Night fishing - Love/Hate

[Guest avid]

I really enjoy night fishing.  It's quiet. I have the lake to myself.  the fishing may be slow to moderate but the size are generally bigger.  Plus it's mostly a topwater bite that I go for.

But the downside, is that I usually have equipment hassles.  Things get tangled, or broken.  I run over or into things and I have lost equipment.

This has happened before but never as bad as tonight.  I left with four outfits and came home with three.

The outfit I lost was a my swimbait rig.  GLoomis BCR875 with a daiwa TDZ reel.

I'm ill.

I know the cove I lost it in.  It's big, but if I'm lucky the rod, reel, and multihooked musky jitterbug will be tangled up in some weeds.  If I'm not it's at the bottom somewhere never to be seen again.

I havent' lost anything nearly this valuable.  The closest was when my tackle box when over the side in april of 2005.

I'll be out at daybreak searching the cove.  

wish me luck.

Oh, and it would make me feel less like an idiot if y'all could tell me some of your "lost or broken" equipment stories.

thanks

avid

[Bassn Blvd]

I left the resteraunt feeling sick but after reading about your lost I think I'm going to puke.  Seriously, I feel ill thinking you lost a rod. Especially a Loomis.  Were you fishing in Palm Beach? If so, I'll come help you look for it.  We'll drag the lake. I enjoy night fishing but I like to do it with a full moon so I can see better.  Pith black sky makes it difficult.  I won't take my boat out on lakes at night unless I know the lake very well. (unless I'm snook fishing then I'll go anytime)>  I'm looking for a jon boat to rig for the lakes around my neighborhood. I wasnt to rid it with deck lights and possibly a bow light.....

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Oh, and it would make me feel less like an idiot if y'all could tell me some of your "lost or broken" equipment stories.

thanks

avid

That sucks big time .... Good luck on the rescue search tomorrow.

OK, you asked for it........

I was either 16 or 17 and it was my very first night fishing trip with a boat. I had night fished before, but always from the bank. So my buddy and I get to the lake around midnight, load the gear, and launch the boat. I get in the boat and troll it over to the dock and wait for my buddy while he parked the truck. He gets to the dock and steps in the boat, but just as he does the boat starts to slip away .... so he is doing the ever so common splits with one foot in the boat and one on the dock. He lunges falls into the boat very aggressively and rocked the boat ... BIG TIME!!! Keep in mind we are in my little two man boat. So anyways we kind of laugh it off and head to our spot. A good 10-15 minutes away by trolling motor. We get there and get situated and reach down for our rods ........ GONE!!!! All 4 of them. We guess amongst incident at the ramp they must of went over. This was when I just started to accumulate some nicer equipment too. No where near what you lost, but pretty substantial to 16 or 17 year kid and those were the only two rigs you had. Then to make things worse, on the way back to the ramp it started POURING down rain.

I am still amazed till this day that neither of us realized the rods went over or at least recognized we didn't have them on the way out.

[Guest avid]

Thanks for your story KU.

Cost is relative.  I'm sure your two rods at that time were just as costly as my loss, maybe more so.

I hate to admit it, but it does ease the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach a litte.

Thanks for your offer BB, but it was no where near you.  anyway, like I said.  I know the cove I lost it in, It's pretty big.  If it's not hung up in some brush (that musky jitterbug had three huge trebles)

than its' lost.   I'll post a sign w/reward on the community bulletin board, but if I don't find it tomorrow than I have to right it off as an expensive mental error.  

[VekolBass]

Sorry to hear you lost a rod/reel that were that expensive. I would feel ill too. If you have a good idea where you lost it perhaps you could drag a deep running crank bait or something else with lots of treble hoods around, snag it, and drag it up.

I've lost a good amount of equipment over the years. A couple of months ago I broke one of my favorite rods in two bringing the boat into the dock. By far I've had my worst incidents at the ramp. The worst was when my son went to change into some shorts to help put the boat on the trailer and dropped his new cell phone into a porta-jon. Needless to say, that phone was gone forever.

[New 2 Bass]

Dude your gonna dredge the bottom, arn't you?  I would.  You are going to need more thrust on the ol' Osprey.  Good luck.  You need dive gear let me know, I got you covered.

