I don't remember the exact time. Vacations with my parents was to travel to different state park or county campgrounds, staying in an old timey canvas wall tent. Dad always made it a high adventure and fishing was always a part of it. About the best I can recall was that I was maybe five years of age. The first fishing poles were a limber tree limb, then graduated to a cane pole and soon I had worked my way up to a casting rod. Also, these camping vacations were a family affair and would include uncles and aunts and cousins. My favorite uncle who had just returned from WWII showed up with a Wright & McGill spit bamboo fly rod and I thought that was the neatest thing I had ever laid eyes upon! By the following season I had saved up enough to buy a used bamboo rod (I think it cost five bucks!) and that was 1949. Went off to the military in the early 50's and that put a stop to ANY fishing. After I returned home I bought a brand new True Temper fiberglass fly rod (over 50 years ago) and on that rod is where I really cut my eye teeth fly fishing.