Who remembers their first fish? First kayak fish?

Jasons post of his son's first fish got me scratching my head.

I think that the first fish that I ever "caught" was up at Troutmere, near La Honda. One of those fish hatchery/stocked pond places just for kids. As for the first real "fishing" that I ever did, I think it was in Lexington Reservoir. Although it could possibly have been in Corte Madera Creek, which ran through my folks property. There are still landlocked steelhead in there, although I believe they are now protected.

First kayak fish was out of Avila Beach, in February of '94. Some sort of smallish kelp/rockfish that hit a Mr Twister type grub. I just caught the one fish, as I was fishing in the reflecto zone, in Winter, in a SIK. I had forgotten the skirt at home, and had to bust through 3-4 waves and pump out the cockpit. Not conducive to a good fishing session.


Scott

I'm certain that my first fish ever was a bluegill, but can't be positive.  I'll bet that 90% of people's first fish are sunfish of some type.

I distinctly remember my first kayak fish.  I was shore fishing at Tidelands Park on the San Diego Bay and a buddy dropped by with his Fish n Dive.  He let me take it out for a spin and I trolled a minnow bait.

As I was paddling the yak I was telling myself [best Will Smith voice]"I have GOT to get me one of these"[/best Will Smith voice]  I caught a spotted bay bass on the troll and was hooked on kayak fishing.

MolBasser

OK, my first fish is a hazy memory since I realy did not get into fishing until recently.  But I definately remember fishing with my mothers friend John Stacy and his kids for trout in a stream in Colorado.  I caught two nice rainbows.  Everyone was teasing me about beginners luck since I got the two nicest fish that day.  The second was caught on the hart or some other organ from the first one.

My first kayak fish is a fresher story.  About 3 years ago, I was just a sailor and kayaker and was out for a solo paddle at Monastary Beach as was my habbit at the time.  As I left the beach I saw a guy arrive with a rubber raft and pump.  I paddeled for about two hours around Pt. Lobos and when I returned, the guy in the raft had already landed and had a bucket full (3-5) of nice rockfish.  I could not believe it so I asked a few questions.  He told me that that place is a sure thing for fish and showed me a medium castmaster lour that he had been using.  Over the next week I purchased two of those lours and researched DFG regs, the reserve boundaries and purchased a fishing license.  The next weekend, equipped with an old Penn Pier Stick, two lours, a bucket and my Kayak, I paddeled out toward the reserve boundary.  (Note: I had no lanyards, no net, no FF, and very little experience)  I was just dropping the castmaster through the holes in the kelp.  I am not sure if the first was a Blue or an Olive but I caught the first on my first drop, not sure if I landed that one but ended up with three fish (enough for my small family) and headed home.  As someone stated in a different string this sport is definately addictive.  Since then I have been building experience and euipment.  I have made several solo trips over the years out of Big Sur and SLO and finally this spring hooked up with some NCKA folks (Pete/Fishfinder, Kim and Dave) in San Simeon.  They hooked me up with this site.........

I really appreciate the level of knowledge, friendly advice, commarodary, intelligence and general good nature of the people active on this site.  I look forward to fishing with more of you as the oppertunities come up. 

Wow it sucks when you get old. The first fish I ever caught was probablly either a croaker or a piggy fish (aka pin fish). The first fish I can remeber catching was was a sheephead.



Mine was of course much larger. These are different than the sheepheads in CA waters. I caught it while fishing next to the dock for piggyfish and it was crazy cause piggy fish are like crappie and sheepheads are like big rockcod and I was geared for crappie. Great fight and the fish was in our freezer for a few years before I would throw it out.

First kayak fish was a little ole rockcod I caught fishing with Allen Bushnell. I was hooked of course!

This is what we consider a sheepshead in california.....

My buddy, Fishtricks, caught at the point loma kelp bed on a Trix Jetty Worm.




What state was your sheepshead caught in?

MolBasser

Texas of course!!! 

Local name to scientific name - Sheepshead ARCHOSARGUS PROBATOCEPHALUS

Full specs - http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Sheepshead/Sheepshead.html

Ah, regional common names.  So fun.

My first kayak caught fish was a 6 inch bluegill. I thought it was a nice bass though because it towed me a little in my kayak....

My first fish was caught with my dad at Lake Merced. We were in the south lake using none other than Salmon Eggs.   I was 4.  Unfortunately Lake Merced is now a sad excuse of a body of water. 

Jason

First fish? Probably a croaker in about 1976, off of the Goleta beach pier north of Santa Barbara. We called them roncador, no idea why.
First kayak fish was a 14" calico bass during the winter of 1996, which I caught in the kelp bed south of Goleta beach out of my first kayak, a prijon yukon tour SIK, which was a fun boat but a terrible one to surf launch. My second kayak fish was a 16+lb silver salmon in Whittier AK.
First fish caught from my old dagger cayman was a male greenling north of Cayucos.
First fish from my current tarpon 140 was a 2lb blue rockfish caught north of Santa Cruz.

My first fish was probably a yellow perch in upstate New York sometime in the mid-1970's.  I may or may not have been ice fishing at the time, I'll have to check with my Dad on that one.

My first kayak fish was a 12 lb bluefish in Long Island Sound in 1993.  The nice thing about bluefish is that they're semi-pelagic and a nice one can give you a decent "nantauket sleigh ride".  The trick of course was how to boat it without a net (I grabbed it by the tail) and then where to put it in the sit-inside kayak I was in.  They have nasty teeth and I wasn't so keen on putting a lively 12 lb fish in the hatch with me but I did it anyway.

first fish...I dunno, prolly a bluegill.


1st kayak fish.  i went out with Jim Sammons owner of la jolla kayak fishing...we were looking for yellowtail.  no such luck.  We did find a big bait ball that had bonita ripping through it.  I cast and reeled through it and hooked 3 bonita.  Jim said, "you aren't gonna keep those are you?"  I said those are my forst ever kayak fish...you bet I'm keeping them!.  I smoked them an eat every ounce!

http://www.allkayakfishing.com/photo/rmiller.html

It's a monster!

First fish: a Blue Gill Sunfish caught off a summer camp dock in the mountains of Pennsylvania using Wonder Bread dough on the hook. I'll never forgot that thrill. I was 8 or so.

First Kayak Fish: an O'Neil Forebay Striper on a 5-wt fly rod in on a Necky Dolphin SOT (I grabbed the wrong tube leaving the house at 0430--meant to take the 7-wt ). The fish was only 16 inches but nearly broke the rod. I was hooked more than it was after that fight.

PS I enjoyed it so much I kept fishing and finally a fish did break the 5 wt about 2 feet from the tip--but reddington's have a life time warranty so I got it replaced for $10. Well, well worth it .

Fish fish I caught was in the Russian River I was in the 5th grade had just got a brand new Fenwick FS70 and Mitchell 300 reel using a Daredevil went to my friends secret spot and 2 old guys were fishing there already they were sorta laughing at me but on the second cast I hooked up both there mouths were hanging open then they started getting excited and telling me not to horse it. I didn't know it at the time but that fish changed my life I was hooked, it was a small steelie 23-24" but even the old guys were jealous.  1st Kayak fish mendo striper 29" changed my life again.  Thanks Sean

Do crawdads count? hehe
My first caught on my own fish, was a kingfish caught on the Berkeley Pier when I was in second grade, about 7/8 years old.
And my first yak fish...is again a kingfish caught at the mothball fleet with JTF.