I have to tell this story, purely for entertainment purposes. I don't mind people getting a laugh off of my mishaps.
Last night we fished ROI on White. Brett and I culled our first fish right around 8:00. We were figuring right around 11.5# at that time. When the bite slowed where we were fishing, we moved into the marinas to see if we could come up with anything.
We fish all the docks, and in between boats. Nothing. I go to skip a wacky rigged senko, and in full swing the bail shuts on my reel. Guess what happened next. I dropped the rod and reel in the lake. I reach for it, but can't get it. I try another rod, and cast for it, dragging the bottom. No good. We gotta go.
We get to the launch, and trailer up. Brett has to go, has less than 30 minutes to get to work. I bag up our fish, and I'm ready to go to the scales. I go to step off the boat, and slip. Right off the boat, and on to my shoulder on the pavement. I have our fish in hand as I fall. The bag busts open, and I am now in the water my fish were supposed to be in. The fish are flopping on the pavement. What a mess! I quickly gather the fish and run to the scale. I get there with 2 fish heads poking out the side of the bag. The fish get weighed and released unharmed. We totalled 11.72#. Don't know where that put us number wise, but it sure was an interesting evening.
Now, I am on my way back to White to try and reclaim my rod and reel.
Incase anyone reading this is wondering, the winning bag last night was 18.38#!!!!! It was a mixed bag, and big bass was 4.55#. What a bag for 3.5 hours.
Yeah - wish I could have seen that one!
It was epic. The few who did see it at least turned around before they started laughing. I myself even find it amusing. That's why I'm sharing.
Now, my recovery trip was a bust. White Lake has swallowed a Quantum Tour Edition spinning reel and a Grandt All American series rod. On the bright side, I just replaced it with a new St. Croix Rage and a Shimano Stradic CI4. I have to say, there is a huge weight difference between the two combos. The new one is WAY lighter.
Tomorrow is a new day, and a new fishing trip. Man I hope the Bill Dance in me doesn't come out again. Hopefully they put whichever veteran gets stuck with me tomorrow in a padded suit, and a helmet!!!!
Send me the waypoint to that rod and reel. I'll get it next time I'm there!
Do you have any video?
No video. It definitely would have been a good one to see. I'm assuming that you're referring to when I threw my rod in the lake? That was way more entertaining than me falling out of the boat! ;D
For video - BOTH! Haven't you ever watched those video shows where you can win money?? You either need cute kids, pets or sometimes gets hurt bad to win!
Waypoint for the rod and reel. I've had good luck catching and finding them in the past.
When you get chased out of your boat by a snake, then you will be Bill Dance. Until then... you're just clumsy. ;D
Or a mad swan. Swans are dangerous!
You could get a head start if you have some fishing rods and a ceiling fan too?!?
Quote from: Waterfoul on June 11, 2012, 11:53:23 PM
When you get chased out of your boat by a snake, then you will be Bill Dance. Until then... you're just clumsy. ;D
That's funny!!! :o
In Florida I would be more worried about gators. I have a friend that lives on a canal on Lake Istopoga. They had a resident gator that lived in the little marshy swamp in between him and his neighbor. The walk from his house to his boat was always considered an adventure.
BD. ;D
Thank goodness you weren't hurt falling out of the boat onto the pavement !!! I fell getting into mine once while it was on the trailer. Fell while swinging my leg over the side after my supporting hand slipped off the side rail. Other hand had a hold of my steering wheel but I skinned up my shin pretty good. Think my pride hurt more than anything else. lol
I'm changing my answer to - yes.
Man you guys need to start wearing bike helmets with little hello kitty stickers on um ;D
Great suggestion! ;D
Probably. But, I'm part Pollock too. I'd rather take my chances.
Personally I've never fallen out of my own boat. Probably because of my big dutch feet and cat like balance. ;D
Or maybe it's because none of my joints work like they used to and I go really slow and pretty much crawl in and out of the boat these days??? ???
Hmmmm seems to me that I once about broke my neck hopping off the front deck while it was on the trailer. Had a foot slip off or get caught by the side rail.
Just for the record, I have made it through 4 tournaments now without falling out of the boat, or throwing a rod in the lake.
He's on a roll folks!! :D
Yeeesssssssss!!!!!!
Hmmmmm I have kicked a rod combo off the deck before. Tipped one off also. Thought it was strapped down and opened the compartment lid. It went in and I didn't even notice for 10 minutes.
