Author Topic: Losing your gear  (Read 2802 times)

Offline badger132

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Losing your gear
« on: Feb 20, 2021, 10:53 AM »
I am constantly amazed at the number of requests on the local Facebook ice fishing page looking for lost gear. They go something like: "Got back to the truck and my vex/auger/tackle box/rod was gone. Message me if you found it" or "Found a vex/auger/tackle box/rod near XXX- describe the contents and it is yours. "

Seems to me that securing your gear should be obvious before blasting across the lake at high speeds. should not be that hard. What do people do, and how successful is it? I put all of my stuff in a box with a cover on the sled, the sleds I tow either have a commercial cover or my walking sled has a wooden box with a lid. As long as I remember not to leave loose items on the snowmobile dash or on the running boards, it is all there when I stop.

What other solutions are out there?

Offline maddogg

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #1 on: Feb 20, 2021, 10:56 AM »
Look back when you leave and on your way back.

Offline Rebelss

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #2 on: Feb 20, 2021, 11:05 AM »
I can never understand that, either....unless it somehow fell off your vehicle or bounced out of your sled when leaving. I've never lost a thing in 25 yrs, put safely in the truck, then into the jet sleds....then do the reverse. Ya scan the ice for anything small, trash or items ya left behind, then go. Good thing some of these guys aren't on a long-range recon or Ops mission!  ::)
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Offline Dave R

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #3 on: Feb 20, 2021, 11:05 AM »
I don't know why but I tend to think when this happens there's either alcohol involved or people aren't properly dressed and are cold and in a hurry to get in their vehicle and warm up.

Offline badger132

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #4 on: Feb 20, 2021, 12:16 PM »
A lot of them seem to be surprised when it bounces out of the sled. Our lake gets a lot of snow and the wheeled vehicles plow a pretty good trough, which freezes and is really rough to go over at speed.

Offline slipperybob

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #5 on: Feb 20, 2021, 12:43 PM »
Losing your mind, then losing your gear.  I get... LOL.
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Offline meandcuznalfy

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #6 on: Feb 20, 2021, 01:23 PM »
I've never understood it either, since we walk on flasher is always in my hand and the first thing in the car. I check and recheck to make sure I have everything. Most of it stays in the sled but auger and rods, makes it easy to keep track of most stuff.

Offline adkRoy

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #7 on: Feb 20, 2021, 02:55 PM »
I know when fishing with my 8 year old, things get a little hectic when you get back to the truck. I can easily see how someone can be distracted when they were out fishing with younger kids and its time to leave. Especially if you were out with multiple kids.   I have to remind my self to stop and take a walk around the truck before I leave. The one time I didn't this year, I ended up forgetting to put my sled harness (cheap walmart deer drag) back in the truck. Didn't realize till I got home that I had forgot it. Hopefully someone else picked it up and is using it.
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Offline skifisher

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #8 on: Feb 20, 2021, 04:28 PM »


Here’s my solution.
"Ice fishing...ah, the anticipation! 🎣”

Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #9 on: Feb 20, 2021, 05:31 PM »
I found a  schooley rod today on the lake.from someone on a snowmobile i think because it was in the tracks..

Offline TickleStick

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #10 on: Feb 20, 2021, 07:31 PM »
I lose small items sometimes.

Lost my favorite Dr. Slick Hemostats last year, I lost a bait puck this year....

Not sure how people leave behind finders or augers????
WINTER IS COMING!

Offline mikez

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #11 on: Feb 20, 2021, 07:42 PM »
I'm fanatical about a strapping everything down with bungies.
The one thing I do tend to lose is bungies. ;D

Offline Indiana_Lou

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #12 on: Feb 20, 2021, 09:56 PM »
I try to leave things in my sled rather than laying them on the ice or in the snow particularly if they are not being used constantly or when I'm finished using them. The other thing somehow put your name/phone number/email on your more important items. There's a very good chance someone who finds it will make some effort to find the rightful owner. As someone else said, do the walk around where you loaded. it's amazing how easy it is to set something off to the side and totally forget about it.   Lou

Offline Luckydog

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #13 on: Feb 21, 2021, 11:57 AM »
I try to keep everything either in the sled or shanty while fishing.  Once the shanty is broken down for the trip home, I always do a scan of the area looking for stray items. I usually end up coming home in the dark so the final scan is important.  Since I'm on foot, items don't tend to bounce out of the sled.

