What rivers ,lakes, creeks or Salt water did you grow up fishing? What are your favorite memories of fishing there?

I grew up on the Snohomish system and the Stilly. We would also spend time every summer on the Icicle. I fished the small creeks between Snohomish and Monroe with my uncles in the summer. We could walk from his house. The Canary grass would grow tall along the banks and the grass hoppers where thick. We would stuff our pockets with hoppers and crawl up to the creek so we would not spook the fish. We would have no weeight and just a hopper on a hook. We ould dangle the hopper in the water under a cutbank covered in grass. Whamol cuttthroat up to 3 or 4 lbs would hammer the hopper and the fight was on. Your heart would jump at the tug of the line. I was 5 when I started fishing this way.

The cedar river in Renton,Trout and Steelhead.
I also spent lot's of time will my uncle's down on the nehalem river chasing sea-run cutt's.Those where some fun times.Thanks for helping bring up those memories.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I grew up up in the Okanogan fishing for everything from trout to carp. But my first fish ever caught on my own was a perch when we lived a year on Lake Champlain in upstate New York.

I caught my first fish ever on Fish Lake, My family still has a cabin up there. I loved fishing up there because a full stringer was the norm at the end of each day, along with 1000 misquito bites.

My Father has worked for several large commercial seafood companies all his life here in Seattle, so as a kid he was always bringing me along to fish with his buddies in the Rivers and Puget Sound.
Growing up in Bellevue, I fished the Sammamish slough and Lake Washington alot as a kid... First Steelhead came from Sammamish slough in Redmond below the RR bridge! Our house was right next to Kelsey Creek, which used to hold alot of brooks and rainbows. Up to a couple years ago I still used to go down and fish at Enatai beach under I-90 for trout.

Once I was 16 and had wheels, we would fish the upper Tolt alot, The Sky, Snoqualmie, and camp along the banks of the Skagit for silvers and pinks in the fall. We would make a few trips out to the OP now and then for a change of scenery. I spent alot of time fishing the Green river gorge, love that place.


I used to go to Twanoh State park every summer with my cousins and family. There we would fish for Salmon on the great bend, and big sharks at night from the docks. Sometimes we would hike up Twanoh creek to Mason lake and bushwack our way in to find some cutthroat and trout spots before the area was developed.

We loved to fish Cutthroat from the beach at Mukilteo south of the point as well as in the Ferry wash.

I never fished the sound too much until my twenties. My buddy Geoff had killer moorage right inside Shilshole bay at a private residence, so we would frequently fish before work at West Point, 4 mile, "the trees" north of Carkeek. During those years I really learned the sound and alot about little spots here and there.

Now I just read about fishing on the internet.

I started out trout fishing with my dad at lake Wenas over near Yakima, made many trips over there as a kid. Next was lake Wa. sockeye back when it was open every year and they only bit U-20 Flatfish. Got my first king at 7 yrs. old at Pt. Defiance and first steelhead at 14 on the Green. Grew up just above Redondo and spent alot of summer days fishing the pier, even spent some time on the old pier with the old rundown boathouse and sling launch, damn, I'm getting old. Caught a few salmon off those piers.

Skyguy,

I fish fish lake a bunch too. We would camp on the Icicle at Johnny creek and go to the lake for the day. I remember the Mosquitos very well and the lunker german browns on a trolled Cary Special. Also fished Lake Wenatchee for Kokes and the Chiwawa for trout. Nason creek held big fish also in the 60'S

I grew up in the Bay area in California and never fished as a kid. Moved to Idaho when I was 20 but didn't fish for at least another 5 years. Then started fishing the rivers(Payette) with a clear plastic casting bobber and a fly. I was home at last.

Like Jerry, I grew up in that other country below Oregon. Southern part.

Was a fishing nut when I was a kid...constantly after my dad to take me fishing, and he did too! He loves to fish also, and every chance he had he took my older brother and I out chasing bass, trout or ?

Fished the ocean (Huntington Beach pier, Seal Beach pier) for bonito and the occasional barracuda.

Younger years we always went to Donner Lake, near Reno, for vacation, and I spent a summer there (I was 12/13) working for one place we always stayed at. Great experience, as the owner was retired from the Marines (DI) and was quick to "correct" me when needed. Damn, that guy could out-cuss my second wife.

