My guess is that most fishermen out there were taught to fish by their fathers. I know that is the case in our family. My father had three sons and we all turned out to be lifetime fishermen. We were taught at an early age how to fish and grew up catching bluegills and largemouths in the local ponds. From there, my father taught us how to fly fish, catch trout and even tie flies. In the wintertime, the kitchen table would turn into our fly tying operation. When we became teenagers, my father got into saltwater striper fishing in the 1960’s and that began a lifetime passion for me. My father bought an old four wheel drive jeep back then, and we would head to the sands of the Cape or the south shore or RI to fish for striped bass right off the beach. Back then you could venture everywhere on the beaches without regulations or permits and we did! After the Jeep, he bought an old bread truck which he made into a camper that we used on weekends and vacations to fish for stripers and blues. For all those who have the high priced campers of today, imagine 5 people and a dog sleeping in a bread truck for a week. We loved it! I have to credit and thank my father for everything I know about fishing today.
Today,I am fortunate to have four sons of my own and all love to fish. I took them since they were babies, often surf fishing with my son, Matt, in a backpack on my back. We only headed in when it was time for a diaper change! As the other kids arrived, I would often take three or four kids in tow to the local ponds and in the Bay, usually pushing at least one kid in a carriage. My four boys are all into fishing. Matt loves the excitement of boat fishing for everything from stripers to albacore. Ben is my surf guy, a real sharpie who has become a great student of the game. Chris, my famous baseball ballplayer son, likes to fish the surf for schoolies and blues. And, Jon, my youngest son, is passionate about freshwater bass fishing and gets them with the ease of a pro. Aside from fishing, they all turned out to be very good students, good people and they have made good choices with friends and girlfriends. I am lucky.