How Old Were You?

[HarborNights]

Monday before the election I was told that my 2 boys had off from school so I saw an opportunity to go fishing on the boat and bring the kids with me in hopes of catching some big ones. I called loosedrags and he was already planning a trip out with sweetrealease to the location sweet landed that beautiful 40 pounder. I was very enthusiastic because not only would i get to spend time what I love doing but get to share it with my sons. 7 and 9 years old they were very excited! We got to Freds (No Bones) around 6:00am and purchased fresh bunker (which looked awsome) and recieved some great advice from Fred in hopes of making the trip a worthy one. Met loose and sweet at the ramp in breezy lee and with some help launched the boats and off we went. My boys were quiet for the most part as i looked at them both I could only imagine what thoughts were going through their heads being out here on the water with Dad going for the big striper. I showed them the picture of the striper sweet caught and they were in aw like no way dad we can catch striper like that! We arrived at our destination and anchored up next to loose and sweet. I set 2 lines out and told each of them to watch> I began the chunk and not more then a few minutes went by and "zing" the right rod had a hit and run, both sons started screaming along with sweet and loose! Fish on! fish on! I quickly went over and set the hook and handed the rod to my son! He began reeling and then the fight was on. The fish began its struggles to get free but my son kept the pressure on. With each turn his face expressions were that of determination that he would land the fish and take his place among the ranks of his fellow fisherman. The boy kept at it and finally with eyes wide as they could open and jaw wide open the fish was at the back of the boat and I was netting it. The cheers from sweet and loose gave us all a sense of accomplishment that few his age accomplish. As I unhooked it and layed in the cooler my son all he could do is stare and say look Dad I cought a big one. Cant wait to tell mom. LOL The fish weighed 26 pounds and the length was 36 and half inches. I have pictures just dont know how to post them.. Thanks loose ans sweet was a fun day. How old were you when you got your first striper? Just curious for replies?

[ 11-03-2004, 02:15 PM: Message edited by: HarborNights ]

[luv2fish]

Great report, glad your sons enjoyed it!

34 yrs young and hooked ever since, bought the Hail Mary the next yr just for striper fishin.

[striper2278]

Great report! It's been 12 yrs almost to the day since I got my first...And it's getting better everyday! smile.gif

[Hooked4Life]

now 17, i would say its been a good 10 years since my dad introduced me into the world of striper fishing. I got my first boat at 12 and ive been addicted ever since i pulled that first 20" striper into the boat!

[GRIMREAPER]

What a first fish!....WOW I am speechless! Harbor Nights jr.(Robert) way to go buddy, I am proud of you. My first striper was only 30 inches and 12lbs. You got me beat...BIG TIME!...I was so happy to hear about your Awesome Fish. I can't wait to see the pictures of it. Make sure that your Dad hangs the pictures on the wall....OH HEll...Just ask him to call Santa Claus and have Santa get the fish stuffed to hang on the wall!... :D

Harbor Nights III (Thomas)....hang in there buddy, you will get the next big one I am sure...and when you do...make sure to ask Santa to get that one mounted like your brothers.... ;)


Great Job to all three Harbor Nights!

[aquasport190]

I was 26 or 27. I never fished for stripers in the 1980s - I was into jumbo blues and stripers were rare. I got into the striper thing in the mid-1990s and finally scored in October of 1997 off of the 8th Street Jetty in Avalon. Shortly thereafter, my in-laws moved to the Chesapeake Bay and I caught stripers out the wazoo. That first one will always be the coolest, though. I was jumping up and down and hollaring, I was so pumped. It ended up being 20" and I had to release it.

[TWIN D'S]

Great Day!! 35 yrs old.

[Bill Holzworth]

32. It was on Capt. Cal Wilson's boat "SeaHawk" out of Oyster Creek, 1/2 mile off the beach by Harvey Cedar's - Long Beach Island on November the 11'th 1990. It was 74 degrees. Fish was 33" It was such an awesone experience I remember it like it was yesterday !

[pgoins]

I think i was 9 or 10. Caught from my dads boat near the Barnegat Inlet. That makes it over 22 years. Wish I alsways kept a log. Would be curious of my total count.

Anyway send the pics. I will get them up for you.

[eelball]

23

[Libation]

Had to be 29,caught the first one trolling for blues at Avalon Shoals in 1989.Both of my sons
have done alot better, both landed fish by 4 years old.Lucky little Bass Turds.

[striperaholic]

GOT hooked on striper when I tried for the first time 30 years ago. My first fish was 36" on my first cast from the bank by the margate bridge. Now I am a striperaholic. and love it.

