New Members: This is THE THREAD for new members!

[Jennie@ifish]

All new members, post your stories here!
Welcome new members! This is the ongoing thread where all the new members post their stories! Please join in!
New members won't know about this thread, until we send them their welcome letter, so it won't get used for a while.... Until then, I hope they see it! If not... play on the main board, and that's fine.
We'll get this up and running soon.
Older members, let's try and leave this for the newer members. Feel free to welcome them, here, after they do their story though!

If anyone sees a new member post somewhere else, let's whistle the mods, and I'll copy and paste it here, or send them a note to do it themselves!
Thanks!
Jen

[ 01-28-2003, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]

[crabbait]

This thread is for welcoming New Members but it was getting a lot of nibbles from a bunch of old boots....so I "released" 'em. :grin:

Back to the top.

[fishchaser]

Welcome aboard all new members :cheers:

[crabbait]

Welcome aboard to Stingray. His story is in the hunting forum but you can welcome him here!

Welcome aboard to Amysteryman! here is his story: This Ifish thing is pretty cool. It's my first input on the internet, so please bare with me.

My intro fish story takes place on the Salmon River above Welches at a campground (Green River I think). It was a Fathers Day about 20 years ago. Our family went on a picnic for the day and I decided I would try to fish for some trout. I walked down to the river and looked upriver and downriver and not a soul fishing. I rigged my trout rod and spinning reel (2lb test). I put a 1" piece of night crawler on a small snell hook and cast into a nice looking tailout. About a second after the bait hit the water I had my first steelhead on! I fought that fish for a good 20 minutes (probably 5 or 6). My line (2lb test) finally broke. My knees were shaking so hard I could hardly stand up. I heard some people talking behind me so I turned around and there was about 20 people up the bank watching me. Within 10 minutes there were about 20 people fishing that hole. I just put my gear away. The next day I bought my first steelhead rig and have been digg'in it ever since.

[ 01-28-2003, 01:27 PM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

[Diehard]

Well, I guess being a relative newbie, it's time to share a story.
A few years ago, I finally hooked my first springer :dance: (my fishin' buddies might say it hooked me). Although I had caught several salmon in the ocean, this was my first river fish.
After spending many many :mad: hours waiting for the hit, it finally happened. FISH ON! graemlins/applause.gif I'll never forget how much fun that fish was. It came out of the water five times and took 20 to 25 minutes to get to the boat. Once the fish gave it up, we soon realized it was hooked in the side. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. This was one of those times. I've been "hooked" on springers ever since.

Good luck everyone!

[skrimmy]

Welcome aboard - Stingray, Diehard, and Amysteryman! graemlins/applause.gif

[KingFisher85]

Welcome to ifish Stingray, Diehard :cheers:
good storys graemlins/applause.gif

[Gizmo Man]

Welcome aboard new members....

Giz...

[Stz ll]

Welcome aboard to all new members. :cheers:

[PapaHog]

Welcome aboard new members. This should be a required site for all who fish or want to fish or think they might want to fish.

Welcome from...papahog

[crabbait]

Welcome aboard, Diehard. When chinook jump repeatedly it is a good indication that the hook is other than in the mouth. Sounds like you will get a good chance to put some in the boat this year.

Good luck, guys! :smile:

[Kruechief]

Welcome one and all to ifish!

My the wind be at your back on the last stretch to the ramp!

Krue

[STINGRAY]

Thanx 4 the welcome, what a great site to read and reply....remember...BE PREPARED!!!

[slamin salmon]

Welcome to our gang!! Hope you all enjoy this site as much as I do. Fish on dude! SS :dance:

[Fast Water]

TTT

[Jettin' Fool]

Bump :cool:

[Deep runner]

Well I missed this part but better late than never. I well tell you all about my fishing partner she is my 7 year old daughter, shannon. graemlins/lurk.gif She has only missed fishing trips because of school and she would skip to fish any day. One day we were on the C.R I was fishing for sturg. she got a new zebco for her Bday and had to take it with not only that but use it and it had to have her little red and white spoon one for trout. :shrug: So I gave in put one split shot on it and tossed it out the back put it in the holder. We were in about 65 ' this thing could'nt catch a fish!!!!!!!!!!! But boy was Dad wrong a little while later bang the pole is dobbled over.She got a 12 pound salmon on that set up I had to help her land it but I well never live it down :bowdown: and I dont tell her she cant use what she wants anymore. she is the only 7year old that I know that has had a harvest tag for 3 years and needs it.

[crabbait]

Great story, Deep runner. Welcome aboard.

[ 01-30-2003, 10:50 PM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

[Class VI]

Hello ifishers! I’ve read the board for quite a while, but I’m just now registering, so here’s my introductory story. As my name indicates, I love rivers and being on rivers. I came up through the whitewater rafting tradition, spent time guiding in Alaska, and have gotten into fishing as another way of enjoying time on the rivers.

My most memorable trip wasn’t from around here, but instead was a charter trip out of Lahaina, Maui. I was hoping for marlin, and as the outrigger popped and I jumped into the fighting chair, I knew I had a mighty fish on. After getting strapped in, I looked up to see what I thought was a fish tailwalking. However, I quickly realized that it was just the coincidental jump of a dolphin, and not a marlin. What I had on was a big tuna. It proved to be a monster that took over 45 minutes to reel in. What a blast! When we finally gaffed it and brought it aboard, it was huge – 163 pounds (it would have been the 2nd biggest tuna out of Lahaina for the year before).