Al

[CJ]

Sorry to here that Avid.

A couple of years ago I was fishing with a buddy in his boat.I remember we had a strong south wind that day and the lake was capping.All of a sudden we caught the wrong wave just right and went airborne.Then the boat took a nose dive right into another wave.It blew a rod strap loose and there went my brand new Shimano Curado and a BPS rod.I got sick....real sick.At the time the Curado was the only good reel I had.I have also lost 3 cellphones to Ky.Lake.

I hope you find your rig,Avid.Good Luck!

[MattStrykul]

I know this may not work for you since you fish in a canoe, but if you know the general area throw a cast net out and it would definetly pick it up.

Just a suggestion though.

~Matt

[Guest avid]

The worst was when my son went to change into some shorts to help put the boat on the trailer and dropped his new cell phone into a porta-jon. Needless to say, that phone was gone forever.  

Thanks for the laugh.  I needed it.

I couldn't find the rodnreel.  I tried dragging the bottom in a few likely(?) places but NG.

I told my most trusted buddies and will post the sign w/reward, but like I said this cove is big and full of weeds.  I'll try again tomorrow.

thanks for the feedback.

As is my habit, when I feel like I lost something or am otherwised deprived of something I think I deserve, my best medicine is to give thanks.

I am lucky and thankful to have a broad selection of high end rods n reels that will continue to meet my needs with the level of enjoyment my lost rig has brought me.  This was not a "once in a lifetime" purchase for me.  I have other GlX rods and other TDZ's as well as St. Croix Legend elites and tournament bass rods.  My other baitcasters are the Fuego and Sol.  Both excellent and tuned or modified to perfection.

I'm a lucky guy to have the fishing gear I do.

If this lost outfit turns up. Then that's great.  If not.  It's still great.

Life is good.  This is just a little bump in the road.

[CJ]

Avid,I admire your optimism or however you spell that word.

[VekolBass]

The worst was when my son went to change into some shorts to help put the boat on the trailer and dropped his new cell phone into a porta-jon. Needless to say, that phone was gone forever.

Thanks for the laugh. I needed it.

I couldn't find the rodnreel. I tried dragging the bottom in a few likely(?) places but NG.

I told my most trusted buddies and will post the sign w/reward, but like I said this cove is big and full of weeds. I'll try again tomorrow.

thanks for the feedback.

As is my habit, when I feel like I lost something or am otherwised deprived of something I think I deserve, my best medicine is to give thanks.

I am lucky and thankful to have a broad selection of high end rods n reels that will continue to meet my needs with the level of enjoyment my lost rig has brought me. This was not a "once in a lifetime" purchase for me. I have other GlX rods and other TDZ's as well as St. Croix Legend elites and tournament bass rods. My other baitcasters are the Fuego and Sol. Both excellent and tuned or modified to perfection.

I'm a lucky guy to have the fishing gear I do.

If this lost outfit turns up. Then that's great. If not. It's still great.

Life is good. This is just a little bump in the road.

Good attitude. Stuff can be replaced. When I broke my favorite rod in two a couple of months ago I replaced it with my first St. Croix. Heartbreaking--truly heartbreaking.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Dredge time,lol.

That's a bummer.  I take 2 rods at night myself.  

I sent a Kistler Magnesium overboard last yr.  It was approximately 30 minutes old.  The cork wasn't even dirty yet!

I havn't given up on it yet.  Nathan has a winter suit for diving and is going back down after ice out when water clarity will be much better.

Good luck in getting yours back!!

[cart7t]

I've had a few outfits go overboard over the years.  It sucks.  I was teaching my wife to throw a baitcasting rod when we were first going out.  We were at a friends pond on the dock.  She was using one of my best outfits at the time.  All of a sudden the rod just flew out her hand and into the lake on one her casts.  I rigged up another rod with a bunch of 5/0 worm hooks in a grapple type looking deal and after numerous casts and dredging, finally caught the rod.

She still has that outfit and uses it to this day.  Good luck finding it Avid.  I'd suggest carrying a marker bouy with you from now on in the event this happens again.  You can drop it right where the rod went down and come back later.

[SneakySnook]

Sorry about your lost Avid that really sucks.

