I started bass fishing specifically in 2006.  I started fishing in 1996.

I was three in this pic and I'm 33 now. So at least 30 years.

 

Caught some big bass while Muskie fishing when I was around 7 in 1960. At 18 I moved from WI to out West for college and there were no Muskie there. Tried trout fishing for a while. Took up seriously fishing for bass in 1978. Fished my first major bass tournament in '83. 

I started fishing in general about three years ago, last spring was when I settled on bass as my specific obsession. 

1948 - umm that's 68yrs. I reckon

Caught my first largemouth at age 8, in 1960.

56 years ago.

Geez, I'm old.

Tom

On 27/11/2016 at 0:30 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

First time I was in a boat, I was a week old in my dad's old tri-hull going across a mile wide section of one of the most dangerous reservoirs in KS. First time I went fishing, I was about a month short of my first birthday in the spring of 1987.

First time I really targeted bass? Probably when I was about 9 when we moved to Kansas City and I met a friend whose parents took us fishing often at a lake loaded with bass and bluegills. The magic bait of choice was an 1/8 oz red Roostertail and it caught everything in there. I can remember fishing for bass earlier than that, using an 1/8oz RoadRunner in my grandparents pond, but I would have been just as happy with a bluegill or catfish then, because we ate everything we caught then.

Man, you were a cute baby, nowadays ..... well, we just leave it that way.

7 minutes ago, Raul said:

Man, you were a cute baby, nowadays ..... well, we just leave it that way.

A-Jay

since i was in diapers. so about 13 or 14 years.

Dam 99% of you guys are super old.

2 minutes ago, Cheesefrank said:

Dam 99% of you guys are super old.

probably why this forum is as good as it is. probably a thousand years of experience around here

1 hour ago, Cheesefrank said:

Dam 99% of you guys are super old.

I resemble that remark...

Bass specifically, probably 10 years ago on Toledo Bend!

4 hours ago, Cheesefrank said:

Dam 99% of you guys are super old.

I've only been targeting bass for ten years but I'm in my late late 30s so I'm not young but I was just messing with the old timers.

i caught my first bass (smallmouth) about 30 yrs ago on an inline spinner. that gave me confidence using artificial bait. ive been targeting bass for about 25 yrs now.

I started out fishing at a pretty young age. I don't remember my first trip or my first fish, and honestly can't even say exactly when I fell in love with bass fishing. It had to be around 5 years old though. I can say that I was pretty much raised on the water though. I remember playing in the livewell and pulling one of my toy boats behind the boat when I got bored fishing. As a little kid, I'd draw pictures of boats and my favorite toys consisted of my boats and trucks. I also had one of those battery powered vehicles kids can drive and I pretended my sled was a boat so I'd pull that around and launch it and fish in the front yard. People who drove by probably though I had a few screws loose (they may be right), but that's ok haha. If I wasn't playing with my toys I'd be flipping through the Bass Pro catalog looking at all the bass fishing gear. I saved up my birthday/Christmas money and bought my first baitcaster around 8 years old, and bought my own boat at 11. I'm currently 28 so I've got about 23 years experience bass fishing and about 25 years fishing experience. 

Started fishing when I was in grade school, just targeting anything and everything (mostly bluegill and creek chub on my grandparents farm).  Got away from fishing in my adult life for a while but picked up fishing again about 4 years ago when my daughter was born.  That's when I really started to target bass specifically on most trips.  Bad timing to pick up this obsession, as having kids limits my time wetting the line.  On the plus side, my daughter enjoys it when I bring her along. 

First bass when I was 13 or 14 if I had to guess, fished frequently over the next few years. Took a very long break and picked it back up at 32, a few months ago. I'm now going 2-4 times a week depending on my work schedule. My wallet suddenly got a lot lighter as a result. 

On 11/26/2016 at 11:31 AM, A-Jay said:

51 years and counting ~ circa 1966

A-Jay

 

 

And you fished a Duckett rod !!  What a trend setter. 

I've been bass fishing for so long the first images of me are a cave painting.

2 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

And you fished a Duckett rod !!  What a trend setter. 

I've been bass fishing for so long the first images of me are a cave painting.

Pretty sure that's a Sears & Roebuck Spin Casting Special - about 4 pounds of Pure Fish Fighting Fiberglass right there . .

A-Jay

8 hours ago, WIGuide said:

I started out fishing at a pretty young age. I don't remember my first trip or my first fish, and honestly can't even say exactly when I fell in love with bass fishing. It had to be around 5 years old though. I can say that I was pretty much raised on the water though. I remember playing in the livewell and pulling one of my toy boats behind the boat when I got bored fishing. As a little kid, I'd draw pictures of boats and my favorite toys consisted of my boats and trucks. I also had one of those battery powered vehicles kids can drive and I pretended my sled was a boat so I'd pull that around and launch it and fish in the front yard. People who drove by probably though I had a few screws loose (they may be right), but that's ok haha. If I wasn't playing with my toys I'd be flipping through the Bass Pro catalog looking at all the bass fishing gear. I saved up my birthday/Christmas money and bought my first baitcaster around 8 years old, and bought my own boat at 11. I'm currently 28 so I've got about 23 years experience bass fishing and about 25 years fishing experience. 

Alf pajamas..legit.

I grew up with nothing around me but farm ponds, including one within about 100 yards of my back door. All we had to do was fish and ride our bikes. The first time I went fishing was at 5 years old with my dad. By 7 or 8 I was fishing on my own all day long, and I've never stopped. When I was in high school I had a girl break up with me because, according to her, I "loved fish more than her" lol. My wife now probably feels the same  

Anyway, I'm 45 now. So I'll say right around 37-38 years of bass fishing. 

Over 30 years... Best sport ever...