Willard Lost and Found

[RockyRaab2]

First the "Found".  I spotted a perfectly good landing net on the west dike, if anybody needs one. With the wind and waves as they were this morning, I was not about to go get it. PM me for directions to find it. 

Now, ly, the "Lost". I was running north along the west dike when I head a loud POP and turned to see a rod missing. Apparently, the bottom bouncer had, well...bounced overboard. Then the line unspooled until it hit the end and POW there went my rod, breaking the bungee cord. It was a reel I've had since the early 70s and I treasured it. They don't make those any more, obviously. With all that line out, somebody may be able to snag it for me. Like a dummy, I was so shocked that I didn't even mark a waypoint until I'd gone well past. Dumb. 

Anyway, should anyone here snag a rod from a bit north of the light pole in about 15' of depth, PM me. I'm offering a $50 reward. 

Willard today was 75 degrees surface temp, strong winds and waves. One very decent smallie I lost at the net and one cursed wave boat who just HAD to run back and forth 100 yards from the dikes despite that's where several boats were fishing. I waved to him - with one finger. 

I was trying some brine-cured shad I found at WalMart. Not chemically cured, just salt brine. Got lots of perchly rattles on them and one good pop and drop - so they DO work. But it was tough dragging bait or feeling bites in that wind. If you buy some, be aware that the plastic bag does not reseal. Bring a quart zip-loc with you.

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Rocky sorry for the bad news, but sounds like more fun than sitting in meetings all day... Almost done for today though, so hopefully both of our days will get better... Good luck finding a return of your reel... Later Jeff

[wiperhunter2]

First the "Found".  I spotted a perfectly good landing net on the west dike, if anybody needs one. With the wind and waves as they were this morning, I was not about to go get it. PM me for directions to find it. 

Now, ly, the "Lost". I was running north along the west dike when I head a loud POP and turned to see a rod missing. Apparently, the bottom bouncer had, well...bounced overboard. Then the line unspooled until it hit the end and POW there went my rod, breaking the bungee cord. It was a reel I've had since the early 70s and I treasured it. They don't make those any more, obviously. With all that line out, somebody may be able to snag it for me. Like a dummy, I was so shocked that I didn't even mark a waypoint until I'd gone well past. Dumb. 

Anyway, should anyone here snag a rod from a bit north of the light pole in about 15' of depth, PM me. I'm offering a $50 reward. 

Willard today was 75 degrees surface temp, strong winds and waves. One very decent smallie I lost at the net and one cursed wave boat who just HAD to run back and forth 100 yards from the dikes despite that's where several boats were fishing. I waved to him - with one finger. 

I was trying some brine-cured shad I found at WalMart. Not chemically cured, just salt brine. Got lots of perchly rattles on them and one good pop and drop - so they DO work. But it was tough dragging bait or feeling bites in that wind. If you buy some, be aware that the plastic bag does not reseal. Bring a quart zip-loc with you.

I'm guessing in the coming weeks the catching will improve as the water cools. Sorry to hear you lost your favorite rod and reel. Bummer you didn't put down a waypoint, a lot of times when I forget to put down a waypoint I can look at my tracks and see a spot where I turn the boat a little when I looked back and that helps locate a spot. Hope someone finds it for you. Having lost a rod over board before at Willard my advise would be to go back to the spot and cast a heavy lure, like a Kastmaster that will get down on the bottom and hope you can snag it, it's worth a shot and we have had good success catching those rods and reels doing that.

[TubeDude]

Since I spend a lot of time casting jigs and dragging fligs I regularly dredge up stuff off the bottom.  That includes more than a few rods and reels.  But I never seem to get any that are either good quality or still fishable.  Most of the rods I have brought in are covered with months/years worth of lake scum and/or are very low end quality.   Since some of them are Walmart special spincast rigs, I suspect that young anglers are to blame for the loss.  But not always.  Big wipers have made off with more than a few decent rigs.

However, since I usually get to the ramp early...often before boaters...I have found lots of stuff like tackle boxes, nets, nice rod and reel setups, etc....even cell phones and wallets.  These I usually turn in to the lake managers to hold for someone to report them missing.  In a few cases I have been able to assume ownership after nobody came to get them in a reasonable time.

[RockyRaab2]

I plan to go out next week, after the holiday and the storms. If I'm right about how the rod went bye-bye, there's 100 yards of line out somewhere along the dike. I plan to make a couple hundred casts while moving along there. I really want that rod back.

[Cowboypirate]

If you make a 1000 cast you might get that Willard Musky but I hope you at least get your pole back

[lovetofish]

With that much line out you might get lucky, I hope you do. Last summer I reeled in some line while fishing Rockport and it led to an ice fishing pole and reel. It was covered in mud and looked like a Walmart $9.99 special. Good luck.

