Yep, I started bass fishing in the mid 60's with a 14 foot Lonestar aluminum with a 7.5 HP Evinrude and no trolling motor. Somewhere around 1972 we upgraded to a Thunderbolt stick steer with a 50 HP Johnson and a Johnson trolling motor. Had one of the early Lowrance flasher units, and man, that thing was da' bomb! Got my first graphite rod about then. Think it was a Browning.

When I got serious about bass fishing in the 70s, things were really taking off.
The state of Texas was building new impoundments on a regular basis. Equipment was being improved constantly. Plastic worms were fairly new. Mister Twister had just introduced the "Phenom". It was a 6" worm with a twister tail and the fish liked it a lot. And it seems that there was a Bass Club in every neighborhood.

Back then, you could buy a brand new 16ft. fiberglass bass boat with a 80 or 90 horse outboard for about $3500. But $3500 dollars was a lot of money.
My first boat was a 15' fiberglass Caravelle with a 50 horse Johnson and a MotorGuide Super trolling motor. It was a Super because it had TWO speeds. It was also pretty useless if the wind was over 15 mph. The boat had a Lowrance flasher on it. I still well remember the first day I found a school of feeding bass in 20 ft of water with that flasher. I also learned quickly by fishing Lake O the Pines that a stainless steel prop was a necessity for the outboard (broke two aluminum props in one day at a tournament).

My brother in law had a Skeeter Metro that he mounted a 50 horse engine on (over powered). Had stick steering. He could make that thing power slide.

Bass Club tournaments were Saturday and Sunday affairs. You'd show up at the lake Friday afternoon, drink and play cards until 2 a.m. then get up at 5 to go fishing. Repeat for Sunday.

We used to fish all day, sunup to sundown, every Saturday. So much fun.

Funny thing is, I still really enjoy it. I can't do it all day anymore but there's something about the tap on a worm, the top water explosion and the peace and beauty out on the lake.

Great memories.

Back in the late 60's there was talk among the Old Guys that some one was working on a National Fishing Organization. We had been searching out lure makers to try new baits in the Oxbo lakes and Tenn. River. My buddy and I heard of a Garage in Memphis and a couple of guys that was building baits and winning tournaments. In 1970 we made our first trip to Bill Dance and Charles Spence's Garage to see the baits. The Strike King Bait Co. was being born there. We came away with a box full of Prototypes of their spinner baits and Crank baits. I still have many of the frames and all the Little S's and Big S's. We learned of the BASS sitting in that Garage talking to Mr. Dance and another man from Jackson, TN., called Billy Phillips. Jack Harper and I started fishing the KY. Lake Opens against Mr. Dance and Mr. Phillips for several years in the 70's. I wanted to go with them so bad to those BASS tournaments. I was only making $5 a day back in the 60's on the family farm and when I started Coaching in the 70's there just wasn't any time to fulfill the Dream when BASS got cranked up. The memories of winning a few of the Open Tourns. fishing against the best there was will always be there.

This may be the coolest thread I have ever read here. I grew up in the 70's and 80's and I remember both my grandfathers telling stories, much like these being told here, when I was a kid.

I'll second this. Great thread. My dad died when I was young so my Uncles were the ones who introduced me to fishing. Caught my first "big" bass (5 lbs) on a beetle spin in Cypress creek in downtown Comfort Tx about 1974 0r 75. Was with my Uncle in a 12' jon boat. Been hooked ever since. Got two Zebco Cardinal 4 spinning reels for my birthday and thought I had hit the lottery. Great stories guys

Great memories as a kid fishing with dad. Pistol grip rod, 5000 b, c and d's, creme worms, flasher electronics and paper graphs! Never forget fishing "weedwings" over the grass on Conroe.

anybody remember piston grip Skyline graphite rods and Fenwick fiberglass rods....

here's some old lures my Dad and I used to fish with...some of them dating back to late 40's....some of the names are Dalton special,S.O.S. minnow,Injured minnow,Shakespeare darter,Pikie minnow,Heddon chugger,Sputterfuss,Lazy Ike,Hellbender,Aquasonic,Smithwick flashing eyes lure.....

I have a buddy that still has a Skyline, those were top shelf back then.
Back then I bought Browning graphite rods with a pistol grip. Do you remember Boron rods?
I have a Fenwick spinning rod that my wife bought me one year for my birthday at Smitty's Sporting Goods in Oak Cliff.
We've been married 39 years. It's still a great rod, she's still a great wife.

RATFINK sighting!

add bayou boogie...top right in first picture..

Biyou Boogy (sp?) or a Sonic? There was a pic of my uncle "Free" on the instruction manual that came in a Lazy Ike box. I still have two of them, (never used), the boxes and the fliers. Lots of history in those boxes....
I got to visit the Manns facility when I was in HS, coolest thing for a HS kid that was ate up with fishing. You could buy worms out of a drum for .25cents a handful....

Sonic is top picture,middle row,second from bottom...

Heddon Sonic (a happy one at that)