[Stz ll]

Great story Class VI. Welcome aboard. :cheers:

[BrionLutz]

This is a first OR salmon story, migrated here from DC two fishing seasons ago.

At work we had some other refugees, VA, FL and one native OR (who had never fished or skiied here...now there's a waste of geography...Hello!!??).

So the rest of us were hot to get into the fishing...figured I'd find a guide. Being in the internet biz, went for someone with a good website...found Julie Cates.

Julie suggests an Astoria trip. Sounds good to us. So we meet Julie at the Hammond ramp and out we go. Julie explains the deal, herring, I'm a lure person myself.

We get out there, get the rods set, Julie explains what to do if we get a fish on...and then it goes crazy...every pole is going down...everybody's holler'in...Coho all over the place...even more Chinook, which we had to release, so we are cutting off hooks with the fish in the water and boating a few.

A crazy day...we were limited out by noon and trolled on back to the dock while Julie's "bait boy" cleaned the fish.

On the ride home my buddies were in a bit of a shock. "I wasn't expecting that...maybe a fish or two but not that!" One goes out that night and buys a freezer to store the fish.

A super introduction to OR salmon.

Of course, I was the one who ended up getting hooked. Went out and got the jet boat and everything.

Still do the guide trips...about 10 year (take my buddy' kids out on most of them) with Julie, Jack Glass, Larry Page and Dennis Stewart...sucking their brains out for the how-to's...seems there's a never ending lists of things to learn...at least that's what they keep telling me.

[Green Machine]

Great big welcome aboard!! :cheers:

Green Machine

[Point-of-Sale Clerk]

Brion

I wanted to hear the Larry Page story
http://www.fishingoregon.net/tillamook_bay_salmon_dew14.jpg

[Reel Crazy]

Great stories. Welcome everybody :cheers:

[fishisabonus]

***

Great Picture. Nice Day too! That fish must be a record holder.. Not only that, but they guy holding the fish so casually with one hand must have an inner strength that is uncommon to us mortals.

Welcome all new members!

[Re:Play]

Welcome Amysteryman, BrionLutz, Class IV, Deep Runner, Diehard. That is an incredible cross section of great fishing experiences in your stories. This is a great place to be. May you all have many more stories and great experiences, and may all your fish be hooked in the mouth. :cheers:

[BrionLutz]

Fishis,

<< Not only that, but they guy holding the fish so casually with one hand must have an inner strength that is uncommon to us mortals. >>

Uh...that would be me and it took two hands...just don't let'em see you sweat...or the other hand <grin>.

[steel_beaver]

Hi everyone!

I've been reading your posts for a while, so I finally decided to join properly. A place with so many good people to talk to is the best place you can be on rainy days like today.....
Here is my story:

About two years ago, I decided to make my first sturgeon trip on the Willamete. I pick up my buddies and in an hour the lines are in the water and the bells are ready to go off. But the fish had other plans for the day. No bites for three hours! That's a first :grin: So I decided to take a nap.
A few minutes later I heard a bell and when I opened my eyes I saw my pole trying to jump into the river :shocked: In a blink I was by the pole and just when I was about to set the hook, I heard my friend's evil laugh coming from the bushes next to me. I traced the, line and sure enough, it also took a little detour through the bushes. I put the pole back into the pole holder, hung the bell, and started looking for a rock to throw at him. I could still hear him laughing his but off behind me when my bell started ringing again. "Bill, Its not Funny Anymore!!!!" He yelled back at me, "Dude, its not me, I swear !!!!" I turned around and he had this stupid look on his face.......
I grabbed the pole and set the hook! FISH ON! Boy that was the heaviest fish I have ever fought....... OK it was a shaker :rolleyes:

It was great day though, and I am looking forward to more days like that. Maybe we can share one...

[Reel Crazy]

Steel Beaver,
With the group that I fish with you can count on that prank being pulled at least once. Don,t doze off ! In Cabo last month I pulled that on the deck hand while he was down in the head. Well, at least the captain and I thought it was funny :grin: Welcome aboard :cheers:

[Sturgeon Tom]

Looks like the joke was on him, Welcome.

[Fast Water]

Welcome to Ifish everyone!!

:cheers: :grin: :cheers:

[lucky strike]

good story steel beaver. thank God for friends, huh? welcome :cheers:
fish hard, lucky strike

[Bobby Ray]

Hello New Ifisher's, Thanks for sharing your stories and welcome to our great fishing community pull up a chair and stay a while.

Looking forward to your comments and reports

Big n Bright

http://www.feebleminds-gifs.com/bluemeaniefish.gif

[Thumper]

Back to the top for those stories.......

[FishonGrahn]

okay im probably one of the newest members here so heres my story :rolleyes: last oct i was out in area 8-2 trollin for silvers. we had been catchin so many that week i decided to bring my steelhead rod for some light tackle fun. my fishin buddy and i had caught 1 a piece. things were slow when he switched to a dodger and WHAM!!! 3 fish in a row all small tho so we kept on trying for a big one. so i switched to a dodger too and as i was letting it down , it got to about 25ft and it popped off the rigger. i looked at my rod but no action. i picked it up to reel it in and start over when i noticed i had almost no line left. i reeled down and set the hook and HOLY COW!!! i said i got a big one. it rolled on top and we thought it would go 20# or so. as it got closer we were thinkin 30#s no way!!. it headed strait for the bottom and after 30 min i brought in a 54# king. On 12# maxima and with a gl-2 1025c rod. A fish of a lifetime for these waters. i will post a pic if i ever learn how graemlins/program.gif

well thats my story, FISHON :sleep:

[Fast Water]

Welcome to Ifish FishonGrahn!!

