heres mine:
it was a hot day in june,1981.i had just swapped my new and very spangly digital watch for a woolworths fishing starter kit,i knew i was in for a leathering from mum when she found out ,so with this in mind i shrugged me shoulders ,shook my best mate Neil's hand to seal the deal and of i went to catch me a wopper.
i decided to make it all worth while so i decided on a favorite bit of the hampshire avon that i had long enjoyed,you know the type of schoolboy antics,skimming stones ,splashing the girls as they cycled over the bridge and getting cow poo inbetween yer toes.
this particullar place was given ,long ago,the dubious name of"stink pot alley"at aplace called stratford -sub-castle ,in the shaddow of the ancient hill fort of "old sarum",it neither stank or was an alley,there was a pig farm at the end of the lane never smelt it though!
the 2 mile hike from the council estate that i lived on seemed like an eternity,through the woods called the folly down the valley ,up a very steep chalke track up on to the devises road,passed the sweet shop the down the equally steep stink pot alley.it only took 45 minutes or so but on sutch a hot morning it fealt longer!
well as soon as i got there i got to grips with the 'posh' kit of which i was now the proud owner.sat under a willow in the cool shade iturned a log to find a gourmet feast for the dicerning fish!and to day the coice was worm,not just any worm but godzillaworm,king of all thats slimy,grabbed before he could flee ,this worm was going to change my life,the way i saw gods creation,what i would day dream about for the rest of my days.
after severall attempts my float landed in the water,at times hard to see as the sun reflected off the cristal waters,was that a bite?strike!no,just another bit of weed.
as the sun was lowering the shaddows grew long the hay meadows smelt sweet,i started to feel a churning in my stomach,wasnt sure if it was no food or fear of my diciplinarian mother.with that i lost sight of my float!a bite?more weed?,i struck,a dull thud travelled up that glass rod,again and again,A FISH! after a short while it lay on the bank,all six inches of it ,striped in all its beauty,MY FIRST ROD CAUGHT FISH,a perch !
to this day i still get a lump in my throat when i think of that near perfect day,the beating just a dull memory along with the rest,but the fish ,that six inch perch,will inspire me till i die.
tommorow i will take my sons fishing.
oldangrey
I was brought up on a farm in Norfolk, we had the river Thet running through the farm for about a mile and a half, from East Harling to Bridgham, i grew up on shooting, fishing, riding, trapping, and generally getting into trouble, one of the guys that bought our eggs was from Thetford, just up the road, his Son took me fishing, i was about 7 or 8 and had never been allowed to go before ( this makes me laugh now cus i had 2 airguns and a 16 bore, yet couldnt play on the river) but when Bill asked for permission to fish, I could g with him any time, well i knew the rivers course so it was useful to him i suppose, anyway the first fish i caught was with him, we walked bdooly miles, not realy but i had short legs them days, we sat down on a bend in the river, the rod he gave me was huge twice my height ( then) and then he gave this float thingy well all it was was a feather without the fluff and a bit of cork made into a small ball like onion shape, painted brown at the bottom and orange at the top, the feather quill poked through the cork, and about 1/2 an inch stuck out the top, well when he put it all together it worked, i was a mazed ..this great big Lob worm was the bait, he dumped the hook, float and all into the water at my feet, well after about 20 hours (5 minute) nothing had happened, he moved me away from him, i dont know why probably cus i was whining? anyway the worm hadn't touched the bottom before the rod bent over, i was in complete panic shouting Uncle bill uncle Bill, he rushed over and helped me bring out this bdooly huge fish, it was HUGE !!!! As it dangled at the end of the line i made a grab for it, NOOOOO!!!! but it was too late i had impliaded myself on the fins of a 1/2 lb Perch, that was my first fish ever. There have been many more but that one i will never forget
fish
suprising how many of us cut our teeth on a perch!
Tidal_wear
First fish I ever remember catching was a small flounder at the age of 7 or 8 under the shadows of Claxheugh rock on the banks of the river Wear..........
I had a paper round at the age of 12,used to deliver to the cottages down near pottery bank,always had the lurcher with me as there were rabbits everywhere,one summers morning she was rooting round in a patch of riverside brambles and wouldnt come out,I jumped down the bank to see what she was marking.......... Turned out to be a 30 yard salmon net and two fish wrapped in plastic Poachers had hidden them probably intending to collect later,honour amongst thieves at that age?F**k that for a game of soldiers I remember pulling it in,first light a few mornings later,a quilt of mist lay over the river,and seeing those silver bars coming up from the depth meshed and secure................. Rod and line hasnt held quite the same attraction since
fishy1
Bubble float and fly, on a big river, trout of about 4oz.
wabbiter
my first fish was a trout i tickled when i was about 6yrs old, my cousin showed me how, i was amazed i thought i had magic powers
colinb
my first fish was a gudgeon from the thames at Richmond and i fell in love with fishing that day and have loved fishing ever since.
looking back i bet that gudgeon did`nt even weigh half an ounce
i was lucky in that i had a good tutor ie my uncle who was a dammed good angler and i learnt a lot
Tidal_wear
One of my sons first fish was a small perch at kingston not far from richmond,it was only about four inches long
wildman
fish
well done wildman! what dont kill us makes us stronger!
Turned out to be a 30 yard salmon net and two fish wrapped in plastic 
Poachers had hidden them probably intending to collect later,honour amongst thieves at that age?F**k that for a game of soldiers 
I remember pulling it in,first light a few mornings later,a quilt of mist lay over the river,and seeing those silver bars coming up from the depth meshed and secure................. 
Rod and line hasnt held quite the same attraction since 
