Good Move, Slick Willy...

[tcb]

You know you've done it. Something you wish no one else had seen. Maybe you've done it multiple times.

I was at Jameson about two years ago, with a stringer where the average size was probably 19". We decided to troll back to camp so I threw out a wedding ring and laid in the sun while we cruised back at about 1mph. BOOM!!! Got the big one! Landed a monster, about 23"!! I was in a boat with 3 guys, and the rest of our camp was able to see it from the shore.

I held up the fish, everyone hooted, hollered. I clipped it on the stringer and tossed the stringer back into the lake ---- forgetting to clip the other end of the stringer to the boat!

I dove overboard after it, but didnt get to it in time. Here I am, wet, pissed off, and half the camp is laughing at me and the guys on my boat are all super mad!

I still havent lived that one down. On my last trip with the same set of guys, I got a gift -- a special stringer with about 60' of rope and a floater attached to it

[tcb]

Here's another one.. I forgot one of my rod holders last year, and three of us went out fishing. It wasnt a big deal, one of the guys had to hold his rod the whole time.

He set it down on the back of the boat to grab a cup of coffee..and.. you guessed it. The rod tip dipped, the drag went "ZIIIIIIIIIINNNNNG!" and he did a nice peroette from the front to the back of the boat, just in time to touch the handle with his fingertips and watch the rod shoot off the back of the boat and disappear into the lake.

Again, another oops that this guy hasnt lived down yet.

[Easy Limits]

I have done that.

In 1999, Spanaway Lake was planted with 10# bows. We had a stringer with several of these fish on it, man was it heavy. I pulled the stringer out of the water to admire the fish. When I went to put the fish back in the water I forgot to tie off the other end to the boat. Bye bye fish.

[littleriver]

I definitely cannot beat that one tcb.

[raffensg64]

Here's one....

A few years ago, while fishing Coffeepot in the spring, I ran into a guy by the name of Ron. He introduced himself as "Chronie Ronnie", said that's what everyone calls him because he fishes only with chironomid patterns that he ties.

He was absolutely killing Coffeepot's big bows, and seeing that I was struggling, called me over and gave me one of his patterns. I anchored to his left, about 50 feet away, and joined in on the fun. His pattern was awesome!

About 45 later the bite ended. After 15-20 minutes without a strike, Ronnie says he's gonna move a short distance into shallower water. He lays down his rod, grabs his anchor rope and begins pulling.....you guessed it! WHOOSH! In the blink of an eye and out of the corner of mine, I see his rod and reel go absolutely airborne, completely clearing his pontoon and disappearing into the water!

Ronnie goes absolutely nuts! It was understandable, especially when he screamed that the rod and reel were a Sage and Ross costing $700. He gets on his oars and begins heading to the launch, at which time I ask him where he's going. In some rather flavorable terms he informs he that he'd done for the day because he's lost his rod. I tell him that the water is only 10 feet deep and we should try to recover it. If he doesn't try and I should recover it later, then I'll be the proud owner of that Sagerod and Ross reel until I see him again! At that very instant a large trout begins thrashing the surface.....and attached to that trout is a long section of yellow floating line!

We devise a plan and begin "dredging" that area with our anchors. About 20 minutes later, on our third pass, Ronnie screams "I've got it!". Sure enough, he pulls in that float line, fish still attached and then the rod!

I never did ask him if he'd completely pinched that particular barb......if he had then he was extremely lucky, if he'd forgotten altogether then, well.....he picked the right time to forget!

[Aaron]

I think I posted about this in one of my Badger lake reports, but something similar to this happened to my daughter awhile back. She went to the restroom with her younger brother and left her pole propped up on the shore. I was supposed to watch it since I wasn't fishing, but I had other Children I was helping at the time. She caught a fish and the pole went in the lake... but only about 3 feet from shore. 3 feet from shore at Badger is about 3 feet of water and it was a cold day so if I had gone after it I would have been done for the day with no chnage of clothes. I watched the pole slowly take off into the lake. Later in the day, about 50 feet down the shore, someone caught that same fish and reeled in her pole. I was able to get the pole back, but I decided not to argue about who owned the fish... ;)

[tcb]

That's funny. Recovering the pole is always a bonus.