Offline Raquettedacker

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #14 on: Feb 21, 2021, 12:16 PM »
Put your name and number on everything..  ;). Lost a buddy heater on the way out on Raquette a couple weeks ago and went to set up and noticed it feel out of the back of the side by side.
 Guy saw us looking for it and tried calling the number on it but no reception.
 Either way I probably would have got it back.    ;D
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Offline Fisherman 1

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #15 on: Feb 21, 2021, 05:12 PM »
I lose small items sometimes.

Lost my favorite Dr. Slick Hemostats last year, I lost a bait puck this year....

Not sure how people leave behind finders or augers????

A few years ago, there was a Jiffy 30 laying in the middle of nowhere, impossible to follow ATV or snowmobile tracks so many.  I took it to the closest Hut Op rental and left it with them. 

Offline badger132

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #16 on: Feb 21, 2021, 05:21 PM »
I'm fanatical about a strapping everything down with bungies.
The one thing I do tend to lose is bungies. ;D
I used to say there was never a need to buy a bungie. I was a runner, and was forever picking them up off the road. Many were the black rubber kind with 1 end broken off, but there were enough whole ones to keep me supplied.

Guess I should be thanking you!

 ;)

Offline lundin-loading

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #17 on: Feb 21, 2021, 05:23 PM »
I left 3 fairly high end perch rod and reel combos sitting in the parking lot one time at a popular lake several hours from home and didn't realize until the following day. About $300 worth of gear...I just hope that a kid found them.

Offline badger132

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #18 on: Feb 21, 2021, 05:58 PM »
Lest anyone think I am being "judgy" I left a rod and reel in a rod holder out on the ice overnight. Luckily, it was early season and no one else was by before I could get out again. I also drove away from a spot with my fogged up glasses on the dash of the snowmobile, and ran over them when I went back to look for them.
It happens to all of us, in spite of best efforts.

 :'(

Offline smitty

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #19 on: Feb 22, 2021, 08:02 AM »

Lost a couple of tip ups years ago coming off the ice. Had to walk up a hill and they must of fallen off my sled going up the hill. I got a cover for my sled and haven't lost anything sense... that I'am aware of!

smitty :tipup:

Offline Doubles Shooter

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #20 on: Feb 22, 2021, 08:59 AM »
After a heart stopping scare over a misplaced rod case a couple weeks ago, I dug out the paint pen and labeled everything that comes out with me. There are a bunch of decent folks out there and if your name and number are on it, they have s place to start looking.

Offline stout93

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #21 on: Feb 22, 2021, 10:31 AM »
Left a cheap collapsible chair at the landing once. Was packing up and for some reason the chair was left behind sitting in a snow bank.

Left a pair of ice armor gloves on top of the rail of my truck bed another time. They flew off at some point when I drove away. Retraced my route all the way back to the landing but never found them. That kind of pissed me off.

Now I do a final scan of the area and once I'm in the truck I look around to make sure my most spendy stuff is inside (camera, flasher, rod bag, gloves, auger)


Offline fishermantim

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #22 on: Feb 22, 2021, 10:32 AM »
Look back when you leave and on your way back.

EXACTLY ^^^^^

How hard is it to turn around a few times (depending on how far you have to go)?

The only thing I lost in my 20+ years of ice fishing was a little time making sure I didn't lose anything important heading out or back.
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Offline kpd145

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #23 on: Feb 22, 2021, 12:15 PM »
I've left the ice pretty messed up before.

