I've been fishing since I was 3. 20yrs under my belt. Not even close to being finished with fishing school.
My mom taught me how to fish. She took me to a kids derby at the marshfield rod and gun club. I won the derby for my age group. I believe I caught a bass. I used to go every year when I was a kid. I won it again when I was 12 with a big rainbow trout.
I eat sleep breath fishing. I'm addicted to it. Without it I'd go insane.
Back in high school I used to go fishing everyday after school and fish a pond by school.
Now I live on the harbor which doesn't help to my addiction.
That's like giving a crack head a life time supply of free crack.
My mom taught me how to fish. She took me to a kids derby at the marshfield rod and gun club. I won the derby for my age group. I believe I caught a bass. I used to go every year when I was a kid. I won it again when I was 12 with a big rainbow trout.
I eat sleep breath fishing. I'm addicted to it. Without it I'd go insane.
Back in high school I used to go fishing everyday after school and fish a pond by school.
Now I live on the harbor which doesn't help to my addiction.
That's like giving a crack head a life time supply of free crack.
I've been fishing for as long as I can remember. My parents would always rent a cottage in the summer for a week or two and I would fish the entire time. I remember when an uncle gave me my first "real" rod. I'm not sure what make it was but it was like a 6'6 spinning rod and I loved that thing so much. I didn't fish for a long time but when I got married and had a son I started taking vacations like I did when I was a kid and I started fishing. One day I realized I didn't have to be on vacation to fish and started hitting the local ponds. Over the last 5 years or so it has become such a huge part of my life. I can't imagine what would happen if I couldn't fish.
My father started me fishing as early as I can remember. We lived in Southie which is close to the ocean so he was a salt water guy. He used to take me with him to castle Island to fish for flounder and cod. The 1st rod I can remember that was "mine" was a boat rod spooled up with squid line. I had no choice but to get really good at casting that thing and thumbing the spool. Guys would comment to my father at how I could use that rod. Had a summer cottage in marshfield and continued to salt water fish there on the jetties but when i was old enough to venture out on my own I started fishing a near by river and a few small ponds for bass and catfish. I was hooked. Once I got a license. I would drive down to the plymouth area with a bucket full of shiners and pull off the road at the 1st pond I would see. Got into the tourney scene in my early 20's. Year 1 non boater, year 2 I had my own boat. Did that for 16 years before stepping aside to fish for bigger fish on less pressured waters out of a smaller boat . Last couple years the tourney bug bit a little again and I fished a bunch of tourneys here and there.
My dad started me fishing as early as i can remember. Going on trips to New Hampshire and maine to fish all different lakes then we got a saltwater boat and mainly focused on stripers when i was in high school. Then around my senior year i ended up getting into drugs dropped out of high school and stopped caring about fishing. I didnt wanna spend money on anything that wouldnt get me high. Then i overdosed in dec 2010 got clean in jan.2011 that spring i Needed to find something that took up all this new freetime and was bored one day picked up my old rod and i have never looked back i fish almost everyday to help get my mind off things. I started trying to learn different techniques started going saltwater fishing with my dad again. And then this summer i wanted to improve my skills as much as possible went from having 2 spinning rods to now owning 8 spinning rods and 6 baitcasters. And started doing topper tourneys this summer and now hoping to upgrade to a larger boat.
My father took me fishing as a kid. I can remember walking down to a stream catching kivas on a bobber. i probably thought i was kickin butt. Then we moved from the farm to a lake and that was my back yard. I used to troll with rapalas and spinners then i started throwing a black blue Texas worm and topwater from canoe that my fathers friend gave me. He was also a bass fisherman. Those were the pre-teen to 18 yrs. Then i stopped for a few years while starting my machining shop and family.
But then the interest sparked again and i grabbed the canoe and my buddy and i went fishing once a week.Flinging senkos and having a great time. Most things i do i try to get pretty decent at and i had interest in fishing better. While bringing my family to kids fest my mother noticed this guy with a Worcester bass master jacket and walked up and asked him what that was. it turned out to be Randy Phillips who now fishes my lures and gives me great feedback and is a good friend. He had not won anything big at the time i met him. But he loved fishing like us all.
