I remember it like it was yesterday. 1958. 11 years old. Mitchell 304 spinning reel and 6# mono! My buddy and I rode our bikes several miles to fish from the shore at a private lake. There was a small cove on one end with a barbed wire fence running from shore to shore across the water. I threw a Heddon Chugger near a fence post and a bass (probably 2 pounds) blasted it. I had never gotten a topwater bite and had no idea bass could hit so fiercely. I was hooked for life.

Yes, but it was a scrappy Speckled Trout on a Spook.

I was 8 or so and it was the first bass over 8 inches I had every caught!

Lake Casitas Cali. fishing the bank I flipped a little Rebel floating minnow under a tree branch and BAM! Nice 2lb fish... That was HUGE in my eyes.

All I wanted to fish for a year was that lure! lol

Mine was at the old twin points on eagle mountian I think I was 8. I had a zebco and threw my bill dance bomber lure as far as I could out off the point and let the waves just rattle it around not knowing what I was doing and was catching them left and right.

Every time I have a top water blow up it feels like my first time!

Last Friday night I pulled up on a point at Fork and threw my bone colored yellow magic...caught a 4# fish, next cast 8.5# fish, next cast 4# fish...6 straight casts! 9 of 13....OH MAN that is crazy fun!

good morning.


my first was years ago.....lol....buzz bait ....big sam.....

but I really remember my last.....

EL SALTO....march 11. 2014...morning........POP R......1'.....8#4 oz.




absolutely great............P B.....on top water.........

good luck,
PURA VIDA,
bluebonnet2

On a Rogue while digging out a really bad back lash. I was trying to throw into a pretty stiff wind and birdnested my reel something awful, I had just bought my very first bait caster. After about a minute of digging I heard a blow up near the boat and paid no attention to it. I picked on this bird nest for probably another 2 or 3 minutes or so and cleared it. I went to reel up the slack line I had created and relized I had a 2.5 to 3 pound LMB at the other end. Apparently he really wanted it and hooked himself well enough he couldn't get rid of it........

Like it was yesterday. It was also my first fish on an artificial. frog pattern jitterbug at White River Lake.

Very nice sir!!!

Growing up in Pennsylvania fishing a local town quarry about 22 years ago. Wading with chest waders we were in water up to our chest (yeah not the brightest thing to be doing). Fishing a classic chartreuse buzz bait in some weeds, no more than 10 yards away, when the bass sucked it down (not a great crash). And it was a lunker and still one of the largest largemouths I have ever caught. I was so excited that my friend had to help me reel it in through the weeds and eventually release it. It was about 3-4 pm in the afternoon on a hot summer day when caught. What a day!!!

Yep. The old RV park off 190 on livingston. There was an old tree that had drifted up where the road bridge met the shore. I cast a lunker lure along side it and it blew up on it. Bass was maybe two pounds or so. It was mid day and hotter than heck. Not traditional top water fishing time.

had some that weren't as spectacle but around 95 when the first Sammys came out a huge bass jumped me at Fork near the 515 west bridge. What a fight. After I lost that fish I stopped using 5'6" rods and went to 7'ers.

My last blowup was this past Saturday in Eugene. And if any of you catch a nice 3 lber near there with a Yellow Magic Baby Bass color crossways in her mouth that plug is mine.

Oh no!!! I hate that!

That is why I tie my topwater plugs straight to braid now. I lost a 20+ pound striper and my favorite ajlures striper squirrel...learned my lesson!

Buzzbait. Early morning. Startled me so much I think I actually jumped. Im addicted to topwater now.

I was about 6-7...jitterbug on the rocks near the "old" fishing pier @ Brownwood State park....big ol' perch...