[senko_77]

Avid, I can kinda relate.  Last year I had a Loomis 7ft Crankbait rod with a Pfleuger President drop over the side of the boat in about 20ft of water.  I had many sleepless nights over that one.  I also just lost my favorite spinnerbait combo a few months ago.  I hooked a fish on a sammy, and kicked my spinning reel right off the deck of my boat that was at my feet.

[Guest avid]

Yeah, it happens.

but when it does it truly sucks.

[Mattlures]

Avid you could try dragging a large magnet.  I feel bad for you buddy I hope it turns up

[dink]

Is there any steel in a TDZ for a magnet to stick to?

[craigaria]

Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice to the fish gods The best day I have ever had my friend dropped his brand new $400 digital camera in the lake first thing in the morning. We ended up catching 48 fish. 15 of them were over 7 lbs. I think the fish felt sorry for him for making such an expensive sacrifice and repaid him with the best day ever.

Hopefully your lost combo will come back to you in the form of big bass. But I wouldn't suggest throwing expensive stuff in the lake hoping for the bite, the bass know when you are doing it on purpose ;D

[Cravin]

I use to belong to a local Bass club for tube and miniboat fishing,so I've witnessed alot of bad luck!

I watched two rather large members in a very small miniboat  get wake'd by a speed boat dumping them and all their gear in about 10 to 15 feet of water, some younger guys spent the best part of the afterrnoon diving for their gear with little luck.

The worst I saw was when we pulled up to the ramp early one morning all we heard was the sound of a truck engine wide open, we got there just in time to watch a  nice red 4 wheel drive Dodge Ram  slide 1/2 of the way into the lake. The ramp was covered in green moss and as slick as glass ....we launched elsewhere.

[sodaksker]

Avid,

Sorry to hear about your loss.  I have lost 3 different rigs on 3 different occasions, all over the side of the boat, non recovered.  All were $100 or less outfits though.

Look on the bright side though.  This is the perfect time to start converting all your rigs to custom sprial wrapped rods.  Give reel mech a call,  he can build you one on a loomis blank if that is what you want.

[tacoman]

i've got a friend that lost a rod/reel in about 15 to 20 ft of water.  he found his using one of those nets with big treble hooks on it that the search and rescue use to drag on the bottom.

[deepsessions]

last December I was fishing a local lake in a 12' alum rental and had my jig rod laying across the width of the boat (near the oar guides) while I was landing a 4lb rainbow on a jig! this freakish fighting planter trout created all kinds of hysteria and my Powell 735 with a Daiwa Advantage reel tipped over and slowly sunk in 35' of water....sad part is it  was real windy and I was in an alum so recovery was not possible  :-[  just few months before I was driving up to Clear Lake with my rods and dropped the passenger window for some air and forgot about my rods  > started rolling up the window and at the last second stopped it to remember my rods!! well it was too late my Lami drop shot rod was nearly decapitated and bent beyond repair.

None of this happened at night however I did witness a Rogue jig rod almost go to the swim gods on a COLD WET night up at Clear Lake while night fishing, luckily the owner had more heart than brains the air temp was in the 50's  

[Guest avid]

I really feel badly for you guys who have shared lost equipment stories, but I confess it does make me feel better.  I know this stuff happens but it helps to hear it from real people.  Makes me feel less careless and stupid.

I think I have the problem solved.  Not finding the rod.....thats gone, but about preventing something similar in the future.

I have two of those rubber tie down straps accross my canoe where at the point of the side motor mount.  I put them there because the motor wieghs 44 lbs and can "flex" the hull pretty good under high torque condtions.  So I reaaranged these straps a little so that I can place the butt end of a rod w/reel under over one strap and under the other.  This should "lock" in place and still make it easy to access.

Right now it's all theory, but I'll get out and give it a try soon.

the trick for me will to not get lazy.  If it's a good system I have to remember to use it all the time or history is bound to repeat itself.

thanks for sharing

[bocabasser]

avid how deep is your lake? i have dove in the dirtiest, darkest, scariest water to retrieve an outfit. it really isn't that bad to just dive in and get it. if you know exactly where you dropped it in, i will come up and get it for you. i live in boca. catch is, you take me fishing in this lake of yours.