We kept a boat in Searchlight, Nevada, for many years, leaving just the short haul from there to Cottonwood Cove, which sadly (I hear) is now some big resort spot.

We would pile all of our camping gear in the boat, head up-lake (Mead) about 6 miles and find some nice cove to set up home in for a few days at a time. Caught bass, tons of trout, the odd carp at night. My brother and I used to sleep out under the stars near the boat, and would take a hunk of liver on a big hook (about a 1/0) and then tie the line to our big toes...waiting to see who got woken up first with the carp...what a hoot that was!

Fished most all of the local lakes (Cachuma, Castaic, some of the San Diego lakes) for bass...caught some good ones. Best was a reservoir in Anaheim Hills - was supposed to be closed to fishing, but my high school buddy and I (14-15 yrs. old) would hike down a fence line and get into the place. It had been stocked with bass since the 1960's, and we hammered 4-9 lb+ bass in there till we got tired. Finally got caught one night (helicopter with spotlight...ya can't hide!) and that was the end of that...been "legal" ever since.

Ahhh...memories.

Gotta admit though...fishing now is lots more fun than it ever has been. I guess I enjoy the whole experience of being out in the wilds more than I did as a kid.

Mike

I did all my early freshwater fishing at Spencer Lake. We rented a cabin from the Weatherbys who owned a resort on the small lake. We fished with a big gold and silver pop gear and usually were done by 7:30 on opening day, with a limit of 15 fish.

Saltwater was always LaPush. Harley’s report, a wall tent, slugs, rain and rough water. We had a five-horse Sea king motor and rented the wooden boats at Harleys. Always fished for coho off the Skunk Buoy, about two miles off shore.

My dad hated anything but salmon. Once I dropped to the bottom and got 44 lb halibut. He chewed me out for that. Another time I hooked a really big halibut and after about a 1/2 hour he cut the line.

I also grew up in Cali. Caught my first steeelie at age 9 on the American River throwing white roostertails. No one in my family fishes so I have no idea how i got the bug. Cuaght my first trout at age 5 and it was all over. Fish on the brain 24/7 since. Got away as soon as I could and went to college at Humboldt State. Lived in very close proximity to the Mad river where my steelhead education really took off. Fished other great stream such as the Eel, Van Duzen, Redwood Creek, Klamath, and of course the Smith. Moved to the East coast for 3 years where I got my tutalege in aquatic entomology by a guy named Billy Kingsley who now own the Blue Ridge Angler. Fished a spring creek called Mossy Creek. Learn alot about bugs. Also fish upstate New York for the Big browns. 50+ fish a day and the little ones were 5 lbs. Moved back and worked in the casinos of Nevada and fished the Tahoe basin all summer. Moved to Corvalis and fished all the streams within a two hour reach before moving up here where I spend most of my time residing on the Kalama.

~steelymann~

Freshwater - Offut Lake outside of Olympia. I was pretty impatient, didn't want to wait for the trout, always badgered my Dad to go fish the lilypads for perch.

Saltwater - North shore of Orcas Island. Again, I was very impatient, couldn't wait for the salmon, had to drop down to the bottom and catch whatever we found.

I grew up in the Willamette Valley, fishing in Detroit Lake and crabbing in Yaquina Bay. My grandfather knew all the tricks and out-fished and out-crabbed most others on any given day. Thanks, gramps!

I'm pretty sure there is still a photo of my brother up at Kane's Landing on Detroit Lake, with a huge grin and a looooong stringer of trout taller than himself, all taken on one of my grandfather's outings. He eventually gave his boat to my brother.

I really didn't go fishing on my own until after college. My dad introduced me to the insanity that is bank fishing for sturgeon.

grew up on a island in Maine, my dad was a lobster fisherman so it was a wonderful life filled with fishing. My favorite was every summer going on a little long range adventure with pops to chase the blue fin Tuna that will always be my most precious memory forever 300 to 700# tuna on rods and reel, dad really new how to party!!! Plus the other boner fish, I guess that is why I settled in Washington in the end, best fishing in the world!!!!

