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Who's Your Mentor ????

3K views 25 replies 21 participants last post by  NIGHTSTRIKES 
#1 ·
Every spring I think back to my early days of fishing. The days when ,thank God ,dedication and persistence beat out frustration and despair. Hard work and a lot of determination helped, but so did a good friend I won't forget. The legend, aka. Jim Roff, God rest his soul.

I learned from him in many ways but without question just standing next to him alternatning casts was by far the most fruitful, that is if I could find him. And of course that was usually at 2am. Where he fished was no secret to most, but when and how, ah that was key. A quick observation of my ignorance , a " hey, how about that," those were his offerings.
I remember one night we were catching our share of weakies, but I had my mind on my first decent size striper. After every hook up I would say, maybe this is the one, no way man he retorted. Here take this, 10 minutes later, hook-up, after glancing at my rod tip he says, " now you got something worthwhile". And I did, a 28 inch linesider.
So go out and catch one for the Legend this year, I sure will.

Ron

[ 02-23-2004, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: Dr. Bass ]
 
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#2 ·
My Dad.

When I was a kid I was a class A screw up. Did great in school with the classes I liked and sucked in the classes I hated.

Always in some kind of trouble but nothing serious. Just class clown, rock through neighbors window ,sell his booze to my friends, Blow up the lawnmower with cherry bombs, setting the woods on fire stuff.

I guess back then he could see my love for nature and fishing. We were always ready to go anytime and everywhere. What was great was that no matter how much I screwed up during the week it stayed at home.

I couldn't screw up in his eyes if I was fishing. Figured he would kill me when the Philly police drug me home at 3am for curefew. Opening day of trout fishing and I snuck out at 1am to walk the three miles to get a good spot in Pennypack Creek. Cops grabbed me about three hundred yards from the park. I was fourteen and they took me home. The cops knocked and my father opened the door with one eye open in his boxer shorts. When the cops told him that they found me he tore into them. Let them have it so bad that they put me back in the car and drove me right up to the edge of the creek. That day my dad was a giant.

On the weekend when we fished I had a clean slate. I was his fishing buddy and he was mine. For twenty years I fished with him. For the next twelve he fished with me.

From being with the man all that time he was able to pass on all the skills and patience needed to fish well. He didn't depend on electronics and I still shy away from them. With him it was more feel and I love it when I get that feel.

Dad didn't have much of a sense of humor. He was tight with a buck. He was stern but fair. He was the best I have ever seen with a rod and reel. I still miss him a lot and there isn't one day that I fish that I don't think about something that he taught me.
 
#3 ·
Didn't have one, Dad had to work 3 jobs so I was on my own. That's why my kids striperman_131 & sheet_da_bed fish with me, I want them to remember fishing with their Dad, I learned from watching and asking and reading. My memories of my Dad was trying to be quiet when he had a chance to catch a few zzzz's. A better man I don't know, just wish we could have spent some time together.
 
#4 ·
Capt. Don Basmajian ( Miss Cape May)

I grew up fishing aboard his boat. Also had the privledge of working as his mate for a year before deciding to obtain my Captains license.

Also...I have learned alot from friends that I have fished with over the years.
Jer ;)
Adam :cool:
Scott :D
Jeff :confused: :D

All of these people have something to do with me doing what I do! And I have learned something about fishing from all!

And one more person to add would be my DAD...He took me fishing when he could..And I thank him for that! ;)

[ 02-23-2004, 12:14 PM: Message edited by: striper2278 ]
 
#5 ·
It was my Dad also- Bill Roth. To this day I can't sleep the night before opening day of trout season. He too used to fish the pennypack as a boy. He started me fishing at about 6 years old and was there
to help teach my two sons the same love of fishing he taught me. My sons have been fishing since they were in diapers - they can't sleep before opening night either!
He passed away this Christmas but he will be remembered with every cast me and my boys make and every fish we catch!
 
#6 ·
MY FATHER LET ME GO WITH HIM FROM SINCE I CAN REMEMBER AND SINCE I WAS 8 EVEN IF HE WAS GOING OFFSHORE.WHEN I WENT TO MIAMI TO SCHOOL THE BOAT WAS THERE IN THE WINTER AND HE WOULD COME DOWN AND WE WOULD GO TO THE BAHAMAS FOR A COUPLE DAYS A FEW TIMES EACH WINTER.
I ALSO LIKE TO CALL THE PEOPLE I FISH WITH MENTORS CAUSE I WATCH WHAT DIFFERENT PEOPLE DO.A PERSON WHO STAIN AND I FISHED A LOT IN THE LATE MIDDLE LATE 80'S WAS WAYNE ELBIE OF THE SEARCHER WHO WAS AS GOOD AS I EVER SAW AT JUST ABOUT ANY FISH AND PROBABLY STILL IS.