[Sea Devil]

i would say 27 in 1995 i first heard about the striped one a friend and i would go out on his tracker and anchor up in del river and go thru about 7 doz bloodworms in a day catching stripers catfish and white perch.


soon afterwards (most of these fish didnt hit 24 inches) i looked at the white perch we were catching and thought "heck why not" filleted the perch sent it out a little while and bam!!! a 32 inch striper beautiful fish just a beaut since then its nothing else matters ....

my Best Day was when i met a couple younger guys who were in my marina ..they just bought and slipped a sport craft in utsches for the year ..i broke my steering box and needed a couple tools which they lended me ... those guys ... skip and jeremy

we got to talking and i went out one nov day and we lost count of the stripers we caught..
i think final tally was 75? but will never forget the enthusiasm on skips face as he saw all the stripers under those birds smile.gif and mine as well :D

[ 11-03-2004, 03:53 PM: Message edited by: Sea Devil ]

[TIMMY]

I was around 7 when i got my first, on the miss lorraine out of cape may. Have been fishing for 'em ever since.

[clamchucker]

HarborNights, enjoyed the read smile.gif
Oh yea...believe I was older than dirt at the time. :D

[sweet release1]

i was 5 years old and on my uncle's boat in the mullica river.my dad nor my uncle had not at that point caught a bass,and both looked and my little 22 inch bass and said it begins!!well 24 years later the striped bass still has me in her grip.rob me and loose talked about your sons fish all day, it was a great moment to see,for i have a son that is 3 and dream everyday about what you must have been feeling at that moment!may you three see many more bass on your boat for a long, long time,good freinds,good fishing, matt

[BBunker]

HMMMM, let me see. How about 1971, I was 21yrs old. Out with my Dad & on his friends boat in Great Bay. Never EELED before. All I remember was IT WAS THE BIGGEST FISH I EVER CAUGHT! 28lbs! Only did Freshwater till then.

That got me started BASSIN. Since then I have been fortunate to Striper fish with some of the "BEST" in the area.

2 yrs after my 1st, I took a new job & wound up working with a guy I had read about in the Anglers News. In the mid 70's he was in there EVERY WEEK for his consistant catches. Well we hit it off & I wound up fishing with him for 3yrs while I worked there.

We fished 3-4 days a week while working 4x12. On the water by 4am & done by 9am. THen back home, couple hrs sleep, go to work , then back at it! MAN THOSE WERE THE DAYS!

Spent "ALOT" of time down in Cape May, with Capt. Don on the Miss Cape May. Both working deck & fishing. Party boats had "JUST" started Striper fishing the Rips & it was NEW to the bigger boats. I remember having 15-20 people on board & having eels "FLY" as we entered the rip line. Took a lot of experimenting but, as people learned how to present an eel the catch rate soared.

Lately I've spent time fishing with Capt. Skip & Jeremy on the Stalker. Yet another generation of Excellent Bass fisherman!


Not to sound like an "OLD FART" but, MAN, this post got me thinking!

Thanks HarborNights for making me think about how fortunate I've been! :D ;)

[oilguy]

not a cow but a nice size good eatin keeper,and wow was it a fighter it was rocky bowbowa .what a exitment for me my first striper ever.let me let you in on the spot
go under the dollar brigde down a little and anchor up write next to deep water crick and chunk with clam bellies with hole clam on the hook youll gett'em dont worry

[BASSWHOOPIN]

It will be 10 yrs ago in may That I caught my first bass , 44 inches - 38 Lbs , What an experiance . Call me sick but I think Catching that fish was more exciting than the first time I had s** , Congrats Harbor Nights - Not only will that fish be burned in your sons memory forever . So will it be in yours for having the chance to experience it with them . By the way I was no where near the age of 7 or 9 - quite a bit older

[LBIangler]

Awesome story, I cant remember how old I was I now I was little my dad always took me fishing with him they are some of my best memories with him.

[chunking]

Nice trip but you forgot one part of the story.

When Harbor stopped in for the bunker he told me that his son had told his teacher that they were going to catch a 200 pound striper. :D

I cant remember how old I was but in the picture I am wearing a Davy Crocket jacket so it had to be in the late 50's. Me and dad would make the trip to Rock Hall twice a year.

Way to go with the kids. They looked pretty anxious hanging out the windows in the parking lot. Glad to hear it turned out to be a day to remember.

[LunchMan]

Rob
Great story,I got chills.Congrats to your son.
I might take my kids in the back next weekend they're 3 and 6.You know where I'll be ;) Maybe we'll hook up.
BTW I got my first 4 years ago at the age of 35, a 45in 38lber,I'm still trying to get one bigger

[ 11-03-2004, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: LunchMan ]

[KRAYFISH]

I was 53. I am now 69....Gene

[HarborNights]

i 38 now and I was 34 when i caught my first striper on the free bridge in stone harbor. Nightstrikes was my mentor I was paying strict attention to his technique with the jigging motion and bam a 34 incher. Grim also honed my talents along with some others in which I am greatly indebted to. It is in my mind one of the greatest experiences I ever had and I have taught those who have asked what I have learned so that they may be in luck one day. Alot of great stories to be told and alot more to be written. God I love this sport.