On 12# test?? Man what a challenge!!

:cheers:

BTW: Thanks for using the proper thread. :grin:

[MadMerganser]

Well I have just recently been starting to fish the rivers (read umpqua) for salmon. In the past I have fished the puget sound for salmon and bottom fish and in more recent years spent some time flyfishing for trout. Well the winter months are hard on a midwestern Oregon flyfisher of trout and so when mid February rolled around a few years back two of my friends and I decided to try the march browns on the Mckenzie river. We all loaded into the rig and took off at the appropriate hour. Half an hour of general lighthearted B.S. later one of my friends Dave went into a general panic. When he calmed down enough that we could understand the warm blue streak it came out that his waders were sitting in his living room. graemlins/stupid.gif Dave tried to talk us into going back but we were already halfway there. We told him we could stop at Wal-Mart or he could stay on the bank. Well he couldn't bring himself to spend the money when he had a good pair back home. So off to the river we went. Well it's still fairly cold but Dave and Dave still wanted to fish from this island that had a fishable back channel and access to a couple of good runs. Well if you knew Dave you would know that the dry bank just wouldn't cut it, furthermore it was too cold to fish wet. So imagine if you can mid February water tempature and wind chill found Dave in his natural state holding his clothes gear and boots above his head wading belly button deep through a rock strewn channel to get to the Island. Fortunately for Dave his footing was sure and his clothes and boots stay dry so after a quick towel with a tshirt he was able to fish in relative comfort. The other Dave and I of course offered various forms of encouragement :laugh: and suggestions graemlins/applause.gif throughout the whole entertaining scene. A few fish and a couple of hours later it was time for a repeat performance which was performed with even more reluctance. This of course is now brought up every spring or any time that Dave should be bringing his waders as well as occassionaly over the brews at the end of another day on the rivers.

[thecougdad]

Sorry, I put it on the main board. I will try it again.

A few years ago my fishing partner and I decided to try salmon fishing out of Neah Bay. Put the outboard in the truck, drove up and rented a kicker boat. The weather was terrible and the salmon were out of reach of the small boat so we stayed in close to shore and caught some nice Sea bass, Ling cod and Rock cod. On the way home I got behind a slow moving truck with plywood sides and a tarp on top. The road was full of curves and I notice on every corner something would come off the truck, asked my partner what he thought it was and he replied “looks like ice, probably a load of fish”. Around the next corner out came a 60# halibut. I know, you don’t pick up road kill, but I could not see letting that beautiful, cleaned and iced down fish go to waste. Brushed off a little gravel and in to the back of the truck it went. Upon arriving home my wife asked, “How was fishing?” I said,”Not bad, but the drive home was great”

[KingFisher85]

Welcome to ifish everyone :cheers:

[Fast Water]

Madmerganser, great story! :laugh:

and

Thecougdad, nice catch! I wouldn't pass it up either. :smile:

Welcome to Ifish!!

:cheers:

[U. I.]

So I graduated from Humboldt State University and had the opportunity to fish very locally from there ( Mad river specifically). Well I lived in the dorms and my friends roommate's dad was a small scale commercial fisherman down in the L.A. area with a 22 foot aluminum , center consol, etc. nice boat but seemed small for the Humboldt ocean. He was up visiting his son in Aug. of 96 I think it was. A hell of a fisherman plus his son too. Fishing for money and for life. Mainly for life. and out of this aluminum. Anyways, he was going to try his luck up here for the first time.
Me and Randy (my friend),Matt and his Dad.
We launch and first set out for rockfish a few miles out. Bam! or more like Bam!Bam Bam BAm etc. You get the idea. A cooler full of Black rockfish and two lingcods which weighed out at 15 after they were cleaned. One spit up about a 4 pound octopus when it first came up and Matt's dad wanted to hook it on but Matt threw it overboard too soon. Anyways, Matt's dad is hardcore and I would have been happy with our bounty of rockfish. but it was time to go for salmon now! Two fishing trips in one, I had no idea. Great. Lets keep going.
So we motor even farther out, 7 miles about. Matt starts to let out the poles, the first one goes out and something picks it up immediatly. Its screaming, the line's peeling like crazy, and Matt is yelling at Randy to come to the stearn. Matts clicks the bail over and sets the hook.
My GOD!!! and I'm not even religious, this fish leaps strait out of the air like a freaking MARLIN fully airborn and wiggling mid air, then crashing back down. It was about a football field away already and it was huge we could see that from here. An explosive leap. Incredible everyone was astonished. Meanwhile Matt is still holding on to the reel and is yelling at Randy to pick it up.
Now I have to stop and explain about Randy. Randy, no fishing experience at all!, just a big burly x-wrestler who has trained with Hoyce Gracy.
Anyways, he starts freaking cranking with his head down like a maniac, the reel is spooled with 30 pound test and is reeling like mad. In no time the fish has cut the distance in half and leaps out of the water again. Im truly speechless. Everybody is watching. He continues to reef, now all this is happening in about 20 seconds. This fish is swimming towards the boat and at full speed. Now right after its second jump it suddenly appears right next to the boat 3 Feet!!!. Its the Fish, two feet of line, the pole, Randy, Me right behind him, and Matt with his Dad back at the center console. We were blocking the view of the fish with our backs the fish was so close!
Continuing......
The fish came up out of the water,broadside to the boat. It was above the boat rail. Looked Randy, I swear square in the eye, snapped its head to the right, broke the line mid air mind you!, and then dove back in. The eye was as big as my fist......
Yes!..it was an albacore tuna and it must have been about 50 to 60 lbs. I crap you not. I would go down to the Humboldt docks and buy tunas off the big boats and this one was three times the size.
To this day matt and his dad still don't believe us that it was a tuna because they didnt see it but we did...