ANOTHER THING TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU TALK FISHING AT THE DOCK OR BAR LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING NOT JUST HOW BIG THERE FISH WERE OR WHEN IS IT MY TURN TO JUMP IN.YOU SHOULD NEVER THINK YOU ARE PERFECT OR KNOW THE MOST.FISHING IS A VERY HUMBLING SPORT.

[ 02-23-2004, 02:49 PM: Message edited by: BIGGESTJACK ]
 
#8 ·
A whole bunch of trial and error. Didnt know anyone who fished the salt. I guess I could say Frank Daganult as far as books go. Dave C gave me tips on weakies on artificials before the barn was around we were on some surf fishing messgae board. It was VEY general with guys from Cali, Maine, Texas...all over. Maps helped me A LAT. Mostly took rides to places I heard about and gave it a try. Word of mouth about certain places. The internet came along after I was well on my way but I am always picking up great tips especially when going to new destinations like the Cape or OBX. My Dad and Uncles helped me get started in freshwater in 1979. For those of you that learned on the net...be thankful! I got skunked quite a bit when I was trying new places. Now you just ask....cant beat that!
 
#9 ·
The first person was my Dad .. we used to wake up at 5 am make sammiches all the rods were ready and head to the boat .. spend most of the day trolling for blues along with my uncle harry and brother ....

before the divorce the whole family would go on the boat and fish the indian river bay for flounder used to crush em this was before the 17 inch size limit and bag limit was applied..


Dad and i really dont get out like we used to.. he is in delaware and i am in cape may during the summer i did get to go out to the old grounds with him 2 years ago we did well with some nice flatties

now my mentor is my friend Joe Startare he has shown me a lot of different ways to catch stripers and tuner and flounder as well as he gives me a hard time if i slip and give #s out lol i guess you can never be too old to have a mentor
 
#10 ·
Originally posted by hipkvw:
A whole bunch of trial and error. Didnt know anyone who fished the salt. I guess I could say Frank Daganult as far as books go. Dave C gave me tips on weakies on artificials before the barn was around we were on some surf fishing messgae board. It was VEY general with guys from Cali, Maine, Texas...all over. Maps helped me A LAT. Mostly took rides to places I heard about and gave it a try. Word of mouth about certain places. The internet came along after I was well on my way but I am always picking up great tips especially when going to new destinations like the Cape or OBX. My Dad and Uncles helped me get started in freshwater in 1979. For those of you that learned on the net...be thankful! I got skunked quite a bit when I was trying new places. Now you just ask....cant beat that!
Geez Hip! I'm disappointed! I didn't see my name in there! :confused:

Mine is the greatest guy I ever knew. My Dad! Lost him a year and a half ago but he's with me everyday! I hope that I can leave the impression on my son that he left on me!
 
#11 ·
Hiraim Thompson.Grew up fishing on the BIG JIM with him for a better part of my youth.After my folks divorce he took me under his wing & even to the point of staying the weekw/him(we were shoebee's).Still can remember him saying "lord tie one on for me".Taught me alot of what i know about the bay.Can't ask for much more but i even fished w/him the day he pasted.R&R
 
#13 ·
Chunking, class clown here as well. Amazes me I am not still bartending and surfing, that wasn't so bad actually. Used to tell my residency directors I could go back easily if they fired me, they knew I meant it.
 
#16 ·
Its biggestjacks father fault :D then biggest kept the ball rolling and I am now passing it onto ministain. You can say its a family affair. :D

If grandpop takes dad fishin then dad has to take son but it would have been the best to have the little stain with his great grandpop and pop pop on the same boat :cool: I'll bet he's there watching though. :cool: I think I started catching blues that were almost as big as me. :eek:

[ 02-23-2004, 10:11 PM: Message edited by: THECHUMSTAIN ]
 
#17 ·
Dad worked all the time taking care of our large family's needs.

My fishing mentor? The Folcroft Public Library. As a young lad I would walk down and grab every fishing book and fishing magazine they had. Very fond of HG Tapply and his collection of "tips". Later in life I found a copy of the book and bought it....much of my youth washed over me re-reading it. Read AJ McClane, and while in college in Philly, found a copy of his Encyclopedia in a old bookstore on Spruce St. for $5....As a boy I also was enamoured of fly tying and used to stick any hooks I could find in my grandfather's bench vise, then run upstairs and sneak a few feathers out of my grandmom's Sunday hat and some pieces of colorful yarn out of the blanket she brought back from El Salvador.
I have fished with some very fine people....but, truly, the fish themselves have been my mentor..they always tell me what they want and MOSTLY what they don't want.
 
