass !
Must've spent hundreds of hours of my teenage life chasing bass, farm ponds, Pomona and Tuttle Creek reservoirs, Ozarks lakes, Oklahoma and Texas lakes on family visits, you name it...I always had my fishing gear along.
Just before I turned 12 and discovered bass fishing, another great-uncle had taken me fly fishing on the White, in the Ozarks and coached me to catch my very first trout. (After many hours of learning to cast a fly line by plinking a tin can 30-40 feet away in his backyard...."when you can plink that can with that tiny splitshot 3 times in a row, we'll head to the river, I don't want spend the whole day helping you get untangled from the bushes !!" ...said my 82 yr old Uncle Eugene)

And now I have SO many mentors, helping me to learn further. From salmon and steelhead techniques, to surf fishing, pier fishing, soon to be offshore fishing here in Oregon and Northern California, as well as......
80,000++ Fishing Stage Forum folks !!!!!

Thanks to each and every one of you
and the folks that have helped me further my skills and help me eat healthy fish nearly daily (had some scrambled eggs with smoked sockeye, a diced green onion, a little white cheddar and crimini mushrooms, for breakfast this morning !).....THANKS AGAIN !!

I WILL BE FISHING UNTIL I AM UNABLE PHYSICALLY OR CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND WHY I AM OUTSIDE NEAR WATER, HOLDING THIS LONG THIN STICK WITH STRING AND THAT CURVED POINTY THING ON THE END !!

Quest Loc: Randleman, NC

Commander Bell wrote:

I'd like to give a shout out to my uncle Jim. He had such patience teaching this dopey little kid how to fish.
Uncle Jim will be 90 this coming July. Although he can no longer fish his mind is still sharp and we can talk about our memories and things he taught me. Now it's my turn to teach my grandchildren
If you have a special someone that taught you how to fish, or quit possibly your self taught, give them a shout out here.
Commander Bell out

Quest Loc: Randleman, NC

Brother in Indiana

E.pa.al Loc: Martin's Creek

My dad & grampa Bill. Miss them both

Betts Loc: Finger Lakes NY

Commander Bell wrote:

I'd like to give a shout out to my uncle Jim. He had such patience teaching this dopey little kid how to fish.
Uncle Jim will be 90 this coming July. Although he can no longer fish his mind is still sharp and we can talk about our memories and things he taught me. Now it's my turn to teach my grandchildren
If you have a special someone that taught you how to fish, or quit possibly your self taught, give them a shout out here.
Commander Bell out

What a great topic, Commander! I fished only occasionally as a little kid, but loved it from the start. Went out a lot with my friends when I was a teenager, bullhead fishing at night with a campfire and a case or two of Genesee beer. They taught me how to rig to fish off the bottom of the creek, and to lean the rod up on a forked stick and then we’d drink beer around the fire while we watched for some action. 😁 Fished a fair amount with my ex husband but he really didn’t try to teach me anything. Had a boyfriend some years later who showed me how to use topwater lures - I’d only ever used live bait before that.

But really…sincerely…you folks here are my number one mentors. I’ve learned more from you all in two years than I knew in the lifetime before that. This is my shout out to you all - my deepest gratitude to all of you Stagers. You’ve answered my questions, given me tips, shared your friendship, busted my chops, gave me some laughs and taught me to be a better angler. Thank you. ❤️

saw1 Loc: nor cal Windsor

Betts wrote:

What a great topic, Commander! I fished only occas... (show quote)

That's sweet of you to say Betts.
I've seen some of the fish you've posted on here. I'd say you are a pretty good student if you learned on here.
I'm pretty sure you had a lot of knowledge before though.
All I can say is, You go girl. Keep postin pics of your great catches and Liam and Emmis fish as well.