I ALWAYS LOOK BEHIND ME


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Offline Doeslayer

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #24 on: Feb 22, 2021, 01:23 PM »
We went out 5 miles the other day and found an item on the way out... I posted that i found it the other day... What it is remains a mystery to all but me so some a sneaker does t try to lay claim to it.... It was about 2 miles out.... When riding with 2 people we always have 1 facing reverse so they can watch the gear... Riding solo 5 miles i can see where you could lose something.... Especially coming back after dark.... But tempted as i was to just keep it... I know how hard i work to buy the gear i have... And i know how it feels to have something come up missing be it lost or stolen.... Sometimes not knowing which.... So i wouldnt feel right without at least attempting to find the original owner....
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Offline Otto

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #25 on: Feb 22, 2021, 01:30 PM »
I bought a roll of foil address labels with my name and number on them.  Hopefully if anything bounces out, I will get a call.  Or like someone said, hopefully a kid finds it.

Offline DR.SPECKLER

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #26 on: Feb 22, 2021, 03:45 PM »
Most stuff that gets lost around here are the guys that haul a$$ pulling gear with snowmobiles.slow it down.when i pull my gear im at a crawl with atv or snowmobile.

Offline Kevin23

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #27 on: Feb 22, 2021, 04:00 PM »
I am constantly amazed at the number of requests on the local Facebook ice fishing page looking for lost gear. They go something like: "Got back to the truck and my vex/auger/tackle box/rod was gone. Message me if you found it" or "Found a vex/auger/tackle box/rod near XXX- describe the contents and it is yours. "

Seems to me that securing your gear should be obvious before blasting across the lake at high speeds. should not be that hard. What do people do, and how successful is it? I put all of my stuff in a box with a cover on the sled, the sleds I tow either have a commercial cover or my walking sled has a wooden box with a lid. As long as I remember not to leave loose items on the snowmobile dash or on the running boards, it is all there when I stop.

What other solutions are out there?

I've never lost anything, buddy almost did twice. I always look back as we are leaving and make sure nothing is on the ice, then again when I'm going up the ramp/shore, and then do a once over when loading in the truck. One time my buddy had a flasher bounce out of his sled, I caught it as I looked back before going up the shore. Same this season, he had a rod fall out of his rod holder on his flasher as we left the area. I caught it as I looked back when leaving. Both of these I am betting we would have caught again as we loaded the trucks, then retraced steps to find.

I've seen people try and leave stuff at their trucks, and yelled at them to stop when driving off. They set their gear down and then miss something when loading. All of our stuff is either in a sled or on the tailgate, nothing gets set on the ground to be forgotten.

I dont know, I guess I am just too protective of my gear to leave anything. Dont have the spare change to be buying new gear mid season because I did something foolish like that.

Just in case though, because I'm always prepared... theres address labels and a phone number inside my flasher, my rod case, and in my camera bag. Hopefully if I ever do lose something, whoever finds it will call me or drop it off/mail it.
EYECONICFISHING

Offline RStock521

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #28 on: Feb 22, 2021, 05:40 PM »
I always used to think the same, until this weekend.  We were towing behind ATV's, but got a ton of snow a couple days before.  The trail was all rutted up, and a LOT of shove ice (Lake Erie) so it was a bouncy ride, even at a crawl speed.  I have an Otter sled with the Otter cover, and my 11lb propane tank still managed to bounce out of the sled.  I had my dad riding behind me since he wasn't pulling anything, just in case something like this happened.  The Otter cover doesn't fit nearly as tight around the sled as I'd like.  I'm going to be adding a bungie cargo net over top of the cover from now on.

Offline Gamalot

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Re: Losing your gear
« Reply #29 on: Feb 24, 2021, 07:44 AM »
I fished the King of the ice contest on White Lake-Sullivan County on Sunday. I don't wonder any more how guys lose their gear. Snowmobiles are very fast and so are some of the ATVs. Sitting in my pop up and watching guys blasting along with all sorts of stuff flying out was pretty comical. My Snowdog will probably run about 20 MPH even pulling a heavy load but I doubt I ever towed my gear at more than 5 MPH and even slower over rough paths. The idea behind motorized machines as tow mules is not about how fast you can get there and all about how easy you can drag your gear to your spot and back home. If the ICE COPS were there I bet they all had Writers cramps from all the ticket violations.
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