#18 ·
I had a few in my time,First and foremost my grandfather,taught me to fish freshwater to down the shore fishing as he called it.after he passed it was my uncle Harry who taught me how to fly fish for trout and smallmouth .after a few years i took it to new levels,as i had him holding up a scien as i turned over rocks to get samples of acuatic life,Then Buddy Knoff an older fellow who could tie a fly thatlooked as though it were alive.took me under his wing,and taught me how to tie more realistic flies.Now its Capt Bill Hallman neighbor and friend,he showed me things i only dreamed of.and took me fishing on boats that i never thought i would ever fish on.He showed me the offshore,and i am still learning at least one thing evry time we go,He has a vast knowledge of fishing and i make sure i take the time to listen to everythink he has to say when we fish together.and learn from it.you really are never to old to have a mentor !!!!!
 
#19 ·
I have two. I really mostly largemouth fish, but I try to fish for stripers any time I can make it down the shore.

Anyway, my father was the one that really got me into fishing. We used to take our little 10 ft jonboat out since I was probably 3 yrs old. He taught me a lot about largemouth fishing. As life went on and my parents went through a bitter divorce, it was a little too much for me to handle at age 15 and I ended up not talking to my father for a long time. Sadly, I called Dad one day and found out that he had cancer. Although I didn't get to fish with him again, I got to make amends with him for about 3 months before he died a little more than a year ago.

One of the first things I did when Dad died was bring a rod to the lake, not really to fish, but more to clear my head. There, I ran into Fred, who had been the mentor that filled the gap for the years that I wasn't talking to my father. Fred taught me more than I ever thought I would ever know about bass fishing. Every time we were both off we were out on the lake in his boat. Always had good times, the only time either of us ever got mad at the other was when one was catching more fish that day. Usually him catching more. But it was never really anger, just ball-breaking kind of stuff like saying "I don't care if you're catching more, you still suck." Just having fun. About a year ago, Fred learned that he also had cancer. I only got to go out with him a few more times last year, and he too passed last week.

I will miss them both and I will always remember the countless good times had and lessons learned because of both of them. I can't imagine anyone being what Dad and Fred were to me again. Not only a father or teacher, but more than that. Fishing is the one thing that I love to do most, and they both have helped me love it so much more. Above all, a fishing buddy. Isn't that about the best kind of friend you can have? I hope that I can be someone like that for someone else someday.
 
#21 ·
Fished lots with my DAD when I was young. Then I hit a certain age(teens) that a lot of us do. Interested in other things,(sports, girls :D , etc.) Last thing I wanted to do was get up at the crack of dawn and go fishing. So he went alone. Little did I know we would lose my father when I was 21 :( , He was only 43(My age now). Wish MANY, MANY times he could be out with me. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. I think he'd be glad to know I have my own boat and get up at the crack of dawn tofish whenever I can.
A lot of trial and error over the years without my mentor.Another reason I'm glad to have found the Barn
 
#22 ·
Originally posted by Red_Cherokee:
Didn't have one, Dad had to work 3 jobs so I was on my own. That's why my kids striperman_131 & sheet_da_bed fish with me, I want them to remember fishing with their Dad, I learned from watching and asking and reading. My memories of my Dad was trying to be quiet when he had a chance to catch a few zzzz's. A better man I don't know, just wish we could have spent some time together.
Thanks Dad....
:D ;)
:D ;)
 
#24 ·
Dad used to say: "I don't know where he gets it from" Pop didn't know much about fishing. It started at a trout rodeo in Pottsville Pa. reed rod,conventional reel,and black thread spooled on it that was thought of as fishing line. Didn't catch any trout but caught the bug. That was age 4. After that it was field and stream, outdoor world,and anyone that I could get an answer from on any body of water. Made alot of fishing buddies that way as well. Still asking questions to this day and probably will till the day they pry the rod from my hand :D After all "Knowledge is Power".
 
#25 ·
Originally posted by Sheet_Da_Bed:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Red_Cherokee:
Didn't have one, Dad had to work 3 jobs so I was on my own. That's why my kids striperman_131 & sheet_da_bed fish with me, I want them to remember fishing with their Dad, I learned from watching and asking and reading. My memories of my Dad was trying to be quiet when he had a chance to catch a few zzzz's. A better man I don't know, just wish we could have spent some time together.
Thanks Dad....
:D ;)
:D ;)
</font>[/QUOTE]Honey, I enjoy every moment....hope you do too. We'll fish hard this year, gonna be a good one, I feel it.
 
#26 ·
Moving This Topic Over To The TackleBox Forum..
Thx
NS
 
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