I don't remember my first bass I caught, but I do remember the first one I caught on topwater. My dad told me to tie on this Zara Spook and give it a try. I started to get frustrated when I didn't catch anything at first as I was a young kid. He told me to just keep working it like he showed me. Well patience paid off as just about the time I was going to tie another lure on, BAM! a bass absolutely demolished my spook. I don't know if I or my dad was more suprised. Remember, I was pretty young and the spook isn't exactly a novice type lure and requires some patience to master the walk-the-dog technique.I'll never forget that moment. I've been a huge fan of spooks ever since and they're my go-to topwater lure.

I dint remember my first bass but the first bass I remember was on a Fly rod (grew up fly fishing then transferred over to bass tackle once I got into tournaments) on a big popper and he just demolished it ended up being about three pounds. I remember my first tournament fish. A 12 inch dink that barely kept on legendary ONE FISH ANNA caught on a shaky head on a borrowed St croix Avid. I blame my friend who fishes full time and now is one of the hosts of the Show Angling Virginia for this addiction lol

Tight lines

Andrew

Yes, I caught in a pond/small lake located at a gated comunity about 10 miles from my hometown called "Lomas de Comanjilla" , it was a Sunday morning around 8 AM, typical summer morning for my neck of the woods, cloudy ( because summer is when it rains ) and chilly, the lake after several years of drought was very very low, actually it was divided into two sections one larger than the other so I decided firts to try luck on the smaller pool. This was the first time ever that I fished for bass, I tied a Rapala Original Minnow size 5 silver/black back size 5 ( one of the lures I used to fish for trout ) and I added a heavy split shot to the line about a foot from the lure. The water was literally plowable with all the mud it had. Made a cast and strated retrieving the bait kinda like you retrieve a C-rig. After a few pulls the bait suddenly stopped moving, at first I thought I had hung up ( the bottom is muddy and rocky ) but then holy smokes ! the line moved in another direction ! I pulled hard to set the hook and then began to fight the fish, after a few minutes I finally landed it. I was amazed, when I pulled him out of the water ( because the water was so muddy the fish was pale and practically silver  colored with a darker back ), I had never seen a fish with such a large mouth compared to the body size, it wasn´t a huge fish, I calculate that maybe a pound and a half, but it was enough for hooking me.

 

That happened 34 years ago and BTW, I still have that lure, it´s still in use, now it belongs to my kid´s T-box.

I don't remember all the details, but my first bass was in a scummy little pond at a local forest preserve park.  I was using a Hula popper in frog colors with a white belly.  I tossed it out, let it settle and after a couple pops, a small fish just hammered it.  I was just screwing around, wasting time, so I didnt expect a hit.  It was such a surprise, I almost dropped my rod.  Fortunately, he hit it so hard he set the hook himself.  I've been addicted ever since.

I wish I remembered mine. That's why I make a big deal out of everything my kids do when I take them fishing. They probably won't remember the details either, but I hope they have fond memories of fishing with me as little kids in general.

I only remember my first one by a photograph. My mother used to take my brother and I worm and bobber fishing a lot when we were kids. I caught my first bass when I was 6 or 7. From what I can remember of the photo, it was probably only 8"-10".

Now the first bass I caught using artificial bait; specifically targeting bass, is a different matter. I was about 12 and my dad, step mom, and brother were swimming in a state park that has a bunch of lakes and ponds. I brought my rod and whatever limited tackle I had with me to the lake. While they swam, I went to a pond across the road from the "swimming lake". I tied on a silver and black top water popper that I now don't remember the brand of. I was fishing the back of a cove from shore for about 5 minutes when it happened; I cast my popper a lot closer to some brush sticking out of the water than I meant to and was worried about the popper getting hung up. I managed to get it around one of the branches into an opening and began to fish it. Chug, chug then smash. I wasn't really expecting to get bit. Luckily I was startled enough to not set the hook right away. I didn't know back then that you only set the hook when you feel the fish, so I would have yanked it away otherwise. Much like I did many times after that. Anyway, as I reeled it in, it jumped and a few times. I managed to get it to shore and it was a nice 2 lb bass. Of course back then, it seemed a lot bigger so to me it was like 4 lbs.