To make a long fishing trip a short story that was the most exciting part but we limited out on huge chinooks soon after with randy breaking 3 other huge salmon at the boat, these fighting totally different than the first fish. I was really ready to use Randy for bait because he had no clue what he was doing. Once we got him off the poles. Matt and I started boating huge chinook one after the other until we limited, 4. Anyways, after that His Dad still was ready. Now, we go into 200 feet of water and fish for Halibut. Twenty minutes later Randy is realing up a 5 to 6 foot shark. Im not very sure exasctly what kind but it wasn't no leopard shark. He had that on for all of 10 seconds till it gently bit off the line. It was weird because it came all the way to the top easily, then decided to go back down. No halibut just the shark and the trip was over.

[LilSteelie]

Welcome to Ifish everyone! Sending this back to the top so other new people can add their stories...

[ReelTrouble]

Well, here we go, another story from a newbie. So here we go!!!

A couple of years ago, I went down to the coast to fish for coho out of Ilwaco. So we headed down to the coast hoping for the best, and the best is exactly what we got. After running out to sea for a while, we were fishing, and within what seemed like seconds we had our first fish in the boat, followed by another and another, and then doubles. Even had tripples once. Amidst the chaos, some of the hooks got tangles in the net, so we cut the line (this proved to be our greatest mistake) but we still had hooks in the net, when we got two more fish to the boat. Well, this is when the greatest day of fishing got bad, as we were trying to net another fish, the hooks somehow caught a friends thumb, and as the fish thrashed around, the hook slipped right through his thumb. Well the fishing stopped while we tried to figure out how to get the hook out. A while passed untill we got it out. After some time of untangling the mess of line that seemed to be everwhere from the fiasco, we were back to fishing, but despite the setback, we still were able to limit (12 fish) in somewhere around and hour and a half.

Well, hope you enjoyed!!!!!!!!

[Empty Netter]

Well,I've been lurking for a long time , its time to give my story. I thought I was reading my story while reading Class VI's Story. Went out of Lahaina, Maui for Marlin also. We were south of Molokai catching huge waves from a hurricane that was going north of the island. Captain said we would have to turn and go back the way we came as the waves were now breaking over the flyingbridge on the 40' boat we were on. All of a sudden my rod goes down, and they get me set up in the chair to fight this fish. Every thing was going great I was pumping and reeling as instructed. The fish was putting up quite a fight. All of a sudden , the guys behind me start laughing their butts off. Out about a hundred yards or so is my fish? jumping from wave to wave. We landed it and I had it mounted. The nicest 4 Wheel Drive HAT you ever saw. I think I hold the record for that species. Tight Lines to you all!

[fish assassin]

bump

[Fast Water]

Reel Trouble :smile:

Empty Netter :smile:

Welcome to Ifish!!


:cheers:

[ 02-06-2003, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: Fast Water ]

[outfishem]

This is a Ripley's beleive or not story. This summer my dad, brother and I went Tuna fishing out of Westport, I got one on and the fish took the line under the boat and got the line stuck on the bottom of the boat or around the prop so the deck hands found theend that was on the other side of the boat and cut the line on both sides of the boat and then spliced them back together again so I could fight the fish some more all in all I got the fish in the boat it weighed about 15 pounds of pure muscle. If anyone likes to fish they should try fishing for tuna to me they are the best pound for pound fighting fish. That fishing trip was a very few times that someone caught more fish than me and it happened to be my brother.

[tt3886]

Well, here goes.
I'm a 7yr transplant from Redding CA. Grew up with the sacramento river in my backyard. Came up here to pursue a career in electronics. Unfortunately, high tech has taken a beating lately. Fortunately, I'm still working. I've been reading this forum for at least the last 2yrs, just didn't have anything to add, that was better than any of you all's advice. But, recently, something came up in the general class ads, that I wanted to purchase. So, I signed up. I've seen alot of you on the water, but at the time, wasn't a member.
Went to the show yesterday, and walked around for 5hrs, and still didn't find Jennie. My feet are killin me. Gonna leave work early today, and try to get a hat. Any help as to booth location would be appreciated.
Thanks.

