Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

[Bigprairie1]

This might belong in the fishing area, but what the heck...I'll start here. (maybe it belongs in stupid tricks, etc??)
I was fly fishing in my float tube over the weekend, hooked a trout and while I was clearing it for release....my favoritie SAGE rod/reel ($$) slipped away in literally a heartbeat and sunk....ahhhhh!!!!! I'm usually very careful with this kind of stuff...but all it takes is one second of distraction. Anywhoooo, I just about died and crapped myself (pardon the expression). Was I ticked.
So, its in 25'-ish of fresh water here at local lake. probably about 100 yards from shore. Easy access to the lake, etc. I know the spot where I dropped to probably a 40' diameter area. The lake has some weeds but not too many (if any) log dead heads and bottom debris in to my knowledge.
I'm not equipped or interested in diving/retrieving this thing myself. However prior to hiring a diver ($?), I was thinking of anchoring my (regular) boat and trying to drag/mooch and snag the rod with a weighted line with maybe some gang hooks on it?
Has anyone ever had to do this? I'm really keen to give this a whirl very soon before someone 'trolls' it off the bottom or it starts to get covered over with silt or whatever. The sooner the better.
I'm not willing to let it go without a fight and I would to here some ideas on how to salvage this very nice, favorite rod/reel.
Anyone out there with some positive advice? I'd really appreciate it.:redface:
Many Thanks
(an embarraseed) BP

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

Sure. If you can drag the area where you lost it, you'll probably recover it. Trouble is, it's really, really hard to find the exact area, even if you think you know where it was. So, it may take a while to dredge it back up. If you keep at it, though, you'll probably recover your rod. You'll probably recover a bunch of other junk, too, and sticks, and weeds, and who knows what all.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

I'd suggest a magnet before the hooks. Unless it's a non magnetic material? You can pick up a lifting magnet at a lot of places, Harbor Freight for one. Cost is about $10-$15. It won't "hook" on anything but your lost item.

Whether you find it or not will depend on what the bottom is like. Lakes here in MN for the most part are silt and clay bottoms. So a dropped heavy object like a wrench will usually embed itself a couple inches, making it totally impossible to see. A rod and reel should be larger, and stick out at least some, though. A solid, rocky bottom would keep things visible better.

You could also try your local dive community.. some folks there will find things for fun or practice. Usually the local divers have a web forum, or maybe even a club with meetings, or a mailing list you can ask on.

Be warned though, they have a lot of equipment to bring and air fills to pay for, so expect to pay them at least $40 or so for their time, and more if it takes a while. Despite appearances they can't just dive down, grab it, and come up... more than likely they'll have to search, and in less than perfectly clear water that means swimming in circles for an hour or two.

Almost all divers will bring a buddy for safety too, and both of them have to dive. So be aware they're not going to make money really. $40 would probably cover their air fills and gas only.. be nice, they're just helping out

Erik

PS: If you are going to use divers, use them before you drag your hooks or magnet... that sort of thing can mess up the bottom and even bury what you're looking for.

 

[txmntman]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

Hello!
I would second everything that Erikgreen said. I would NOT troll the area with hooks or anything like that. I would, however, contact some local divers and see if you can get them to retrieve the item. Better yet, if you know of a dive instructor, you can discuss with them the possibility of using your rod and reel as an objective in a "search and rescue" exercise. This type of exercise is used in several advanced dive courses. From experience (I'm a "Master diver" from NAUI) I can assure you they will have to search for the item, and will (should) employ search tactics to ensure that the entire area is search. Bear in mind that currents and just the act of dropping through the water can move the object a surprising distance.
If you could find a dive instructor, your offer to pay for air fills, and / or pizza would go a VERY long way toward getting great cooperation from them.....

Just a thought.....

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

Guys, great advice and thanks for the encouragement. I sent an e-mail to a guy I know who is a diver to see if he may be interested in helping me out this...paid of course.
The thing in my favour is this is a pretty small, easy lake and area to deal with. Very little traffic on it except for the odd fisherman. The season for boaters is pretty much over, at least on that lake.
The other thing in my favour is that the rod is a 9' with some very bright green (floating...yay!) fly line hanging off of it. Probably about 15-20'. That line would be trying to float all the time so if the rod was down in the weeds a bit the line would be reaching for the surface.
Erik the magnet thing might pose a problem as I don't think anything on the rod is magnet. The eyelets and reel gear are all stainless so that may be a non-starter.
It's raining here today (Pacific Northwest...big surprise eh?) but I'm just chomping at the bit to figure this out and go look again. This is going to haunt me until I give it some thought out effort.
The diving part would undoubtedly be the better route so I'll wait to see what that diver has to say about it.
The assistance I would get would without question warrant some bucks and the very least a pub lunch a couple of beers...so I am in fully sync with you guys on repayment of these diver(s) with any assistance they might offer.
BP:redface:

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

Depending on how valuable this rod is to you, notify the local dive club and offer (say $100) to anyone that hands you the correct rod. That way it gets more than one person involved and those that don't find it have fun doing something they would normally do without pay anyway. And the up side for them is that they get to keep anything else they find.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

And then there was this piece of rope I saw in some shallow water near the point where a smal tributary flowed into the Mississippi near Saint Paul. It was out about 4 feet from shore, but still in about 1' of water.

I was curious, so I waded in and grabbed it. It was tied to something pretty heavy. I dragged it in towards shore.

It was a set of old-fashioned open bed springs, with the rope placed under a rock a little farther from shore than the end of the rope. Since that spot was a popular one with smallmouth fishermen, the bed springs were loaded with all sorts of hard baits.

Some clever sort had put it in the river to snag fishermen up, forcing them to break off a bait. Probably some kids. So, I took all the good baits off the springs, then donated it all to an organization that supplies fishing tackle to needy kids in the area. I dragged the now-empty springs up out of the riverbed and left it on a bank. When the kids come back, they won't be getting their prize, but they'll be surprised, anyhow.

 

[SoFloStone]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

I would recommend that you do not stir up the bottom with a grappling hook if you plan on getting some Divers to assist you.

I dove a local canal this weekend in 15' of water looking for a hood off a PWC, and if the bottom had been stirred up, I would have never had a chance in finding it. As it was, it was about 30' outside the area that witnesses placed it.

Enlist the help of some local divers, and I'm sure you will find it.

good luck.

Rick

 

[oops!]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

your in victoria right??? a guy by the name of erik hangs at pauls keroake club.....wears a cowboy hat......every body knows him.....good guy....good diver....he sings like mrs doubt fire........he dove for me to ger a set of glasses off the bottom of esquimalt lagoon.......it will cost....but it cn be got....best mark the spot by dropping a bouy

 

[oops!]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

tell him......ward...or stephen ward from ckda sent you

 

[woosterken]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

any friends with a good fish finder?

woosterken

 

[oops!]

Re: Help and advice needed, lost stuff overboard!!

rob watters.....former manager of the oak bay marine group.... both manager of oak bay...(sealand) and pedder bay.....his son danny is an expert fisherman...

rob him self had a cable fishing show.....

he doesnt hire him self out as a guide....but if he did he would be the best...if he has time....he'will go out with any one that askes....

my brother ..(noklu) caught a 55 lb salmon when fishing with rob on a 14 foot tinny !