Would you go in to get gear back?

[Anderoo]

I once had a carp pull a rod into a lake after forgetting to switch on the baitrunner. It went straight for a huge snaggy tree about 50 yards away and sat there, with the rod handle (which thankfully floated) bobbing about in the lake, about 30 yards out. I tried catching it with another rod but couldn't do it, so eventually decided I had to go in after it. I knew the water was only about 4-5ft deep.

 

What I hadn't realised was how deep the silt in the lake was. Lowering myself into the margin, I immediately sunk up to my neck as I just disappeared into this horrendous thick, stinking silt - luckily I still had hold of the bank, and managed to drag myself out, making a loud 'schlooooooop' noise as I went!

 

Funny to imagine the scene now, but at the time it was all rather scary. That's the last time I've been into a lake to get something.

 

In the end I did manage to hook the rod with another rod, and got it back. I even got the end tackle back, but of course the carp was long gone.

[Phone]

All,

 

Nope !!

 

But, standard kit is a 12/0 (or larger) weighted treble hook. Since I mostly sight fish the line, and, since I am frequently prone to short naps (maybe an hour or so) I've had a number of rods to large to mention pulled right off my lap. Don't often loose one however. Freelining, using a rod with a floating handle, and fishing no further than maybe 30 yards out usually saves the day using my handy dandy recovery setup.

 

But NO WAY do I go in any more. My most expensive angling combination (rod, reel, line, hook) is probably 30 bucks.

 

Since I no longer fish two different watersheds with the same equipment I often give the rod and reel away to a local kid anyway. He can go in and get it.

 

Phone

[Tigger]

I hate loosing anything at all and have followed a float for over a hundred yards down a small river to get it back. I've never had a rod dragged into the water or anything like that due to my lightening fast reactions and on the two occassions when the rod was being pulled off the rests I had it in my hand before it hit the ground . I suppose actually jumping in a river/ lake to retreive an item of tackle would depend on how valuable it was and what the chances of getting back alive where.

[Now there's a right un.]

Only once have I ever ventured into a water after lost tackle.

 

I got a wavelock umbrella for christmas one year and a freak wind blew it into the river where it snagged up on a branch.

I, with the help of my Brother, tied a life ring around me and swam out to retrieve it.

I can assure you it was the almost the worst experience of my life, but I got my Brolly back.

I was absolutely chilled to the bone but had remembered to take off my thermal jacket before going in.

 

My Gran didn't half give me a lecture but it was worth it.

[RUDD]

Had a wade last weekend to retrive my top two sections of my pole after getting snagged by a fish (upon retrival the fish had gone).

 

Some years back I had a rod balanced across my legs as I feed more dog biccies - as I fired them out I had a savage take and I was not quick enough to grab the rod. I watched the cork handle bob across the pool and went in after it - Very strange playing a fish whilst treading water, I did land it.

 

Winter feeder fishing at Beccles saw a duck hit my line and in went a very expensive set up - again the cork handle saved the day as a pike angler managed to hook the rod with a dead bait set up by aiming just beyond the cork handle bobbing along.

No way was I going in the water that day -1 December day on a deep hard flowing tidal river.

[Denis Skorikov]

I once had a carp pull a rod into a lake after forgetting to switch on the baitrunner. It went straight for a huge snaggy tree about 50 yards away and sat there, with the rod handle (which thankfully floated) bobbing about in the lake, about 30 yards out. I tried catching it with another rod but couldn't do it, so eventually decided I had to go in after it. I knew the water was only about 4-5ft deep.

 

What I hadn't realised was how deep the silt in the lake was. Lowering myself into the margin, I immediately sunk up to my neck as I just disappeared into this horrendous thick, stinking silt - luckily I still had hold of the bank, and managed to drag myself out, making a loud 'schlooooooop' noise as I went!

 

Funny to imagine the scene now, but at the time it was all rather scary. That's the last time I've been into a lake to get something.

 

In the end I did manage to hook the rod with another rod, and got it back. I even got the end tackle back, but of course the carp was long gone.

 

I have similar story, but the carp was on the hook. Reels with baitrunner appear in our country not so long as in yours, that's why our old anglers have a numerous quantity of such stories in their story arsenal. Just one of them:

 

Angler was fishing at night. He settled down and started to wait for fish. Suddenly it started to bait he hooked the fish (as he thought) and started to reel it out. It was a great struggle and in the end when he put it out he saw that it wasn't a fish, this was a goat head.

 

Such story you can hear everywhere in our country.

[Andy_1984]

a guy i used to fish with bought rather expensive polarised sun glasses for £70 i advised him to buy a £2 piece of string for keeping them on his face but he decided not to. so we went to the canal and as soon as he had a look in the water, plop, 7ft down under they went he only had them on all of 3 minutes.

 

he never did get them back.

Edited September 14, 2011 by Andy_1984

[Vagabond]

Several grandchildren and their friends used to descend upon us each summer, and I would organise a week-long fishing competition. One day No 1 Grandson elected to fish for carp in the margins.

 

Despite repeated instructions to keep hold of his rod, eventually he came along to tell me his rod had been pulled in.

Grandchildren were issued with hollow-glass rods at the time, (cheap if something bust) but hollow rods also float, and this one was getting towed up and down the lake.

 

Rigged up a spinning outfit, cast over the rod, pulled it in. Carp still attached - duly netted, about 5 lb.

 

Grandson then spoke up.

 

Not to say "Thanks Grandpa" but to ask "Can I count this fish in the competition?"

 

 

I have never had to go in to retrieve my own tackle, but have taken to the water many times (although not in the last five years) to keep a decent fish out of snags.

 

Also saw the butt ends of TWO rods sticking out of the River Medway once, so went in after them (I expected to find a drowned angler as well) Got two cheap but serviceable outfits - two glass rods with two matching D.A.M egg-beater reels.

 

Once watched a fairly frantic sea angler trying to retrieve his car keys, which for some reason he had had in his hand when stepping off a charter boat and dropped them in the harbour.

[Phone]

Vagabond,

 

I'm not a boat guy but there are a million "boat" stories where bass fishermen tipped or submerged there boats filled with A L L there gear (sometimes 5 figures).

 

Phone

[Vagabond]

there are a million "boat" stories

 

Its now a million and one, although we were not fishing at the time, just travelling with fishing gear.

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/Vagabon...nds++Madagascar

 

Didn't count this as "going in to get gear back" as there were better swimmers than I doing just that.