[tt3886]

I posted a newbie story, what happened? I'm a 7yr transplant from Redding. Spent my childhood with the Sacramento literally in my back yard...great times. I've been reading this forum for a couple of yrs now, just didn't have anything to add that was better than any of you alls advice. Great tips.
I've seen most of you on the water, through the years, guess I'll have to introduce muhself from now on. I signed up finally, so that I could buy an item in the general's.
Spent 5hrs at the show yesterday, found the new boat/rv/truck/fishing rods I wanted to get, now if I could figure out a way to rig the lotto.
Please pay no mind to the login. I have so many logins, that I try to keep them all the same, I would never be able to remember them all. It' generic, I know....work id

[Born to be Wild]

So I graduated from Humboldt State University and had the opportunity to fish very locally from there ( Mad river specifically). <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">U.I., I also had some experience fishing the Mad and Eel Rivers in Northern Cal. some years ago.

When I moved from Southern Cal. in 1980 to Eureka, I went from chasing Calico Bass, Bonita, Yellowtail and Trout, to chasing the the almighty Salmonoids.
Back then if you were not using an Ambassadeur 5000 and 10# Maxima Chameleon line, you weren't fishing right!
Also, everybody was plunking either Herring or Eggs! No bobbers or bobber fishing back then!
Well, I didn't have a level wind back then or knew how to use one. So, I just watched the guys and some of them were very helpfull in helping out an amatuer like me.
Well finally with my coffee grinder in hand, I hooked and landed my first ever Chinook. A bright 35# bright hen on a Herring tail and now I had the eggs that I couldn't afford.
Boy did that coffee grinder sing!
It was pretty exciting back then and like shooting your first buck!

A few months later (summer), I was floating the Eel river in a rubber raft (boondoggin' I guess) and not really having a clue what I was doing (but the fish did) and hooked and landed my first ever Summer Steelhead. A 16# chromer! (can't remember if it was a hen or buck).

To say the least, I was hooked! And both pic's of my fish ended up in a local "rag" that was around at that time called "The Hook".

The pic is below and is just a scanned pic from the paper. We didn't have digital's or PC's back then.
Also the editor was a fisherman himself and exaggerated a bit and the Chinook and Steelhead gained a couple extra pounds!
Imagine that!

Tell ya about some "rockfishing" trips off the rocks and boats at Cape Mendocino, Trinadad, and in Depoe Bay where I now live at a later time.
-Dano-

http://www.ifish.net/uploads/18331537.jpg

[fishyone]

Hello All,

New story, here it goes - like it or not.

I guess my favorite stories are the ones that I remember as a kid. Caught my first salmon at 7 years old, steelhead at 11; that was 27 years ago! Bought my first driftboat, which I still use, when I was 15 - before I could drive.

When I was 13, there were three of us fishing out of a driftboat. At a long hole, two of us were trying some hotshots along the north side channel (there was a side channel on both the north and south sides of the river.) The third person was flyfishing that day, and decided to "dangle" his fly downstream alongside our hotshots. Well, about two-third's of the way down the channel, bammo, that guy had his fly-pole buried with a very excited native steelhead. The steelie went downstream first, then upstream, then downstream, then upstream at mach something (he was used to trout not steelhead). The steelie was born free, because his backing came untied from his fly line.

Back to fishing... Wait, fly pole guy, still with tears in his eyes and arms shaking, points to the other channel where his fly line is floating on the water. Hey, that line isn't moving. It's either stuck on the rocks, or, do you think the fish still has it?

No waders, but let's quietly wade out and tie it back on. I'm sure we'll know real quick if its still there or not.

Chest high water, cold, but its worth the chance! Quietly. Give me some slack fly guy, don't put any tug on that end until its securely tied to the backing! I think we're good to go, let me get back to the boat before you give it a test.

Burr, I'm back, let's check.

FISH ON!! AGAIN!! graemlins/applause.gif

This time he managed to get the 15 lb native in, and its memory will be forever in my mind.

Believe it or not, this story is real.

Thanks for letting me share.
:smile:

[BonkBonkBonk]

well, im new, so heres my story:)
i had moved to salem for a couple of months, and had gotten into salmon fishing with my dad a little bit (didnt catch much thoa:( ) the last day we went fishing it was somewhere on the salmon river, and we had went out there right after we he got off work, so we didnt have alot of time. my dad was talking to this guy and mentioned it was my last trip before i moved back to idaho, and some other guy overheard, and when he got a fish on he let me *try* to bring the sucker in..long story short(more like i cant rember it cuz of the rush:P) it was foul hooked and broke the line..but i thought it was cool as hell and kinda made a nice touch before i left..

soon ill be living in astoria and ill be able to do MORE fishing

[fishing is life]

hello to the fellow newbie ifishers. welcome to one of the best sites in the pnw for fishing junkies!! enjoyed reading all the stories so far and the ones to come.

[Shrimp&worms]

Hello all im told you gotta post a story if you are a newbie so here goes,
I have been fishing for all my life and in the past I really liked hitting the high lakes for a liitle trout fishing. My buddy and me had a favorite lake that we would drive up to 10 or so times a year,long drive but great fishing. We had a really slow day to what we had gotten used to and in passing I said it would be my last row around the lake,I went one way and he went the other,well after covering the area I wanted I decided to give it up,tossed out the anchor,grabed a cold one and just relaxed, Well I wasnt paying any attention to my rod that had been trolling a small quick fish about 60 feet out, that was now sitting in the water still for five minutes or so, and that is when it happened i looked over and my rod was bent over all most to the water and line was coming off fast I picked it up as fast as i could but not before I dropped my drink and almost went for a swim. I set the hook and was in for a 20 minute fight when I got him in the boat i was very pleased to have caught an 8 1/2 # rainbow,my first trout that was over a pound.
It was by far the most fun i have ever had catching a fish. You never forget your first. "you know your first monster trout" I do have pics of me with this biggen i will post them in the "biggest coldwater trout post"when i figure out how to do it.