The way that bass blew up on that popper and fought; man. It was so violent and awesome. I have been hooked ever since. I still get almost that same feeling fishing top waters now; 20 years later.

Its entirely possible that I caught some as a kid that have long since been forgotten, but the first one I recall ever catching as an adult is what brought me to BR.  I caught a 14" or so smallie the first time I ever launched our boat solo 2 years ago.  Prior to that fish, I had never thought about bass, didn't have much of a tackle box, etc.

 

I don't think I've been able to find a smallie since that day, and lately its been my targeted species from the boat, not aware of any shallow enough (especially this time of year) to get, and still waiting. Catching plenty of LMB though, so all is not lost.

 

I was 9, and it was my first time fishing. Me and my dad were in a pond in the middle of the city park, and he had just caught a nice largemouth. I got jealous, so my next cast, I threw the lure (rapala original floater) exactly where he had caught his fish, and of course, I caught a fish. A little smallie. A really little smallie. It was really little. Really really little.

I was either 4 or 5, and the bass was about a pound covered in 2 pounds of weeds. Nobody believed I had a fish on, but I knew.

I don't remember my first bass I caught, but I do remember the first one I caught on topwater. My dad told me to tie on this Zara Spook and give it a try. I started to get frustrated when I didn't catch anything at first as I was a young kid. He told me to just keep working it like he showed me. Well patience paid off as just about the time I was going to tie another lure on, BAM! a bass absolutely demolished my spook. I don't know if I or my dad was more suprised. Remember, I was pretty young and the spook isn't exactly a novice type lure and requires some patience to master the walk-the-dog technique.I'll never forget that moment. I've been a huge fan of spooks ever since and they're my go-to topwater lure.

 

That's me, too. For me it was on a clear, full-moon lit night and I was throwing a jitterbug into a large pond. (Gravel Ponds, for you Rochester area guys). It hit and I had the fight of my life. I brought it ashore, took it to my Ford Bronco II and held it in the headlights so I could see it. Used a tape measure I had laying around and it was, roughly, 23 inches. Had no way to weigh it, and I didn't lay it down to do a proper measure.

 

Memory of a lifetime, though.

First bass no, first tarpon, yes.

My first bass was in one of the canals near my house. My dad had just found these little tiny fluorescent green jigs (1") and decided they would be good for bluegill. He didn't know how to fish them, however, thinking that they had to be fished vertically, right next to shore. I decided to try casting across the canal, and sure enough, a little largemouth hit it. He was maybe 10" and was more orange than green. The canals around here are nasty, so I have no idea what he had been eating to make him that color, but I decided that bass fishing was more fun than hunting bluegill. 

I'm not sure if it was my first bass but I remember one of the first. I would have been somewhere around 3-5, my dad and I were drifting a rock dropoff with nightcrawlers on jigheads for walleye. I don't remember the bite but I remember it fighting very hard on my little Eagle Claw Featherlite rod and it seemed huge at the time (probably 2-3 pounds in all reality). I don't remember for sure but most likely we kept it since we fished almost exclusively to keep anything we could since we were very poor when I was growing up. 

Not my first bass, but my first channel cat.  Caught it on a cane pole with a bobber while fishing for bluegill off of some rip rap.  Bobber disappeared and I pulled a 2 pound cat out of the water.  I was 8 at the time.

I was 5 and I caught it on a cane pole with a nightcrawler.  I ate him too.  It was about a pound.  The first time on a lure was when I was about 12 and it was on a walmart special grub from one of those bass fishing kits.  It was on a 404 Zebco Spincast combo with a pistol grip rod(who remembers those?).  I killed them that summer on that bait.

I remember my first INTENTIONAL bass catch.  T-rigged blue ribbon tail worm along a log.  Caught several before, but just generally fishing as a kid.  This one was special.

I caught my first bass on a red/white Strike King spinner bait.

Some small bass were just barely pecking at my crankbait so I tied on a crappy jig to my bait caster and used it as a cane poll. I plopped it down in thd water then I caught a little 1.5 pounder. I slung it out of the water on to the bank and had to keep it from flopping back into the water so I could get a picture of it.

