My love for fishing.

I have always had a love for fishing whether its ocean, lake, river,or stream. If someone asked if I would like to go it was always with an emphatic YES!!! This love for fishing started with my Grandfather John Millar. when we left Southgate CA and moved to Maywood CA we lived directly across the street from my grandparents, which for a kid is awesome. I remember always being over there whether I was watching my grandfather work with wood building things or helping with yard work or just sitting with them both watching tv. They were the most awesome loving caring grandparents a kid and an adult could ever have. Well we used to go to a place called Lake Casitas alot when I was growing up. That is where I got my first taste of fishing and now its just an obsession with me. I remember as a youngin the first time my Grandfather open that wonderful tackle box of line, hooks, weights, jigs and lures of all colors and sizes. I was entranced, kind of like the first time you are outside of a city and look into the night sky and just get that wow effect. Well that was me. I start asking what's this do and what do you catch with this. My Grandfather patiently would show me what each would item would do. Taught me how to tie a fishing knot, where to put the hook and weights and what to use for what you are trying to catch.

He even introduced me to my very first fishing prank LOL. I don't remember my age at the time I was still young and at my age now I am excited that I still remember things that long ago lol. We were at lake Casitas again Ventura county. I was still living in Maywood , in the Los Angeles area. We always left in the early morning and drive the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway. Then we would stop for breakfast at a restaurant called Loops Restaurant. I always sat next to grandpa no matter what. Oh yeah back to the prank. myself and grandpa are sitting at the side of the lake just watching for that slightest bump that could indicate that there is something interested in your bait. When my grandfather looked down the shore a little way and saw a partially decomposed fish on the shore. It was sun dried and didn't smell but looked horrendous lol. He looks at me and asks if I would like to play a joke on mom and grandma. He always like to have a good time and mess with family members and I am sure that is where I get my sense of humor from. Well myself who loves his my mom to death and would never...ahhh who am I trying to kid I emphatically said YES this should be great. My grandpa grabs the dead fish and proceeded to hook it on my pole and cast it back into the water. While this is going on my mother and grandmother are up at the picnic site setting up lunch. When all of a sudden they here my grandpa yelling "Helen and Linda come quick John has caught his first fish!!!" (Helen is my Grandmother and Linda is my Mother and before my wife these two were and are most important females in my life at the time) Well they drop everything they are doing to come see the excitement of me pulling in my first fish. There I am pulling back on the pole reeling in my line slowly, and we had the drag loosened so every time I reeled it sounded like it was fighting. I get it close to shore and my grandfather grabs and the line and holds up this decaying fish and my mom and grandmother look in astonishment and say "what in the world is that? Has it been eaten?" My grandfather with out missing a beat says something about how he has heard rumors about fresh water piranha living in the waters so it must be the rumors are true. Which in turn gets me to giggle and mom and grandma now know its an elaborate joke played by us. It was hysterical to us to them not so much. As I grew older I fished with him whenever I could.

I have fished and introduced fishing to a lot of friends. I love fishing with all of you. Jonah, Tim, Rob, Sharky, David, and Jim And of course my fishing significant other Heather. Yes folks besides gaming she is also a lover of all things fishing. I really lucked out. In all honesty I have one true fishing buddy his name is Dennis. He was a neighbor of mine. My mom worked at the video store that his grandmother and grandfather owned. I was introduced to him through helping setting up a new store they were opening. We started talking and found out we shared the same interest in shooting, hunting, fishing of course, just about anything we just clicked. I ended up getting a job at the video store which was awesome so once in awhile we would work together. The bad thing was that sometimes we didn't and one of us would get the fishing bug and try to get the other one to take the day off lol. There were times when I would get a knock on my window in the wee hours of the morning asking if I worked or that he took the day off lets go fishing lol. Dennis also introduced me to ocean fishing. OMG I was hooked and would go a lot more if it wasn't so expensive.

I would just like to say that whether you eat fish or not, give fishing a shot. Take the family, get your kids involved in it. To me, it is, as if not more exciting than a video game. If you don't eat fish just go to a place that you know allows catch and release. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting by a lake on the shore or in a boat on a lake. Standing next to or in a stream or even on a charter boat in the ocean out in nature and the fresh air fishing. I enjoy lake fishing a lot just sitting there with your line in the water with friends or family and I enjoy fishing with my wife and mother. The anticipation of just waiting and watching the tip of the fishing rod tip start to bounce a little and you walk over and lift the fishing pole waiting for the next little tug then you pull back and bam you have a fish that you have to reel in. It's just a blast. There are even times that you don't even need to wait for the little bounce of the pole you are just sitting and talking when all of a sudden you fishing pole just bends and you think its going to break. That is excitement a video game cant deliver.

In closing I would just like to say go out and give it a shot. Do a little research, ask around the local sporting good stores and find out good places to fish. Best place is Bass Pro Shops, the people there in the fishing department are very knowledgable and can point you in the right direction, whether you are a new fisherman to a seasoned professional, on what to get and use and possibly where to go.
Once you get the essentials, it's not that expensive of a hobby and once you have a fishing license (you can purchase either a one day license or a year around license) then you are set. You will only need a day off and some bait and you're good to go. I hope to see you all out there soon. Feel free to shoot me a comment if you want to know some of the places that I have fished and recommend and places I don't really recommend. Thanks for taking the time to read this, it's something I am truly passionate about. I will post more fishing stories and more adventures I have had with the aforementioned people in later blog posts. Till then have a wonderful life and remember to Fish On!!!