Now i fish for pretty much everything from stealhead,slamon, sturgeon to etc. etc.
sturgeon is my favorite

Glad to be apart of Ifish and keep setting those hooks

Josh
AKA Shrimp&worms
:cheers:

[Jonah's Revenge]

Hello everone,
I've been visiting this site for quite some time, and occassionally post a reply (I don't consider myself a pro at fishing so I only reply if I feel strongly about something). But anyway, here's my story.
I went with a friend of mine to Oregon City to get some shad for sturgeon fishing and we decided to bring all of our kids (4 boys, 3-7 yrs old). My kids like to play in the boat but only the oldest has enjoyed the fishing part.
For a while we were trying to give the kids an even opportunity at catching the fish and was going O.K. The younger ones enjoyed seeing the fish flop around in the boat more than reeling them in. After a while only my oldest was interested in catching them so we put him to the test!
Every time we hooked one, we would give it to him to bring in. The fishing got good enough that my friend and I both were holding poles waiting for him to reel in his and then would hand him another one. He fought so many fish that he eventually gave in saying that he couldn't hold the pole anymore! Now that was some good fishing.
( I won't get into what my friends son had my youngest do with the cigarette lighter :shocked: ....... lets just say it's now hidden where they can't find it.

Days with my kids on the boat are what fishing is all about. :cool:

[Alseastalker]

My new member story.
A day of triumph and disaster @ Waterloo

I fished the Santiam for the whole 2000 season without a fish to take home, not to mention a hookup. One fine morning we headed out with some specially cured shrimp. Wouldn't you know it our luck changed dramatically!! I hooked up on 3 nooks and kept 2 (my legal limit) This being the first day I had ever caught anything on the Santiam I was stoked!! We went home and cleaned the fish. That evening we returned and I proceeded to hook into a Steelie..what a day..for me. I wanted to continue fishing so I handed the rod to my buddy who landed the fish, I netted it. About a hour later here comes the State trooper. I went up to him and showed him my tag and told him that I caught 2 fish in the morning. He informed me that I was the reason that he was there. Why? I asked. He said that somebody let me rephrase (some jelous *******) has called and reported that I was fishing "after retaining my limit" I told him that I handed the rod off to my friend. We had ignorantly neglected to head up the the car for a pen to tag the last fish, the steelie. So I was apperently found guilty on all charges. We went up to the troopers truck and hey what do you know he had his wife riding along....very proffesional! I took my tickets and proceeded to tell the cop what a load of crap this was. I will protest the ticket to my dying day and nothing has happened since! I'll be damned if I'm going back there again.

I now keep a pen inserted rectally so I know where it is at all times and don't lose it :smile:

[slamin salmon]

Thanks for all the stories folks.Welcome to our gang. SS graemlins/applause.gif graemlins/applause.gif :dance:

[Smj]

Alseastalker, If I read your story right it says you did not pay that ticket??
A little story...
I got a ticket years ago (15 at least) on the Santiam that I thought was a load of bull. My buddy and I went to court to plead our case to judge Triska. Well, we didn't get our tickets reduced, so I paid a token amount on the ticket and went back to Portland. I just ignored the letters they sent me and they finally quit sending them about a year later, GREAT, they gave up! Four+ years after that the wife and I were having a nice outing fishing the jetty at Garabaldi. The nice young state trooper came to the rocks to check every ones licenses. Wellll, he ran my name, and lo and behold lane county had not forgoten me! I got a trip in cuffs to the Tillamook city jail! The 30 bucks was now 87 bucks and they were going to get their bucks or I was going to the Lane county jail! Luckily I had my card and the money in the bank (nice and conveiniant having the US Bank so close to the Tillamook city jail) and never had to go into a cell.
So Alseastalker, if you didn't pay that ticket don't be suprised if someday, someone walks up to you and says " Sir, I am going to have to place you under arrest for_____________.)

Smj

[hickwithaflyrod]

Well I was on the Salmon River and I was fly fishing for fall Chinook had never hooked a salmon on a fly rod before so I went on up above the wear. The water was just right at the top of the island with fish flying by it was unbelievable. Their was an old tire in the slot that they were swimming around so I threw my fly on over to the other side of it. WAM! Zzzzzzzzzzzz :dance: right on up river back down then right in front then it came at me right between my legs and to the left it went then she was off. So I proceeded to fish disappointed about what had just happened. I threw the fly to the same spot another couple times and the same then WAM! Fish on wahooo :dance: zzz zzz zzz zzz zzz man was it big splash splash !snap! Dang, yet again I saw myself tying on another fly. I put on my last and final fly, a flash fly I casted it and WAM! Wahooooo fish-on :dance: zzz zzz snap! Dang! I was mad, out of flies I went home but I did have fun. Four and a half years later at the age of fifteen and I’m still fly-fishing :cheers: .....