I remember my first bass fairly clearly considering it has been over three decades ago, I was about 5.  I was at my aunt and uncles small farm, and was fishing this little muddy pond they had.  I was equipped with a new Snoopy pole and my aunt had tied on a "Red Creme" pre-rigged worm on.  They told me to cast it out as far as I could and reel it in.  So I did.

 

After casting a bunch of times, suddenly my rod tried to fight me and pulled me hard towards the water.  I did what any sane person would do, I threw the rod down and jumped back, lol.   I had caught bluegill on canes before, this isn't what a fish did..and I was having no part of it.  Someone grabbed the rod and gave it back to me and told me to reel.  So I did.  NON STOP.  I just reeled and reeled while it kept taking drag and fighting.  With some startling luck, I managed to drag him up on the bank without him wrapping me around the fence line that went part way in the water.  He was a citation sized Largie coming in at just over 22 inches. 

 

He was one that had been in the pond for years, and basically broke off everytime someone hooked into him.  I got super lucky with cheap line and a snoopy pole, but was hooked!  Naturally I thought Red Creme's where the best lures ever for a long time... although, I never caught anything close to his size on one again, lol.

Yep, was at Lake Whatcom in Bellingham WA. Smallmouth, nothing special. Usually I have extremely good luck with first fish...

 

First buzzbait fish: 6.5lbs lmb

First Spinner bait fish: 6.25 lbs lmb

First Crankbait fish: 4.25lbs SM

First jig fish: 6lbs LMB

First Swimjig fish: 5.5lbs LMB

 

Its a great way to instantly build confidence. You should try this method.

I sure do...I never fished much in my life. I also hunt and grew up doing that. I thot fishing was for guys who couldnt shoot.

 

I friend of mine did fish. I went to stay on his houseboat for the weekend. He talked me into going out in the evening so, away i went on his bass boat. I had a spinning rod i brought with me and a 2" white grub on it. I saw a small dead weed/bush 1-2' into the water on the shore. I thot this would be a good place to throw to. I actually hit it just right and before the grub could hit bottom I felt the tap-tap-tap my friend had told me about. FISH_ON!.. d**n! this is fun when you hook up. Reeled it in and had about a 12" LM. I messed around a couple of more years and retired from work. I then got the bug to do more.

I've fished for other species for blue gills, crappie and cats when I was youngin. 

 

While I was at Lake of the Ozarks on vacation, I was introduced to bass fishing while watching Bassmasters on tv when I was 10 years old seeing Rick Clunn, Kevin Van Dam, Michael Iaconelli and all them guys. Don't remember who was using a spinnerbait. My grandpa was watching it with me also. On the same day, I told my grandpa, I want that spinnerbait! So couple days later, I got surprised with a spinnerbait from my Grandpa. I don't even remember the spinnerbait brand or anything of it. My grandpa tied the spinner on my spinning outfit. 

 

I was fishing out on the private dock at my grandpas beautiful house was worth a lot of money that time. Its worth more nowadays. Anyways, my grandpa told me throw the spinnerbait to the water where the log is laying down. Grandpa said count to 5 seconds to sink down and start reeling. I started counting to 5 with my fingers. The number 5 was up. Started reeling. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. On the fourth or fifth cast, caught 4 lb some ounces. I was so excited and everything a little kid can be. 

 

After that bass was caught, I released it to give respect. Caught couple 1's and 2's pounders. 

 

Ive been hooked to bass fishing ever since.

Don't remember my first bass, but very clearly remember my first keeper-size bass. It was on a yellow Hula Popper on Cayuga Lake on a sunny afternoon. Didn't get weighed but it was 16".

yes, i was 8 yrs old and was fishing with my dad in deep water, fishing with a plastic black lizard. This largemouth bass weighed 3 pounds and caught it on my first baitcasting reel that my dad gave me along with a Bill Dance rod.

I remember my first largemouth caught as a kid using a red worm under a bobber with a cane pole. First bass was probably 13-14 inches long & healthy looking. I also remember my first bass on a top water hula popper after I graduated from the cane pole to my first spinning rod & reel. That fish just blew me away. Probably 2.5-3lbs caught among the lily pads near shore. I was stoked with catching that one.