Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

just a querrie regarding lost equipment

If you lose a rod and reel over the side? Do you spend hours searching, what do you use to drag looking for it, how often ahve you found the item?

I ask because at Cachuma this past weekend I lost my powell 735 frog rod and a quantum reel over the side thanks to a boat too close... in a protected (5mph) zone. I just about fell out from the big waves. Wish I could remember the boat, but can't

I tried for almost 8 hrs dragging a 2 oz sinker with a large treble tied on it across the bottom in hopes of snagging. NO GO. but feel confident there are not more twigs, branches or brush in the same area either...

Some of my buddies have recovered rod combos doing what you tried.

Others have donned wet-suits and went diving in after them.

Wishing you success...

How deep was the water ?
How is the clarity?

When the same happened to me I tried several approaches, including using the underwater camera...no luck. But in researching the problem I thought this was ingenious. Use an old-fashioned metal stringer, open all the hooks, maybe add a bit of weight and if you can get it to loop, sort of like a "U" shape all the better. I never tried it but it sounds like the best approach to cover a wider area and something is BOUND to get hung up in all that metal. Good luck it really fries you to know a great combo is sitting on the bottom of a lake.

12-18 feet, stained greenish/brown, visability about 2-3 feet

might any of the parts of the rod be made out of metal.. that a magnet might attach too? they have magnets at like home depot , but I doubt it would work on aluminum.

I've used a chain stringer 5 or 6 times to retrieve rods and reels over the years, once 90 ft. deep, but all the line had run out, making it fairly easy just to snag the line. I never used a weight, metal stringers are several ounces any way, and sink pretty fast.

I seen a cast master work well for this...........

If dragging for it doesn't work out for you, I would contact your local dive shop and see if someone is willing to help you out. Unless you know someone that is SCUBA certified, tanks are only around $10 to rent. If you were closer, I would help you out. Good luck.

Squid Lures work really well .... Bend and flare some tips out on the ends of the last set of hooks.

You can tie the lure to braid for a better feel as well. If you have the boat room to shore - try working it from deep water to shallow water for a better %'age and the lure working againt the grain in getting your rod back.

Squid jigs A+ but remove the plastic and use about 4 in a line with a 4oz sinker.The only problem is that it is probably standing straight up and down with the but down and tip up.
GOOD LUCK

Metal stringer with all clips open...the gold standard in retrieving lost rods; don't ask me how I know!

ciao,
Marc

I am one for one losing a rig and retrieving it. I was on Shasta with a guy from the club, we just got done netting a fish for me and I turn around just in time to see his rod shoot off the back ofthe deck. Without missing a beat I jump in the water after the rod, cigs, cellphone, lighter and all....I wasnt able to dive down to the 35' that the rod went to so I tried to spoon for it where my buddy lost it to no avail. I took a gator aid bottle and filled it half up with water threw it on shore where I thought the rod went into the drink, locked on the depth (this was before my GPS) . Came back after the tournament with an Aquaview and spent about an hour trying to find this damn rig. Finally I see the rod on the ground I run the spoon down by the aqua view and can not hook this damn thing. Finally my buddy was watching the camera and I was trying to snag the rod and he says its right there I mean I can see it clearly, I noticed that we have drifted about 5' off the spot and told him to reel in the aquaview, he starts protesting dearly as its his rig....no we will never find it again.... I say trust me Larry pull up the cord SLOWLY - to his amazement the rod was staying in the view the entire time...the aqua view was wrapped around the rod and reel. Pretty good ending to what could have been a bad scene.

GO FREEDIVING

My fishing buddy, Gerald, has a nack for dropping rods overboard. He dropped a brand new outfit overboard (worth about $1,000) before he even had a chance to test it out. We spent probaby a total of 6 hours (over the next 3 weeks) trying to retrieve the rod from 15 ft of muddy water with a lot of junk on the bottom. We used all the contraptions that everyone described and then some. Finally he paid a scuba diver $250 to find it after a 5 minute search. About a year later, he dropped the same outfit overboard again and paid another diver $250 to find it again.

About 2 months ago, he dropped a Gloomis rod/Shimano reel combo overboard in the Moukeloume. He kissed it goodbye. We continued to fish and at the end of the day, I told him to give me a chance to retrieve the combo. I took a 3/4 oz Rat L Trap and tied a couple of 1/2 oz chatterbaits next to it and casted past the spot where I believe the rod dropped overboard. I dragged the bottom and luckily hooked the rod on the first pass. He couldn't bellieve that I got his rod back.

Burke wrote:My fishing buddy, Gerald, has a nack for dropping rods overboard. He dropped a brand new outfit overboard (worth about $1,000) before he even had a chance to test it out. We spent probaby a total of 6 hours (over the next 3 weeks) trying to retrieve the rod from 15 ft of muddy water with a lot of junk on the bottom. We used all the contraptions that everyone described and then some. Finally he paid a scuba diver $250 to find it after a 5 minute search. About a year later, he dropped the same outfit overboard again and paid another diver $250 to find it again.

About 2 months ago, he dropped a Gloomis rod/Shimano reel combo overboard in the Moukeloume. He kissed it goodbye. We continued to fish and at the end of the day, I told him to give me a chance to retrieve the combo. I took a 3/4 oz Rat L Trap and tied a couple of 1/2 oz chatterbaits next to it and casted past the spot where I believe the rod dropped overboard. I dragged the bottom and luckily hooked the rod on the first pass. He couldn't bellieve that I got his rod back.

That dude needs to add some floats to his rods. Especially if they're worth a G!

dropped one in Hogan , tried everything on 3rd. trip to lake hooked it. Reel was good but rod had already started showing signs of being water logged, 15' of water ended up hooking it about 10' from where I thought I had lost it

I empty my pockets when I get on board. If I see it go I follow it. I can't free dive like I used to, but 20' or so it's coming back.

I hung up a TTT at Folsom about a year ago. I stuck the rod in the wheel and dove in after it. Only 15' so it wasn't bad. Got my bait and threw it in the boat. When I got back in I noticed my rod had slipped out of the wheel when I was climbing up my motor moving it around. It took my TTT down with it, along with my change of cloths I set out, the bait hooked going back in. I almost gave up fishing that febuary morning. Funny now but not funny then.

Going out tomorrow with a friends underwater cam and some 4 oz diamond jigs