Tales of a fishing idiot

[mudcatwilly]

While fishing, I have destroyed 4 cell phones.  I offer these tales of my embarrasment for your amusement.

1.  While fishing from a rocky bank in December, my cell phone fell off my belt clip, bounced on the rocks and fell into the water.  The water was clear and I could see that it landed on a rocky shelf about 6 feet underwater.  At the time, I didn't consider that a fully submersed cell phone would no longer work, so I decided to go in after it.  I had just started fishing and it was early morning and I planned to fish the rest of the day and didn't want to fish in wet clothes.  I took a quick look around for other people, saw no one, so I stripped down naked and jumped into the freezing water, retreiving my no longer working cell phone.  I dried off with my sweatshirt and kept fishing.  Yes, I know.  I should have left the cell phone in the lake!

2.  While at work, I had an hour in between appointments (I am an engineer and was going to inspect someone's foundation later that afternoon).  Since I had a little time to kill, I decided to wet a line because I always keep my fishing gear in my truck in case the need arises.  Well, it had rained the previous night and the bank was muddy.  Fully clothed, I slipped and fell in, again with my new cell phone on me.  I had no change of clothes and didn't have time to go home, so I did the appointment in wet clothes and bare feet (real professional).  The client didn't seem to mind though.

3.  I got a new canoe this year and the first time I took it to the lake, I made a cast and got hung up in some submerged branches.  I paddled over in an attempt to retreive my lure.  I leaned over slightly to pull the lure from the water and flipped the canoe, again with my cell phone in my pocket.  The water was 54 degrees and the air temp was 40.  I fished the rest of the day wet and freezing and didn't catch anything but a cold.

4.  A few weeks ago, I was trout fishing (I know, what's a trout?) and I was wearing my hip waders in a stream.  I was doing fine walking along in the stream, enjoying my waders, even catching fish.  I got out of the water and walked upstream a ways, tripped over a large tree root and fell in the stream (which was about 5 feet deep) head first.  Again, my cell phone was in my pocket.  The water was a balmy 55 degrees.  To top it off, as I climbed out of the water, I saw an old fly fisherman standing there grinning from ear to ear.  He said, "Well at least you didn't fall in when the water was 40 degrees.  I fished the rest of the morning soaked to the bone with my destroyed cell phone in my pocket.

This has been a running joke with my friends.  I'm the guy who alway falls in the water.  Don't be that guy!  Oh yeah, if you are prone to falling in the water, keep your cell phone in a sealed ziplock bag like I do.  Better yet, leave it in the truck.  Better still, don't fall in the water.  I'm a flippin idiot.

[Peter E.]

I think that all wadeing anglers have that problem with cell phones and any other type of electric device. My pastor lost a Tungsten Palm Pilot like that, and I have a trac fone I use when fishing since it only costs like $20. Read Modern Day Noah in the My Fishing Trip forums. Then You can laugh at my experinces.

[alhuff]

mud, that is too funny......you got butt naked to get your phone..... ;D ;D ;D

we are not laughing at you but with you.

Stay Dry,

Alfred

[mudcatwilly]

Yeah, the naked phone diving story is the one everyone keeps bringing up.  For a brief moment, while I was standing there on the bank, naked and wet, holding my cell phone, I felt a weird sense of victory (and shrinkage!)

[alhuff]

yeah, i wasn't going to go the shrinkage route...........

"There was shrinkage, there was shrinkage!!!!!"

Alfred

[Guest avid]

Oh that was YOU standing on the shore totally naked?  

Yeah, I remember, I said to my buddy, look at that poor guy, he must be on the phone calling Bob for his "male enhancement"  

[alhuff]

OOOOOOOOOO that was wrong!!!!   Funny but wrong.......... ;D ;D ;D

Alfred

[Zel]

Funny stories, and feel lucky your falls only involved a cell phone.  Due to a bad ankle from an old basketball injury, I have a tendency to fall when I overturn my ankle.  Last 3 falls within the last year, while fishing: Torn meniscus right knee, dislocated right thumb, and torn cartilage right shoulder. Now the wife always sends me off on a fishing trip with a sarcastic Don't get hurt, and my fishing club now calls me Lefty.  I have a tournament coming up this Sunday, and the wife and kids are running a lottery on which body part won't come back intact.

[Morrolan]

Sometimes you can salvage a dunked cell phone by packing it in a ziploc bag full of dry, uncooked rice to dry out. (The rice absorbs the water slowly and without heat.)  I figure it's usually worth a try ... if it doesn't work, you're only back where you started, and out maybe thirty cents worth of rice.

My brother ran his Motorola through the washing machine, and brought it back to life this way.

[rodpilot]

The most important step, and darn near impossible. Is to remove the battery immediately and refrain from turning it on until about 3 days later after it is really really dry (after the rice trick) Shorting the components out further is what you are trying to avoid. It is an impossible urge to fight so be warned.  After three days if it is not working try the following.

Strip the device as much as possible and soak the components (except battery) in separate  clean, soap residue free, dishes with distilled water then rinse with more distilled water. Let dry. If that doesnt work try it with isopropyl alcohol.  

Its not the water, its the impurities in the water that cause a lingering short to the components.

