Name that ONE fish

[el_carpo]

Awesome stories fellas! Great idea for a thread pelagic_chaser!


I have a fish that always pops into mind when I think of fishing. A carp.

I was terrified of them when I was just a small-fry (five years old). We went to a lake that had a small, muddy channel attached to it and these big carp would slurp up cottonwood seeds at the surface. I don't know why, but seeing them sloshing around in the murky water scared the be-jeezis outta me and my brothers made fun of me and would pretend to throw me in. I felt so ashamed and embarrassed that I didn't even want to go fishing. Well, one day I had had enough. I said that's it, I'm going to try to catch one. I saw them sucking up the seeds and baited up a piece of bread and floated it right where they were feeding. The largest one grabbed it and ran. I was shaking from fear and excitement. I had never fought a fish over 7 inches or so and this fish was probably near 10 pounds. My brother saw me fighting him and ran over to help. He tried to take the rod to land it for me but I wouldn't let him. I fought that fish for about ten minutes until he ran into a fallen tree and busted me off. I didn't land him, but I was proud of myself for trying. When my Dad (who knew how afraid I was of them) heard what I had done, he said he was proud of me and that was that. Ever since then, I've always been in love with fishing.

[BR65]

Was about 6 years old at the time. My parents took us fishing one nite at Deep Water Bend from the old wall.
Had the latest hi-tech gear consisting of 12lb line wound onto a coke bottle and frozen prawns for bait. Caught my first fish, a whiting, that nite and the addictation started.
Done a lot of fishing since then in a lot of great places for a lot of "fish of a lifetime" type fishy's, but will allways remember that first whiting.

[Kayak1]

Many years ago....I was on a dairy farm at the time so prime fishing times, dawn and dusk, were out of the question. I befriended an old man with poor eyesight and virtually crippled legs and used to take him fishing usually once a week, always at night time (after the cows had been milked). This particular night we were fishing in the break in the outer wall of the early Gladstone marina, long before present day developments. Because of his legs the old fella would stay seated in the mini moke, fishing rod in hand...thinking back, sometimes I think I had to cast it for him. We hadn't caught much this particular night..just a couple of small sharks. At around 2.30 am, he had dosed off and I was wondering what I was still doing there when zzzrrrr zzzzrrr zzzrrrr the drag was suddenly giving line to what seemed a never ending long and powerful run. Then slowly the line arced left then right and powerful head shakes were felt throbbing up the line. Somehow I managed to remain relatively calm and in control, realising I had open water in front of me and all the time in the world at my disposal. The sight of the hugh silver bronze monster that emerged from the dark to wallow defeated at my feet sent my knees to jelly. I struggled up the bank and woke up the old fella. "Quick rebait my line" was his response. Sorry time to milk the cows...maybe next time.
To this date my biggest (and only) jewie...35lb...and as I believe, my reward for taking the old fella fishing.
Brings back many happy memories.
Great thread.

Cheers,
Steve.

[goddy100]

My first barra over a metre.
I did a hike with some mates to a remote waterhole in the gulf that just about never gets fished. One of them did not fish, but the other seemed to be able to hook barra out of a bucket. After watching him land another fish my next cast came up tight. He ribbed me about my new jack erskin drag washers being crap, as the fish peeled off line with ease, then wrapped me around some trees near the bank. It eventually came out and I netted a beautiful wild 1m barra.
It was memorable because it was my first barra over a metre, caught in the wild, off the bank after a 15km hike.
All up walked from 5 in the morning to 9.30 at night and was absoulutly stuffed, but loved every minute.
ps - fish was released, no way was any barra being carried that far back!

[jimmybob]

i wasnst hooked into fishing ... i was born into it......my dad was the coolest...letting me have days off school (not to many but days none the less) to go with him to either chase bream in the brissie river or head out to the cape in search of snapper and the like......it took me years to figure out how he would catch more than me but now i have those days more and more.........i cant wait till my 2yr old is out there with me trying to out do his old man and his granddad

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Been looking at this thread a couple of times, and was wondering how to answer without writing a book. Certainly wasn't one fish that hooked me, coz similar to a lot of responses, it is just something I've been lucky enough to have been doing all my life.

My Grandfather and dad both fished all their life and I was lucky enough to have grown up on the coast at a spot with great fishing, so by default, I started fishing with them and it has been both the earliest and best memories of my life.

For anyone that found the fishing experience later in life, I feel both a bit sad for them and and a little envious of them. Sad, coz they must have missed out on having a fantastic pastime as a kid, a tad envious coz I can just imagine what sort of a life changing experience it must have been to try it out and then get that one clear definitive moment when they "felt the magic" and were subsequently "hooked". Then of course, there is the rest of your life to enjoy it.
A bit like going to Fraser Island, the Big Northern Adventure or some other dreamed of trip for the first time; immediately after the trip (and especially if it was going to be the only one) it is inevitably the trip of a lifetime. If you are lucky enough to be able to go back, all trips are still fantastic, but then the first one starts getting compared to the subsequent trips and the original "magic" can start to fade. One fish doesn't seem to stand out for me, coz guess I'm lucky enough to have them mixed in with so many other good memories.

Haven't really ever caught that one great fish that others would call a trophy. Have had numerous good fish, numerous great sessions, and numerous great trips. If the one great fish comes along sometime in the rest of my fishing experience, then fair enough, and I will be thankful. If it doesn't, then so what, as long as I'm still having great trips, the occassional great session and always fun, I'm happy.

Good to read other's responses. Its all good. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

Cheers
Jeff