I fished with Worcester bass for 3-4 yrs and plan on going back. But now i have 2 little guys that i hang out with all the time and continue to fish a few opens and maff tourneys.
But then the interest sparked again and i grabbed the canoe and my buddy and i went fishing once a week.Flinging senkos and having a great time. Most things i do i try to get pretty decent at and i had interest in fishing better. While bringing my family to kids fest my mother noticed this guy with a Worcester bass master jacket and walked up and asked him what that was. it turned out to be Randy Phillips who now fishes my lures and gives me great feedback and is a good friend. He had not won anything big at the time i met him. But he loved fishing like us all.
I fished with Worcester bass for 3-4 yrs and plan on going back. But now i have 2 little guys that i hang out with all the time and continue to fish a few opens and maff tourneys.
My parents would ship me off each summer to Indiana to visit my grandparents. My grandfather took me fishing every day for about two weeks during each visit. My first bass was about 15inches on a cane pole when I was about 5 or 6. My mom has the picture in her house. That picture is still one of my favorite fishing pictures today.
Went to college and started a fishing club, way before college fishing got cool. Couldn't imagine going to college today with two different college bass circuits available. And I even heard some schools offer scholarships now.
After college moved to downtown Boston. Not the best place in the world to fish, but I made it work. I have been riding the subways and taking buses to find places to fish. Then a couple years ago I had an epiphany. I'm not married and I don't have kids, why I am riding the subway to go catch 12in fish? I decided I need to travel the world to hunt for big fish.
Fishing has now brought me to places that very few people ever get to see. I have done all my traveling by myself, and have met some fantastic people along the way. This year I kind of "grew up" and bought a place and got some wheels, so my traveling this year was kind of slow. I have been focusing on learning Massachusetts a little bit more. But the travel bug has been itching lately, specically this month because this is the time I usually go to the Amazon. I'm not sure where I'll end up next year, but I have a feeling there may be some fish with teeth involved.
Went to college and started a fishing club, way before college fishing got cool. Couldn't imagine going to college today with two different college bass circuits available. And I even heard some schools offer scholarships now.
After college moved to downtown Boston. Not the best place in the world to fish, but I made it work. I have been riding the subways and taking buses to find places to fish. Then a couple years ago I had an epiphany. I'm not married and I don't have kids, why I am riding the subway to go catch 12in fish? I decided I need to travel the world to hunt for big fish.
Fishing has now brought me to places that very few people ever get to see. I have done all my traveling by myself, and have met some fantastic people along the way. This year I kind of "grew up" and bought a place and got some wheels, so my traveling this year was kind of slow. I have been focusing on learning Massachusetts a little bit more. But the travel bug has been itching lately, specically this month because this is the time I usually go to the Amazon. I'm not sure where I'll end up next year, but I have a feeling there may be some fish with teeth involved.
My paternal grandfather was my early influence. He would keep all his fishing gear in the trunk of his car (he had the bug). Whenever the family would drive up to visit him in Slatington, PA he and my dad would drag us kids down to the Lehigh River and adjacent canal to fish for bass and panfish. When I was in middle school (in northern NJ) I had a couple of friends that were also into fishing. We had our subscriptions to Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, etc. We saved up to buy our first Mitchell 300's (still have it). Got into fly fishing and started tying flies. We even bought ourselves inflatable rafts and got our parents to drop us off at some ponds in the area. In 9th grade my family moved and my new friends weren't into fishing so I didn't do very much for many years. After graduating from Berklee in the 80s I got the itch again and would take the 39 bus to Jamaica Pond for trout. Then I met my wife and a long hiatus ensued with only the very occasional fishing trip. About 5 years ago I started getting interested in kayak fishing but I didn't pull the trigger on the kayak until 2011. I never realized how much I missed fishing until I got back into it. It's as if I have decades of lost time to make up for.