John

[ 02-10-2003, 08:03 PM: Message edited by: hickwithaflyrod ]

[Ace of Speyds]

I'm new, and didn't realize I needed to tell a story. This one's about my favorite fishing partner....Dad. I finally talked Dad into a bonefish trip. We booked a Christmas Island trip (about 4 years ago) and finally made it to our lifelong dream trip. We got off the plane on a Tuesday (I had never felt humidity until that moment), checked into our room, rigged our fly rods, and within two hours had a VB in our hand header for Paris flat. While trying to figure out what a fish or his shadow looks like, our guide Andy alerted us that a school of 50 bones was approaching straight in front of us. I can't describe the excitement and anticipation. Dad and I quickly threw a 50 foot cast in their direction. No takes. Andy then pointed out a very large Black Trevally cruising the flats. It was looking for easy meals just as the black tip sharks regularly do. Even Andy was surprised at its size....80 # PLUS.

Soon, here came another school. 20 fish with larger size. Withing a few seconds, Dad was tied into his first rocket. After a fight of 2-3 minutes, he brought the bonefish in between he and Andy. They were standing about four feet apart, when all of a sudden, from behind them came a huge black object. The huge Trevally we thought had left us swam between Dad and Andy and inhaled the 24" bonefish on a dead run. It ran about 200 yards in 5 seconds, tied to Dads virgin 890 RPLXi with the bonefish still hooked, and finally let go. Dad reeled in the bonefish deader than a doornail. All it had were two holes in its side from internal teeth. All told, Dad was barely standing, and Andy, our experienced guide, was well on his way to a heart attack. He had never seen anything of that size come that close (in ten years of guiding). Even with our language barrier, his feelings were very clear. Hyperventilation is universal language.

Anyway, it is good to be part of Ifish. Thanks to Metalhead Madness for the tip!

[Jet Drifter]

Welcome to all! There are so many great stories for me to read on this thread. Thank you for sharing. graemlins/applause.gif This is a great bunch on anglers!
See ya on the river, I'll be wavin' :cheers:

[Fast Water]

Welcome to Ifish everyone!! :grin:

I like the stories. :smile:

:cheers:

[reeldick]

Great stories. Welcome and see you out there where the fish are.

[Fish Tales]

Hello ifish This is Boatramp and I'm new here
hope to do good by you.
I'll tell you about my 2 for one fishing trip.
The last thursday of August 02 A friend of mine up from LA and I decided put in at Hammond crossed over to the Washington side headed up to the bridge then trolled with the tide down river, we were talking and laughing and having a good old time when suddenly my pole went wild and so did we when I finally got him to the boat Pat my friend netted him and we got him onboard, a 25lb. chinook that's when 2 for one happened I grabbed my club to do the dirty work swung back and forth and there was blood in the boat both Pat's and the fish I nailedPat just below the eye.
I felt real bad(so did Pat)He looked like Hulk Hogan on a bad night No time to patch him up though within just a couple of minutes his pole started shaking onother 21lb chinook This time he did the dirty work. It's a forever memory for both of us. Fishing is great

Next time a story of mac salad on the floor of the boat and a big one on the other end of the line

Thanks again ifish
Boatramp http://www.ifish.net/uploads/20371841.gif

[ 02-11-2003, 08:42 PM: Message edited by: Boatramp ]

[Fish Tales]

[ 02-11-2003, 08:37 PM: Message edited by: Boatramp ]

[DAB]

Good story boatramp, are those the two little :laugh: fishies that you caught? good looking fish :dance:
DAB

[ 02-12-2003, 01:32 AM: Message edited by: DAB ]

[crabbait]

Great stories! Welcome aboard guys! :cheers: :dance:

[fishscale]

Oops, originally posted this to wrong area.

Hi everyone,
I’m new to Ifish, although I’ve been living and fishing in Oregon since 1980. My story follows: A friend from work first introduced me to salmon fishing in the fall of 1981. He and his wife took me, my wife and daughter down to the Trask one Sunday afternoon for some sightseeing and fishing. We reached the fishing spot late in the afternoon and it didn’t take me long to figure out that no matter what I used for bait, I needed to use red with it. Once I changed to red I began to hook up and quickly came to my next realization: As a novice, I was poorly prepared for these monsters. At first they didn’t seem to even know I hooked them, then after a massive head shake or two they didn’t seem to care. When they finally decided to move, they sawed me off in short order. By now it was late in the day and I had very little opportunity left. When my friend offered to loan me his outfit, I took the offer and, shortly, was into another fish. I knew this would be my last chance for the day and pressured the fish as best as I could on borrowed gear. I managed to keep it from sawing me off but it took me forever to chase, pressure and work the fish close to the net. By the time the fish was ready to be netted, it was too dark to see it clearly enough to net it. We could hear, then see the splash, but that was it. Fortunately, there was one fisherman left who had been watching the fight, had a flashlight and was kind enough to offer to help us. He spotted the fish with his flashlight for us; we netted the fish, did our streamside celebration then thanked everyone involved. “I was afraid to tell you” my friend says, “the leader was tied on with a blood knot.”
Nowadays, I always tie on my own leaders, take along at least one flashlight (even if I don’t expect to be fishing at dusk), say my prayers and kiss my wife before I go.
But, how could I complain then? He brought me to the hole, loaned me his outfit, netted the fish with his net using some friendly “borrowed light,” and my family was treated to a scene from The Wild Outdoors.