[Sudsrat]

Spring....2001!
1 year,almost to the day, after I started to fish the suds! :D

[ 11-03-2004, 10:04 PM: Message edited by: Sudsrat ]

[Longcast]

HarborNights,

Great post,I was 5 years old wehn I got my first fluke fishing off my uncles boat (first deep sea trip) when I caugh the bass. I will never forget it. Bass was just legal (at time it the legal size was 18"). You never forget your first bass.

Capt. Jeff

[theREELmasterBAITER]

12! Now I am 22 and I love it more then ever!!!

[Partnership]

Awesome report!
I have children the same age and I'll never forget my son's 1st striper- in the rips.....and my daughter's(7) first last year up the bay.

Mine was in Strathmere- I was fishing with an orange floater lure with a strip of mackerel in September by the Rush Chattam Bridge. What a fight on a weakfish rod. It was 32 inches and the biggest fish I had ever caught. Limit was 34inches that year. Measure it twice and then threw it back. Guys on the bridge were clapping and cheering me on.

That was about 8 years ago. My heart was beating sooooo fast. Had a Sea Ray 215 Express Cruiser back then.

[fmTuna]

It was a very, very long time ago when I was just a half a cup of coffee fishing in Reynolds Channel between Island Park and Long Beach Long Island. I remember it was a big fish, but all fish looked big to me then.

My dad made fun of me for years when I got older because I kept yelling "Daddy I dat a big one" while I was reeling it in....seemed like every time I caught something with him, he would start in teasing me about it..

I would give anything in the world to have him by my side to catch anything today.... cherish the moment... I think of him every time I pick up a rod.

[canyon caster]

Ahhh memories ... mine came Easter sunday of' 92 we had family over for dinner , and I started to get fed up with arguin with the family so I took a ride to the Del river ... with night crawlers I dug up in a leaf pile, and went fishing to releave the fustration , bang zip landed a 48" guessing 35 # or better needless to say after that I forgot about what he argument was about ...lol took a pic on the Kodak Disc camera .. cause I was in heaven , then the reel broke on the next cast , the drag washers fell apart in the spool, that was the the last time I bought a cheap reel.....


WAY TO GO ROBERT JR. !!!!!!

Do you have pics of that slob??

[Brian E. Mullaney]

congrats Rob JR! that is on heck of a first fish!

[med]

the summer of '74...I was 22 yrs old...fish came on a clam off the beach in Sea Girt, behind the State Police Academy, fish weighed in at 19 lbs. the guy at the bait shop in Manasquan couldnt believe I caught it during the DAY time.... LOL...I almost lost my rod and reel, as I was sleeping off a hangover from bar hopping the night before...when the fish hit, pulling the rod from the holder into the surf....I reacted in time to save the outfit...and the fish....in fact, I STILL have the rod and reel in the basement...the fish is long gone...LOL... :cool:

[Dakota Rob]

I was 28. ( now 31 ).

The catch was a 32 incher off the fishing pier in somers point ( bay avenue ). It put up a really nice fight.

[nymphofishin]

First time I was 22, second time was last year I was 36. Only caught 2 my whole life.

[mr rosen]

11 years old off of Rock Hall, Maryland while trolling for blues, back in the eighties blues were plentiful however,the bass were not.We had never caught one before and when we netted it all of us just stared like we were looking at an alien.It weighed probably 25 lbs or so, and was fat as hell.With the moratoriam on at the time we quickly put her back in the water and didnt say a world to each other the whole trip home.I didnt catch another til 2000 in the Delaware River.Now I have several beach passes and have caught hundreds in the surf.Love them more each day.

[RedAtNight...]

just a few weeks ago - I'm 26. I was by myself and ran around the beach yelling like a little girl who just finally got her "Big Wheel Barbie" - I'm a guy btw
Not one hand to high-five, but it's what I wanted ... my first from the surf

[capbar]

Memories!! It's amazing how you can remember that first striper. I was 13 years old fishing for channel cats with friends of my Grandparents in the Choptank River,Denton,Maryland. Caught a 6lb'er on a nightcrawler on an old South Bend spincast reel. That linesider made one happy kid. By the way that was 1960 and I've pursued them ever since from Massachusetts to North Carolina to San Francisco but that first one will always stand out.

[TRYN2WN]

Great story. Glad to see the younger generation getting out on the pond.I was 7-8 years old on the susquehana flats. Caught my first striper on a broken-back rebel. Thought it was a huge one at the time but now I think of a 20" striper as a baby to release and grow older.