[AM]

do you work for bill dance? ;o)

[splat_baseball51]

i almost lost my phone in the lake once, it fell out of my pocket while i was climbing a cliff, me playing baseball have fast reflexes and jumped down as it bounced off of a rock and caught it before it hit water, pretty funny though, lol. good thing it didnt go in, sorry dude

[DR_Bass]

I lost my cell phone to the lake once too.

I was at Ross Barnett practicing for a tournament that was to be held the next day. My buddy and I had found some fish and he had left his cell phone in the truck. Since we were on some fish he needed to call one of his friends and tell him where we were. About mid-conversation the phone slipped from his hand and it "bounced" into the lake. My buddy put up a huge effert to retrieve my phone and almost went in himself. At this point my face looks something like this.... >. It all was good though because he payed me back later at our next tournament by buying me a brand new rainsuit. That day on Ross Barnett was about 4 months ago and I just got a new cell phone today. I would have gotten one sooner but the baitmonkey hit me first. :-[

P.S. - Those are some good stories Mudcatwilly... ;D

[splat_baseball51]

I lost my cell phone to the lake once too.

I was at Ross Barnett practicing for a tournament that was to be held the next day. My buddy and I had found some fish and he had left his cell phone in the truck. Since we were on some fish he needed to call one of his friends and tell him where we were. About mid-conversation the phone slipped from his hand and it "bounced" into the lake. My buddy put up a huge effert to retrieve my phone and almost went in himself. At this point my face looks something like this.... >. It all was good though because he payed me back later at our next tournament by buying me a brand new rainsuit. That day on Ross Barnett was about 4 months ago and I just got a new cell phone today. I would have gotten one sooner but the baitmonkey hit me first. :-[

P.S. - Those are some good stories Mudcatwilly... ;D

i would have pimpslapped him upside his face first

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

A picture is worth a thousand words (or dollars eventually)(small pic below)

[Guest the_muddy_man]

hope u had on water proof sun screen thats a bad spot to start peelin if you know what i mean

[Poor Richard]

 

The Gods of Fishing are trying to tell you something.  Electronic gadgets are ruining the sanctity of fishing.  What if it rings while you're delicately trying to land a 7# bass?  Your naked baptism was a ritual of atonement, and you should have quit right there.  Next time lightning will strike.  

I know a fisherman whose underwater camera was eaten by a pike.  You see, we must eschew all evil.

If you don't catch a bass, it is because of some wicked thought you had the night before.

So pray, woeful sinners.    

-----------------------

"I seen 'em, I seen 'em!"

[Rattlinrogue]

I lost a phone to the bassin',deep depths also,but nothing as funny as yours.Take it easy buddy before you kill yourself!

[Whopper-Stopper]

Leave the Phones at home guys. We go fishing to get away from all that crap. Besides who wants to get to the lake at daylight in hopes of excellant topwater bite and peace and quit only to have it ruined by some guys funky sounding cell phone ring. Not me.

Even if I did bring one with me though; I could be 10 yds from the water and it would still find its way in the lake. ;D

[russ0101]

just last thursday i was able to do my "New Every 2" with Verizon. Well I took off early that day from work, went got the phone, and decided since it was 3:00pm I would go put the boat in the water. Well I got in the water, with my BRAND new cell phone, and got to my honey hole. 4 casts later, i notice people hurrying like hell to get out of the water. I turn around (i was wearing head phones and sunglasses) and see the blackest skies coming up behind me. Now i'm about 600 yards away from the landing, in a 12' Jon Boat with 34# Thrust Trolling motor. I turn and go as fast as i can - against the wind. I finally make it back to the shore about 30min later, not thinking about the phone, i jumped out into the water to pull my jon boat up on the edge to go get the truck. Got the truck pulled down, put the back of the boat in the bed, and went down to about waist deep to pick up the front and slide it into the truck.  Then the rain came.

As soon as i put the straps on, i went to call my girl friend and remembered: YOU DUMMY, your phone is in your cargo pocket. Well i took it out, took out the battery, and put the heat on full blast. The temp outside was around 80, and i had stripped down to my boxers since my shorts were soaked. Well, i got about a mile from the house, and got pulled over by a state trooper. I saw him, and i was frantically trying to get my shorts back on (female trooper), i was swerving all over the road (I was driving my dads small straight drive truck). Anyways, she freakin stopped me because she thought i was my dad who she served with in the military. Needless to say, as far as i got with the shorts was around my ankles. She didnt say much, but i got the weirdest look from her, i looked down, and the horse was coming out of the barn. She let me go on my way, but i don't even carry my phone with me anymore. i can replace the phones, but the wet weiner would be too much for me to handle again.

[bassmasta7]

HAHAHAHAHAHA LMAO ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[earthworm77]

Russ, funny $hit. I wrote an article about my old fishing partner, I call him mishap man. He has had so many things go wrong. If I can find it, I'll post it. It is funny.

[Peter E.]

Hey russ010 I would have paid an arm and a leg to have seen that Trooper car film! she must have looked about like this   :-[ > . There is no telling what she thought to tell your dad next time she saw him.

[mwhitworth25]

i almost lost my phone in the lake once, it fell out of my pocket while i was climbing a cliff, me playing baseball have fast reflexes and jumped down as it bounced off of a rock and caught it before it hit water, pretty funny though, lol. good thing it didnt go in, sorry dude

hey rodney in 8th grade kiser jumped into the lake. he forgot to take his cell phone out of his pocket. as soon as he got out he dried it with a blowdryer and it worked fine.