I grew up in the Renton highlands and my older brother and I would walk about a mile down to May Creek to fish for trout. We had no real fishing gear to speak of. There was a little market on Sunset Hwy right by our house that sold a little bit of stuff, but we had no money to buy anything. Usually all we had was some mono, a stick and a safety pin.
We would dig some worms and off we'd go.
I still can't believe my mom would let a 5 and 7 year old go off like that, but I think it was a little safer for kids in those days.
Man, what memories that brings back!

LaCenter was home. And about 5 houses down from Lucia Falls was the fishing hole. All this when the east fork was spitting out state record steel. Somebody please fire up the way back machine and take me back!

"Home" was Michigan, where we would always spend a few weeks each year and would fly fish for everything from bluegills to grayling. Dad was an Army defense lawyer who rarely was at any post for more than a few months. Was kind of tough moving away from our new friends all the time but we got to see a lot of scenery. Dad was a fishing fanatic so we fished all over the US from the east coast to the west coast. Fished in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria and Italy. Costa Rica, Venezuala, Hawaii, Japan, on and on. Dad was a great fisherman who I still greatly miss. I went to Vietnam after college and added it along with Thailand, Malasia, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii to the roster. Came thru Seattle in the summer of 1970 and was invited to go salmon fishing at Neah Bay and Seiku. After I got out of service in 72 I moved here. Great place to fish and raise a family...

Started out fishing in Idaho with my grandpa for trout. We fished the lochsa (sp?) and sellway (sp?) rivers with the clear casting bubbles and two fly's. We would start at first light and in the afternoon when we would start for home (kamiah) grandpa would stop two or three times for a nap. We wouldn't make it back until dinner.
We moved to Wyoming, and I fished for cutthroat and brookies in mountain streams when we went camping. We went one time with my six cousins, my two brothers, two uncles, my dad and my grandpa. We lost count of how many fish we caught but we ate them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and still took home about 50 for a fish feed. I also fished the flaming gorge.
When we lived in Arizona we fished for perch in the lakes.

When we moved back to Idaho (Lewiston) I got to spend the summer with grandpa and we went fishing about 3-4 days a week. I'll never forget that summer and I even had one day where I outfished grandpa.

My parents moved over here 17 years ago. I fished once or twice for steelhead but other interests kept me from fishing. About three years ago my younger brother started fishing for steelhead. One day he was fishing up at Reiter, not doing to well, and the guy fishing downstream from him stopped and gave him a gold spoon. He said "give this a try" and left with his limit. An hour later he left with two fish and was forever hooked. He swears the it was the General that gave him the spoon.

Since my brother was hooked on fishing he needed a fishing partner and kept asking me to go with him. My wife told me to go with him so that he would quit calling the house. I remembered how addicting fishing was when I was a kid so I told her that I would go but that I might get hooked.
I've been fishing regularly ever since.

Fishbelly2 introduced me to the salt and my wife had to have a boat so that the family could fish with me. My wife let's me fish whenever I want and some times when I come home from work in a bad mood she will tell me to go fishing so that I can relax.

Now I'm making memories for my kids.

I grew up fishing for carp in a creek in southern Wisconsin. Got to be quite an expert at it and still miss those ugly things. They are great fighters. Switched to trout when I moved to Washington 25 years ago and used ot spend a lot of time on the north fork of the Sky. It was quite a surprise to walk out of the woods one day and see guys holding hands while walking back to thier cars.

Excellent post Theking!

I grew up fishing the west side of Puget Sound. Fished Dogfish Bay and Dogfish Creek here in Poulsbo quite a bit. Used to catch sea run cutts and salmon off the bulkheads and old oil docks also got bottom fish out at the docks and old oyster plant. Even a few rock cod and true cod. Had a fishing buddy and we even caught SRC, rainbow, and steelhead in the creek. Agate Pass was hot back then. My uncle took us out fishing on his boat. Dad used to take me to work with him at the ferry dock in Kingston on Sundays and I'd catch cod. We also fished the Quilcene and the Duckabush. I caught my first catfish on the Rock River upstream of the Mississippi near my uncles place on the river.

I grew up fishing freshwater at Lake Tanwax in Pierce county. We still have property on the lake,but its grown up a bit since the old days.

Saltwater was Pt-no-Pt. We lived a few houses from the PNP beach resort. My two brothers and I worked at the resort during high school. Nothing better than the warm summer nights fishing for Kings after dinner.