Author Topic: Lost & Found (A.K.A. "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away") (Read 4759 times)

Drift Dodger · « **on:** Jan 10, 2013, 06:11 PM »

Our friends come to our 'home-away-from-home' for a brief holiday visit, my buddy supposedly 'prepared' for ice fishing. Although he had purchased a brand new power ice auger earlier in the season, he hadn't used it yet and didn't even bring it along just to test or familiarize himself. We head out on the lake one afternoon using my resources almost exclusively (as usual) ... my vehicle, hub shelter, custom wood floor, power auger, sunflower heater, pails, chairs, flasher, etc. Besides bringing out a spare propane tank (at my request, as I was running low) he did have some bait and his own tackle. I briefly questioned the suitability of the 6-lb mono on one of his two combos, since the waters that we regularly fish do contain large walleye and the occasional pike.

So we're both jigging and dead-sticking in 27 FOW (18" ice). My flasher marks several small walleye which check out the lures but nibble the bait very lightly ... few actual bites. Finally something substantially larger strikes my buddy's jigged lure and he starts reeling in. I quickly but carefully drop my jigging combo onto the floor beside my hole which is at the opposite corner of the 6ft x 6ft shanty, knowing the jig will settle on the very bottom and basically be out of harms way ... the dink walleye aren't likely to pick it up and swim away. My buddy eventually reels the fish up the water column. As it reaches the bottom of the ice I'm trying to guide the line and fish towards the hole when he seems to apply additional pressure and, of course ... snap, his 6-lb mono line breaks!

"I saw it ... it was a big walleye!" I just finished remarking as I noticed some movement and clatter just beside me. As I turn I see my combo quickly heading down 'my' fishing hole and disappears into the depths in an instant ... with no chance to dive down and retrieve it. I suspect the escaped fish had coincidently snagged my line as it raced away. Of course my buddy ribs me about losing both 'his' fish plus my combo.

Next, due to his poor eyesight and the relative darkness inside the shanty, I have to attach a new jig to his line and then prepare a spare combo for myself ... and we continue fishing.

A while later he latches onto another decent sized fish using the same hole and line. (I immediately reeled-in my lines to safety first.) This walleye gets started up the hole when my buddy's line detaches yet again, but I managed to grab and haul the fish up and out. We go outdoors for a photo and while taking a length measurement I remove the lure from the fish's mouth, a shiny new blue/silver jigging spoon with treble hook (see it in the photo below) … WHOA, JUST A MINUTE! That's not the jig that I had attached to his line! And he certainly hadn't changed it. The walleye had obviously 'stolen' the spoon from some other unfortunate angler long before biting my buddy's jig. No saying when or how far away that happened, as no one else had been fishing within several hundred yards of our location. Indeed, his line didn't break this time; the jig that I had attached was still on his line, it had just popped out of the fish's mouth.

We release the walleye and continue fishing. Another short while later he turns to me and says "Is this your hook?". He had snagged and reeled up an extra line and yes, that's the jig belonging to my lost combo. I pull up the rest of the line and my previously 'lost' combo as well!

I claim he's the only fisherman I know that's actually caught more tackle than he's lost. (P.S. Even though we never recovered his original lost jig!)

slekeith · « **Reply #1 on:** Jan 10, 2013, 06:17 PM »

Nice

Idahogator · « **Reply #2 on:** Jan 10, 2013, 06:28 PM »

A great tale Drift Dodger.
Thanks.

neveruminda · « **Reply #3 on:** Jan 10, 2013, 06:29 PM »

Reel 'em in or tie 'em down otherwise you may be asking for more trouble than you bargained for

nonamer · « **Reply #4 on:** Jan 10, 2013, 06:58 PM »

i like it and talk about mystery. your friend should go around and pick up lottery tickets that people throw away.

reddog11 · « **Reply #5 on:** Jan 10, 2013, 07:03 PM »

Nice story.

montanahardwater · « **Reply #6 on:** Jan 10, 2013, 07:55 PM »

Well told! nice.

hillbill · « **Reply #7 on:** Jan 10, 2013, 08:06 PM »

Sounds llike a great trip!

mdrobny · « **Reply #8 on:** Jan 10, 2013, 08:30 PM »

nice story!thanks for sharing it.

Whopper Stopper · « **Reply #9 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 04:21 AM »

Good read! Thanks.

WS

Ice Beard · « **Reply #10 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 05:33 AM »

Great story...thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Ice Beard

Fatfish · « **Reply #11 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 05:44 AM »

That is what I love about icefishing. That will never happen again. You should have bought a lotto ticket that day. So lucky. Jerry

Gillfisher · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 05:45 AM »

That is a day you wont soon forget!! Thanks for sharing.

JustOsmo · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 06:54 AM »

Where the picture of him holding up your rod and reel for a picture? Now THATS a catch!

eriksat1 · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 08:31 AM »

I was deer hunting in the woods about 10 years ago I found a really nice knife under a tree I figure last year someone was gutting a deer and lost it. I used that knife for years, until I finally left it laying in the woods after gutting a deer, I went back but never could find it. I guess I passed it on to some other lucky hunter. Yes he giveth and taketh away.

tapone · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 08:32 AM »

Great Read.. Talk about luck! I agree with the others, that would have been a lottery ticket day.

PondPerchPounder · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 08:37 AM »

I have had buddies that would snag a ice fishing combo while pulling bottom bouncers in the summer but I have never hear about pulling another pole up through ice! Cool Story!

eriksat1 · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 09:23 AM »

I caught a rod and reel combo once on a tip up, I have no idea how. The flag popped up but nothing was on I started pulling up to check the minnow and felt some resistance but not like a fish. Up comes a rod and reel combo. I must have drilled my hole directly under where someone dropped one in the lake durning the summer. I still don't know what tripped the flag.

double_a85 · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 10:59 AM »

This reminds me of a story that happened to us back in high school... Me and some buddies were on a local lake, fishing was slow... so we all started messing around on the ice. Only one of us had ice fishing gear, from which the other 3 of us were borrowing. One guy layed his pole on his bucket and then proceeded to slide around on the ice... When the gear owner noticed the pole wiggle, it was a split second and down the hole it went! We instantly punched holes in the surrounding area and tied on big rapala jigs hoping to snag the line. As we were all frantically jigging, the owner of the gear says, "got a fish!" As he pulled it out of the hole, we noticed line running down the hole from the fish. The fish had actually bit the rapala after dragging the other pole around for awhile. We grabbed the line and up came the pole! Been 15 yrs ago and still remember that day like it was yesterday! And I always make sure my rod is secure if its outa my hands!

DIRTBALL2 · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 11:47 AM »

It sound's to me like your buddy has a horseshoe shoved up where the sun doesn't shine! ;DDIRTBALL2

1MOFISH · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 11:52 AM »

great story

the rest of the quotation "BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD"
mo

Lavman · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 03:23 PM »

Great story! You should have picked up a couple lottery tickets on the way home, lucky day!!

timbobber · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 08:01 PM »

love to hear stories like that. turns out you should bring your friend along more often

big scott · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 11, 2013, 10:06 PM »

cheaper than having to replace it!!
- i once watched a guy land a nice 5-6# salmon through the ice, we quickly noticed it was hooked with another line. as we stood there yanking on the line, i look over and see one of my heritage traps bouncing around in the hole...........i never removed the flag from the stored position!!

News:

Author Topic: Lost & Found (A.K.A. "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away") (Read 4759 times)