Have lost two Golden Rules and a couple anchors over the years also. LOLOLOL Geesh..... I AM Bill Dance. lolol
Gets expensive quick, doesn't it?
There's a spot on Wabasis Lake we call the Outlaw hole. Always produces fish. Must be the B&R Outlaw/Symetry combo I "placed" on the bottom as structure.
Welcome Bill. ;D
But hey... we won the tournament that night. ;D Almost made enough to pay for my "mistake."
First trip of the year after not having fished much the last couple years. I go to a lake that has the ramp way up at the top of a hill. My brother-in-law dumps me in. I prime the bulb, hit the key expecting it to sputter with the oil that's in it from winterizing. It cranks right up on the first turn of the key, and I'm geeked. Turn around to back the boat out a ways and see the bilge pump has kicked on and water is shooting 2 feet high out of it. Yep, forgot the plug. Luckily my brother-in-law had his phone and I called him to bring the trailer back down.
I have a few pieces of equipment strewn around. Stepped on my long handled net once and it teeter tottered a new rod and reel right off my deck on Duck Lake. We GPSed the spot came back after the tournament with a aquaview just to find weeds about a foot high on the bottom which swallowed up the rod and reel.
The net I stepped on was a replacement for the one that blew out of the boat up on Burt during an old Michigan Federatiion event up there.
Only fell out of my boat once. I had just waxed it and had just put new electronics in it. I was throwing a rattletrap and playing with the graph. The rattletrap hooke the rod tip and when I went to throw it the now out of balance rod shook out of my had and hit the deck. I quickly kneeled down to get it and my knee (wearing blue jeans) hit the freshly waxed gunnel and as fast as that I was in the water. I could see the rod sinking so I knew after summersaulting in which way was up so I decided to head for the surface forgetting the rod.
As I was climbing in the boat a guy comes out of his cabin to ask if everything was alright. He asks if I lost anything and I said yes a rod and reel. He told me to go home and get dry clothes on and he would put his scuba gear on and have the rod for me when I got back. Bruce, the scuba diver, and I have been friends ever since. Found out he lives not to far from me here in town.
And you don't have any of THAT on video either, do you?!?
If we had all this stuff on video I would buy greatlakesbloopers . com and we could make a... well, enough money to buy 2 or 3 new fishing rods anyway... but it would be great cabin fever entertainment!
Well, thank goodness this has all happened over many years and hundreds of fishing trips, other-wise my wife would have made me give up the sport long ago. lololol Reading the other posts sparked more memories. Maybe I have been trying to forget !!!!
Threw an anchor off the bow once and the rope snagged a inline spinner on my baitcasting rod. Just kinda slingshotted it into the water after releasing it !!!!
I have on more than one occasion left the transom straps attached and floated the trailer instead of the boat when launching.
More than once forgot to put the plug in. I don't always retrailer. I just let it pump out. Did that on St. Clair the first trip this year. Just told my novice co-angler that it was pumping out the rain and transome wash-over. lololol I will say that it takes a while between pump outs.
Feeling better yet MikeS ????? lololol :)
Oh yeah! This is great stuff. I put this post up to give everybody a laugh, and it turns out to be almost therapeutic.
I have to go out to Wolf Lake here pretty soon. My buddy's cousin just got his little outboard fixed, and took his girlfriend out on the boat. He ran to the middle of the lake, and they sat and did who knows what. When he went to start it, the motor was apparently in gear, and he was giving it gas. It fired right up, and was turned to the right. Needless to say, the boat starts spinning, he who is standing up in the boat gets thrown overboard, and then the motor falls off the back of the boat. He wants me to go try to find it with my side imaging. Now that was dumb!
Call him Bill Dance Jr. :) Let us know how it goes with the SI I'm sure if I try hard I could come up with a few more "issues" on the water.
It all started way back when. I remember my Dad taking me out in a little rental rowboat. I started out using cane poles to fish. On this trip he let me use a "Real" rod and reel. Closed face Zebco 202. First cast I make, I throw the whole thing right in the water. Needles to say Dad was none too happy. The bobber was floating right next to the boat, so he got it back. He just had to pull all the line off the reel. :-\'
I had to so that once for a Big Ten college angler on Lake St. Clair!!! I think he was on the Purdue team?