[A Frayed Knot]

I was 35. It was on the sod banks of Graveling point. Although it was a half inch to short I was thrilled and hooked for life. 5 year later I still get as pumped up for every one that I catch. This past Tuesday I finally broke the 20 lb mark. We were high 5ing and and acting like kids at Christmas time. Yesterday we got 11 in the pouring rain and blustery conditions and never thought twice about giving in to the weather.

[ShoreHooks]

Rob Great report glad to see your son caught a nice one for his first fish, now you gotta work for Harborson #2 to get his. Oh yea I'm still looking for my first :D :D .

[njvbass]

This past summer in Sea Isle 3PM middle of august.People swimming in the water etc.I was catching kings/skates just keeping busy.Figured If I'm gonna be near water Bring a rod.Well Iwas sitting in my chair watching the kid play with a kingfish in the hole he dug(filled with water).I was about 2 beers in on the cast,When I noticed my rod wasn't in the spike but floating in the surf.So I causually went over picked up and wham,40 incher the fish had no stripes though it was as if he was bleached from the sun.I was a hero that week on that beach block.I did release the fish after a couple pictures.I used to be a big freshwater guy,but lately I been in the other isles at dick's. Since then I caught one at 28In in sept.Oh i was using good ole mackerell.On a fish finder rig,like I was catfishing.

[njvbass]

I'm 26 yrs old by the way.

[JPHooks]

I was 6 or 7 years old when I hooked and reeled in my first striper. Of course my father held the pole back to relieve some tension, but I was damn proud of myself. I also did the same thing and starred at the fish for the remainder of the time. Felt like a huge accomplishment when you get your first. That goes for every first time. LOL. The striper was 34 and a half inches and weighted 22lbs. Great report dad, aka HarborNights

[BrennaB]

28 years old.

[Bob ECT]

Can't remember how old I was, probably 6 or 7. It was on the way in from a late season canyon trip.

Saturday night, my 5 year and 4 year braved the cold and each got a bass. Chris (5) got one just under 28 inches on a plug and Matt (4) got one 30 inches (with a little help) on a bucktail. Luckily my 4 year like's to release everything he catches so he was glad to let it go. Chris would have killed me if his had to go back smile.gif

The only dissappointment of the trip was Chris did not catch a fish on one of his homemade lures though he did try.

[Bob ECT]

Can't remember how old I was, probably 6 or 7. It was on the way in from a late season canyon trip.

Saturday night, my 5 year and 4 year braved the cold for a few hours with Dad and Grandpa and each got a bass. Chris (5) got one just under 28 inches on a plug and Matt (4) got one 30 inches (with a little help) on a bucktail. Luckily my 4 year like's to release everything he catches so he was glad to let it go. Chris would have killed me if his had to go back smile.gif

[roundthreeb]

I think I was about 21 or 22. I use to just fish for flounder and Tuna before that age. What a fun fish to catch!!

[BIGGESTJACK]

i was 47 in 90 in the rancocos creek cat fishing near the railroad bridge-would pull up the hard salami and kept getting hits half way up.finaly left it there and caught 3 or 4 about 10".i had never seen one caught and never fished for them.

[striperholic]

I caught my first striper when I was 22, in the del, bay It was 43" and 34lb.

[CSStriper]

I was 21 on my friends dock in the Del River. I thought it was a catfish. Must have been a little tipsy thinking a catfish could run like that

[smp3444]

I got my first this summer at 18. Just a little bit short, right off a pier.

[CastawayRay]

well .... havent caught one yet, so ive got til feb to say 42, lol

jeeze! little OLD to still have a cherry!

tongue.gif

(glad BIGGEST has me beat tho, lol)

[Fishenough]

Great topic. I was 18 fishing off the old OC/Longport bridge. Luckily I got off the bridge before the police showed up. smile.gif The 1st fish I ever caught was a flounder. I was probably 5 yrs old fishing with my dad in Beesley's Point off of the bulkhead along Rt. 9. My dad gave me fishing line, a hook and piece of squid. I dropped the line in the water and pulled in a 16" fluke. Keeper back then. I'm 35 now and will never forget that experience. All thanks to my dad.

[striper13]

10 Years old,in the rips on the Stalker :D http://images.snapfish.com/3423266323232%7Ffp63%3Dwp%3E232%3C%3D42%3A%3D%3C56 %

[striper13]

Can somebody help me here with my last post. Still can't figure out this pic thing....13

[ReidGeo]

uncle rob,once again that is great about robert and "the big one" oh, and i got your message, i will call you whenever i can

[FLUKE 1:26]

22 years old and it occured today! Actually, what's weird is it was 22 inches too!