My dad is the one got me start, as is the case with many of you. Entered and won my first derby at the age of 7. Wouldn't let my parents cross a freaking bridge without stopping to see what was lurking down below! Self taught angler with only the help of Bassmaster magazine. Discovered while ice fishing at the age of 8, that I wanted to become a game warden. Went to school for criminal justice. Got sidetracked with a job as Director of Recreation for a municipality and founded the Learn to fish Program (11,000 participants in 8 years), as well as several tournaments (including the still existing Tidewater Derby on the Merrimack River every June). Finally became a game warden and continued with the above programs and did lots of work with Boy Scouts, local schools, Veterans assoc., Special Olympics, etc... Got a pink slip 9 years ago, went to plan B for a career....but still continue to live and breath fishing. Joined a club 3 years ago to take care of that competitive fire burning in most of our bellies.. Spend most of my recreational fishing with Dad, my son and my daughter's boyfriend. Oh Yeah...and I wrote an article in the old Haverhill Gazette called "Reel Happenings". WHew!!!
im glad to hear other peoples stories and was thinking about maybe starting a mentor program for youth fishing and was talking to Neil today i think a turney were we would all take a kid on as a partner and teach them the winner would be given a rod and tackle setup what do you all think
when I ran my learn to fish program, I had a host of tackle manufactures who gladly supplied an assortment of donations each year for my Youth FIshing Festival. We averaged close to 300 kids each year and did free raffles-each participant got a ticket.
We also got donations of polaroid film and gave kids photos of their catch. Another exciting thing was the fish ID tank. We would put a variety of fish in the tank which were caught, and give the kids an educational account of each fish, the different markings, colorations, body structure, handling techniques, etc...
I bet if MAFF were to write to some of the larger manufacturers, it would receive more than you could imagine. Some of the sponsors of my program were Bill Lewis Lewis, Bass Assassin, Berkley, Shakespeare, Poes, Mann's, as well as several local corporations who donated cash for the event.
Mass Wildlife also has a program-the old Urban Angler program-and they loan out equipment which can be borrowed by your group. They have a fishing license exemption for sponsored events throught their program. Jim Legacy is a great contact through the Westboro office. He could also hook you up with other groups who are doing similar events and maybe you could 'piggy back ' with their efforts. Either way, it is all good! If you call Jim, tell him Brian Carifio says hello!
We also got donations of polaroid film and gave kids photos of their catch. Another exciting thing was the fish ID tank. We would put a variety of fish in the tank which were caught, and give the kids an educational account of each fish, the different markings, colorations, body structure, handling techniques, etc...
I bet if MAFF were to write to some of the larger manufacturers, it would receive more than you could imagine. Some of the sponsors of my program were Bill Lewis Lewis, Bass Assassin, Berkley, Shakespeare, Poes, Mann's, as well as several local corporations who donated cash for the event.
Mass Wildlife also has a program-the old Urban Angler program-and they loan out equipment which can be borrowed by your group. They have a fishing license exemption for sponsored events throught their program. Jim Legacy is a great contact through the Westboro office. He could also hook you up with other groups who are doing similar events and maybe you could 'piggy back ' with their efforts. Either way, it is all good! If you call Jim, tell him Brian Carifio says hello!
thank you it is something i will do even if i have to raise the money myself i think it would keep some kids out of trouble and give them the chance to do something fun and safe that they can pass on to others and i will try and contact some of the people you named thank you
when I ran my learn to fish program, I had a host of tackle manufactures who gladly supplied an assortment of donations each year for my Youth FIshing Festival.
How did yo get started on that?
im glad to hear other peoples stories and was thinking about maybe starting a mentor program for youth fishing and was talking to Neil today i think a turney were we would all take a kid on as a partner and teach them the winner would be given a rod and tackle setup what do you all think.
Sounds like a good idea. I'd be interested in helping.
I spent all my summers as a Kid ( 30+ yrs) on Lake Manchaug, my dad was there as a kid, so we did also. That place is still tuff to fish with the clarity of the water but My Dad showed us the way. My Mother even caught a 3+ lb Yellow Perch on a night crawler!!! Yeah Baby!!! Mom loved ICE FISHING season, she had the house till noon, NOBODY HOME!!! hahahaha Thanks Dad!!