[fingjohnny]

This story is about my first Chinppk on the Columbia River. It was my third time out on my buddies(Grant) boat. Another guy(Bob) invited himself along.
As we anchored and started to fish, Grant said " Johnny has never caught a Salmon, so the first pole with a fish is his." About 2 hrs. later, Bob's pole got a strike, he picked it up and fought the fish, neverminding what Grant had said earlier. It turned out to be just a 22" Jack. After it was landed, I told Bob, "you can take all the little ones, 'cause I am waiting for a big one."
At straight-up one o'clock, MY pole went down screaming, making one hell of a racket, as line was being stripped off. I took hold, and after only 45 minutes, drifting down 2 miles also, Grant netted my "chrome-bright" 45lb. Chinook at the end of my line.
Needless to say, I have been hooked ever since.
fingjohnny

[TroutBuster]

Ok. It's time to set the record straight. That dubious character, MadMerganser, told a story about me in this thread which was not (big surprise) entirely true. The truth of the matter is that he is heartless. I was up to the wee hours of the morning tying flies for him, otherwise he would have had nothing with which to match the hatch. Naturally, I was quite tired the next morning :shrug: from tying his flies and forgot my waders. Another widely disseminated myth is that I was "in my natural state" while crossing the channel. That is a malicious un-truth. I was wearing my BVD's swear to God. Never would I have lowered myself to the point of crossing bare-footed, bare-legged, AND bare-a@#$%.

Now with that behind me, I will proceed with my story. I call it "The Tale of MadMerganser's First Steelhead and the Campbell Blessing" -- aka "Two Daves and a Lem Part Duex". Long have my "friends" accused me of cursing their outdoor activities with fruitlessness. Before long this phenomenon became known as the "Campbell Curse". This was a crock of course. They just sucked at whatever it was they were doing. But since I'm a born victim, I guess, I was branded with this thoughtless stigma. Well, last weekend I went fishing with MadMerganser again for steelhead. As we roared up the river at a blistering half mile an hour in his jet boat, we were able to pause :sleep: and enjoy the splendor of nature about us. He also took this opportunity to finish bolting on his trolling motor in the hopes of gaining additional horsepower. The dog got a kick out of shocking itself on the battery, but that's another story. Sometime later we arrived at our destination and began to fish. MM, just as he related, hooked and landed his first steelhead sometime later. I refused to be the person netting the fish because I knew if something went wrong all I would hear for the rest of my life was "The Campbell Curse denied me my first steelhead". The thing he forgot though was to give credit where it is due. Did he mention anything about the "Campbell Blessing"? No. Of course not. But just so everyone knows, it took the powerfull effects of the "Campbell Blessing" to graemlins/1zhelp.gif land his first steelhead.

[ 03-19-2003, 03:00 PM: Message edited by: TroutBuster ]

[Wreckless]

I posted this in the wrong place a few days ago........I told a story about watching a chinook eat a bobber like a dry fly TWICE on the Trask tide water, but no one believed that one soooooooooo....
A friend of mine and I were fishing for Bass and Walleye below the St Johns bridge one sunny July afternnon whe we got tired of casting and tried a pass trollong plugs on a long flats. about 10 minutes into the pass my rod buries and I think I have the mother of all Walleye (M.O.A.W). I was a bit surprised when it came up next to the boat and it was a Chinnok about 12# os so. Of course we had no net , not planning on keeping anything out of the Willamette. I figured I could slide my hand under the gill plate and just flip him into the boat (it was clipped). Well it worked like a charm right up to the "point" where the front hooks of the Rapala Shad Rap buried into the palm of my hand and you guessed it the rear hooks are still in the angry chinooks jaw. We all know what happens when a fish hits the bottom of the boat.....it wasn't pretty. After a few explatives we pinned the fish to the bottom of the boat pulled the hooks from the fish and with some tugging and twisting pulled the from my hand (at least it wasn't a K-15, but that's another story). Needless to say we were off to a doctor for a Tetnous (sp) shot and a 2 week dose of antibiotics.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

[MadMerganser]

:laugh: haa haa. man these are great. Troutbuster is trying once again to rewrite history. The cold water must have erased his memory of wading buck naked across the river channel. He was over his crotch so he really was lucky that he had dry underwear. As for the Campbell "blessing" I dare any one of you to take this guy duck hunting. :shocked: One time there was a flock of mallards that had just passed us and we hit the calls Troutbuster was daydreaming and we scared the crap out of him causing him to scream an obscenity and spook off the ducks. lol

Haha. Had some great times out there. Welcome to Ifish.-Lem

[WoodinvillBill]

I'm a new member and here's my story. It's another boat ramp tale:

About a month ago I'm at the dock of the boat ramp when I hear yelling from the dock next to me. Appearantly this guy's wife was getting into the boat but nobody was holding onto the dock. As the wife had 1 foot in the boat and 1 on the dock, the boat begins to drift away from the dock. That's when the yelling started.

This poor lady didn't know whether to jump the rest of the way into the boat or toward the dock. She must have hung suspended between boat and dock for 20 seconds trying to hold that boat close with 1 leg. Sure enough she couldn't hold the boat close any longer and in the drink she goes.

After getting pulled out of the water she was cold and mad! Fortunately she was OK but that was a quick and immediate end to that days fishing for them even before it started.