I was about 12 years old, which would have been around 1954. I had a fly tying kit I got for my birthday, a 9' fiberglass rod, level line, automatic reel, and a leader that consisted of a piece of spinning line. I actually caught fish on a fly cobbled together by a 12 year old with no instruction and no experience, thus proving that it isn't necessary to have a perfect match to the hatch.

Now, I have a lot more equipment, and a box of flies I have tied that must number in the thousands. I catch more fish, but probably don't have any more fun doing it.

Oh, and I no longer ride my bike to the stream, but the trip is a lot longer. There is something to be said for living within a few hundred yards of a trout stream.