[Marc Martyn]

I don't have that kind of luck. For me I have two rules:

#1) Always put the rod in the holder
#2) Secure the safety strap

A couple of my fishing buddies have a habit of laying the rod down. I remind them that one of these days....

[gpc]

Ever think tou can break 2 poles with one cast, my cousin can. Last month I took my cousin fishing. When we got back to camp from fishing a near by lake he wanted to retie but when he went to grab the pole the tip was broken off. He couldnt figure this out. He came up with every excuse he could, he even tried to say my buddy did while taking off his shirt and bumped the rod tip yaeh...... . So I get him a new pole and he heads down to the dock 15 STEPS AWAY one cast, broken pole. I still have no idea hoe he did it, Im pretty sure he smaked it on the light post but he wont admit it:^o . So there it is folks 1 cast 2 broken poles. Mathematicly it dosnt add up but with the story along with it makes perfect sence. By the way hes not a little cousin hes 22 tears old

[panfisher]

i was icefishing in the middle of a bunch of others when i hooked something big, the fish did a wide circle and tangled about 4 lines two poles went in the other two got lucky but imagine 3 people tring to reel in the same fish from different holes. there was lots of yelling and screaming, some cussing to, well the fish was big enough to break off all three lines. i now stay clear of bunched up fishermen.

[zen leecher aka Bill W]

Here's one....

A few years ago, while fishing Coffeepot in the spring, I ran into a guy by the name of Ron. He introduced himself as "Chronie Ronnie", said that's what everyone calls him because he fishes only with chironomid patterns that he ties.

He was absolutely killing Coffeepot's big bows, and seeing that I was struggling, called me over and gave me one of his patterns. I anchored to his left, about 50 feet away, and joined in on the fun. His pattern was awesome!

About 45 later the bite ended. After 15-20 minutes without a strike, Ronnie says he's gonna move a short distance into shallower water. He lays down his rod, grabs his anchor rope and begins pulling.....you guessed it! WHOOSH! In the blink of an eye and out of the corner of mine, I see his rod and reel go absolutely airborne, completely clearing his pontoon and disappearing into the water!

Ronnie goes absolutely nuts! It was understandable, especially when he screamed that the rod and reel were a Sage and Ross costing $700. He gets on his oars and begins heading to the launch, at which time I ask him where he's going. In some rather flavorable terms he informs he that he'd done for the day because he's lost his rod. I tell him that the water is only 10 feet deep and we should try to recover it. If he doesn't try and I should recover it later, then I'll be the proud owner of that Sagerod and Ross reel until I see him again! At that very instant a large trout begins thrashing the surface.....and attached to that trout is a long section of yellow floating line!

We devise a plan and begin "dredging" that area with our anchors. About 20 minutes later, on our third pass, Ronnie screams "I've got it!". Sure enough, he pulls in that float line, fish still attached and then the rod!

I never did ask him if he'd completely pinched that particular barb......if he had then he was extremely lucky, if he'd forgotten altogether then, well.....he picked the right time to forget!

If Ron lives up out of Grand Coulee...then I've fished with him also.

[Basshunter046]

This is a good one involving of all things, CAR KEYS. About 10 years ago, while fishing for Pike and Trout on Hayden Lake here in Idaho. I walked down to the dock at Sportsman Park off the point. Got down and set up my poles for an evening of fishing. Well I first put my car keys in my flannel shirt pocket, Sat down and waited for a fish to bite. After about half and hour with no luck I realed in the trout pole to change the set up. Well as I got into my tackle box the cay keys went out of my pocket right through the only Knot Hole in the whole dock into 6 feet of water#-o. Well I had to get my car keys back or I wasn't going anywhere. I ended up taking all the trebles off all my crankbaits, flutter spoons, and whatever else I could conger up. I pull all the trebles, bell sinker on a swivel and started dropping it in the hole in the dock. With people looking on it took about 2 hours and for some lucky reason I snaged the keys through that hole I've learned never to put keys in my shirt pocket any more. Now my problem is always my cell phone in my carpenter pants side pocket that I happen to put in the washing machine I'll never learn

[Jacob]

a few years ago i was fishing with my grandfather for salmon up at Sekiu. well anyways we were trolling so he decides he's gonna re-tie so he ties the leader to the $10 flasher, and then ties that to the $15 diver, puts on a herring and throws it over the side. oops, forgot to tie it to the main line.