[RockyRaab2]

I'm hoping so. In an earlier thread, I described finding a rig at Willard with a very long dead catfish on one end and a slimy mess of a rod on the other - which I dropped right back in. It would be a shame if my lost rod ended up like that. Based on weather outlook, I'm going out Wednesday.

[Gone Forever]

First the "Found".  I spotted a perfectly good landing net on the west dike, if anybody needs one. With the wind and waves as they were this morning, I was not about to go get it. PM me for directions to find it. 

Now, ly, the "Lost". I was running north along the west dike when I head a loud POP and turned to see a rod missing. Apparently, the bottom bouncer had, well...bounced overboard. Then the line unspooled until it hit the end and POW there went my rod, breaking the bungee cord. It was a reel I've had since the early 70s and I treasured it. They don't make those any more, obviously. With all that line out, somebody may be able to snag it for me. Like a dummy, I was so shocked that I didn't even mark a waypoint until I'd gone well past. Dumb. 

Anyway, should anyone here snag a rod from a bit north of the light pole in about 15' of depth, PM me. I'm offering a $50 reward. 

Willard today was 75 degrees surface temp, strong winds and waves. One very decent smallie I lost at the net and one cursed wave boat who just HAD to run back and forth 100 yards from the dikes despite that's where several boats were fishing. I waved to him - with one finger. 

I was trying some brine-cured shad I found at WalMart. Not chemically cured, just salt brine. Got lots of perchly rattles on them and one good pop and drop - so they DO work. But it was tough dragging bait or feeling bites in that wind. If you buy some, be aware that the plastic bag does not reseal. Bring a quart zip-loc with you.

I am so sorry about your rod and reel.  Losing an old one that you have loved or had special history has an effect on fishers that many cannot understand. I hope you find it on Wednesday. I am sure you know search techniques from your days flying, that should help. Having the GPS tracking technology and depth sounder should help. Sounder on max everything, bottom lock. If you go over it, it should send back a powerful signal. 
I would do a shifting circle, so you cross the suspected line path twice every loop.  The track on your GPS will look like knocked over dominoes your first pass. then on your next pass you run back so that the circles overlap, soon the screen will look like chainmail.
 
I've got a couple of big ocean poles and a lot of salt sized weights if you want a snagging rig that will dredge the bottom in 15', if you want to borrow them. Got a couple. Take me along and we can drag 4 at once...

[RockyRaab2]

Thanks for the very kind offer. I think I'll try it alone. I just regret that I was too stunned to drop a waypoint.

[RockyRaab2]

FOUND IT! Went back to Willard today to search for my lost rod. Started making "S" turns across the track my GPS recorded, and just before I got to a small squiggle in the track (where I'd cut the throttle and looked behind me when the rod went overboard) the Kastmaster spoon I was dragging came up with the line! You can hardly imagine my joy.

Turns out I was right: the bottom bouncer had gone overboard while I was on plane, and almost all the line spooled out against the drag until the pull was too great for the bungee rod holder. POW! And it was gone.

BUT...with over 100 yards of line out, and my track known, it was not hard to recover my lost treasure.

It's a setup I called Big Red. A Berkeley Cherrywood rod, and a vintage Ambasuer 5000 red reel spooled with 20# Cajun Red mono - red from stem to stern. It was a special reel for me; I won it for the biggest bass landed in a tournament back in 1973, almost exactly 50 years ago. (A 7 lb 4 oz hog) One of the Made in Sweden good ones. Replaceable, but it wouldn't be THE reel I'd won.

Then I found a perfectly good set of needle-nose pliers just off the loading ramp. A great day for me. After six days on the bottom, the level wind was a bit gritty, but that's all the apparent damage. I'll take it all apart, dry and clean it, then apply all new lubes. And it will be used again.

[lovetofish]

Good for you I'm glad you found it especially since you liked so much. I think we all have poles and reels that we like over others. Very good day for you.

[wiperhunter2]

That's awesome Rocky and you found it without a waypoint, can't beat that. Did you do any fishing while you were there?

[RockyRaab2]

I made three casts after I found the rod, just because you can't go to all the trouble of launching a boat and not fish. I wasn't serious and neither were the fish. Wanted to get home and get that reel apart.

[TubeDude]

Happy fer ya.  All's well that ends.

[jjannie]

Congrats Rocky, best news we've heard in a while.

[RockyRaab2]

It was certainly the best thing I've caught at Willard in a while!

It cleaned up easily. I was surprised by how little gunk it had inside, actually.

[Cowboypirate]

Good day fishing for sure

[catchinon]

Not often you land a six-footer.