WAtroutbum's post asking where we've fished this year got me looking at maps and I started tripping down memory lane, looking at pretty much all the places I've ever fished in my whole life. Some of those places stood out as memorable (to me, anyway) firsts.

For example, my first time fishing ever was about 54 years ago on Mill Creek in Salt Lake City. At that time, Mill Creek was way out in the country, not surrounded by housing developments, like it is today. I was about 7 years old and I wanted to go fishing but didn't have any equipment or anyone to take me. My dad was a terrific fisherman but he had passed away when I was just 6 months old. None of my brothers or my mom fished and I was too shy to wrangle myself an invitation from any neighbors or family friends. I had read and seen drawings about Tom Sawyer taking a long stick and making a fishing pole out of it and I thought if it was good enough for old Tom I would try it, since I didn't need any help for that. I took a long, thin, green branch from an apple tree that grew in our back yard; tied about 10' or so of white string to the tip; fastened a bent straight pin to the end of the string; and marched off the half-mile or so to Mill Creek with a can of worms I had picked the night before. An old gentleman passed me on my way there and asked to see my outfit. He was amused but seemed to genuinely admire it. As you might imagine, I got skunked that day but I've considered myself a fisherman ever since.

First fish caught: Hebgen Lake, Wyoming, about 52 years ago--a chub.

First time caught fishing out of season: I was about 12 and there was a fishing contest that began on such and such a date so, on the appointed day my buddy and I grabbed our fishing gear and rode our bikes about a mile and a half to the Ogden River just above Loren Farr Park in Ogden, Utah. We didn't understand that there are different start dates for fishing in different parts of the state and we had jumped the gun for our area by about a week. The game warden played his part perfectly. He confiscated our fishing gear and our bikes and put them in the back of his truck. Sternly, he asked, "Have you boys every been in jail before?" All the while, I'm sure he was stifling a huge guffaw to see these cowering little boys who had been caught by the long arm of the law. In the end, we got our fishing gear and our bikes back as he turned us over to our parents recognizance. I've never fished out of season or without a license since then (except that once, which involved crossing state lines, but I plead the fifth on that one and I think the statute of limitations has probably run).

First time fly fishing was nearly 9 years ago on a back channel of the South Fork of the Snake River. I had bought a used 9' 5wt Sage fly rod on e-bay from a guy in Oregon and a new Orvis Battenkill reel, also on e-bay. The rod got here first and I couldn't wait to try it out but the reel hadn't arrived yet so I went to Hyde Fly Shop and got fixed up with waders, boots, line, tippets, a vest and a lot of stuff to hang off of it, a bunch of flies and a box to keep them in. Then I hooked up an old green and silver automatic Pflueger reel I had (the wind up kind with a lever--I've still got it) and I went a-fishin'. I didn't know the first thing about casting and very little about what flies to use but, besides losing about a dozen flies on awkward back casts, I actually caught a couple of fish that day (on a brown rubber legs and then on a bwo, as I recall). I kept looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was around to see the circus I was putting on but I was hooked, so to speak. Hopefully, I've learned some and do a little better today.

So, fellow anglers, what are your firsts?....

Dennis