Yesterday while canoeing in Quetico I dropped my sun glasses overboard and for a second it floats. Just when you get ready to grab it it slowly zig zags downward and lost in the depths forever as you watch. For you old folks who remember Charlie the Tuna,maybe he will wear them.

Also remember one year on Kashapiwi my brother drops his spinning rod and reel overboard as we trolled. You look back and it is still floating so you do a fast back stroke. Well now it is suspended about a foot below the surface and going down so so slowly, you get a glimmer of hope of rescue will succeed, but frantically to no avail and just watch it sink in the clear water depths.

Was lucky once,as I casted I let go of my rod and reel,and it went flying. Well it sank but I had a floating plug and it was on the surface. Thus I pulled it up from the bottom,plug first.

I am sure you gals and guys are not clumsy and never had that sinking feeling? Your much more coordinated?

I remember one time when I was fishing with my wife. She caught a small pike and was bringing it near the canoe. I was holding my rod in one hand, maneuvering the canoe with my paddle in the other hand, and trying to land the fish in another hand - wait a second, I only have 2 hands, and where is my rod!

Lately each morning when I go to work.

Three weeks ago I tried rigging a poll to the side of my canoe with my go pro camera on it. Went out in terrible windy conditions and a wave came up an like your sun glasses it went down and I couldn't get to it in time. Very upsetting lost to handle.

quote Whatsit: "Three weeks ago I tried rigging a poll to the side of my canoe with my go pro camera on it. Went out in terrible windy conditions and a wave came up an like your sun glasses it went down and I couldn't get to it in time. Very upsetting lost to handle. "

Did you lose your go pro camera too? That would be a big sinking feeling,

"Was lucky once,as I casted I let go of my rod and reel,and it went flying. Well it sank but I had a floating plug and it was on the surface. Thus I pulled it up from the bottom,plug first."

I've had this happen. My dad, with his old man hands, cast one of my spinning outfits into the water, but it had a floating plug on it, which we could see just below the surface and used that to retrieve the outfit.

I had a friend drop another spinning outfit overboard. It was equipped with a Swedish Cardinal reel. I loved that reel.

Yes at the end of a freestyle demo.. That sinking slow feeling was from the boat being full of water and slowly sinking..
I smiled and waved.

Coordinated? Not so much. I lost my grip on a liter water bottle as I was filling it while in the canoe. Being the minimal packer that I am, I did not have a 2nd bottle. One of my friends let me use his smaller bottle. Then there was the time that my bow paddled lost his Tilley hat overboard in a stiff breeze. That was painful to watch.

quote Whatsit: "Three weeks ago I tried rigging a poll to the side of my canoe with my go pro camera on it. Went out in terrible windy conditions and a wave came up an like your sun glasses it went down and I couldn't get to it in time. Very upsetting lost to handle. "

My cousin had that happen to him while knee boarding. The only difference is that it happened to fall off in shallow water, we turned back, and amazingly was able to find it, and we got the whole thing on video!

As a kid fishing with my dad we were on a lake in our boat catching a ton of huge bluegills. We were using a fish basket to keep them and I decided I wanted to pull them in and count them. In order to do this easier I needed to untie the basket from the boat. When I was finished counting I just set the basket back in the water without tying it up. As it slowly dipped below the surface I started to scream, which eventually turned to crying. It was over 20 years ago and I still can see the basket fading from sight in my mind. My dad was very cool about it and we still scraped enough for a fish fry that evening. The next basket he bought had a plastic lid that floated.

We were in a shallow weedy bay when my partner let go of his rod and reel and it flies into the lake. I couldn't believe he just did that. We went back forth for awhile trying to find it and I frankly gave up on it. So we go to shore and he breaks out a pair of waders and jumped into the lake. He walked around for about 45 minutes until he finally kicked it up and got it back.

Once when fishing on Sag my buck knife sheath snap can unsnapped. I watched it sink at a high rate of speed to the bottom. Another tine on Ensign I was using my buddy's rod and reel because mine broke. As I was lowering the anchor rope the rope caught the rod and took it over the side. We both just watched in horror as it disappeared.

I was on a youth group trip paddling Kawnipi in the Quetico. I hooked a small northern and brought it into the boat to unhook it and release it. In the process the fish lurched and twisted and the treble hook of the rapala went through my thump. Simultaneously my favorite landing net - a collapsable net called "The Master's Net" slid off the pack in front of me and disappeared into the dark depths of the Kawnipi.

We were about 30 feet off shore and I had the presence of mind to triangulate our canoe's position. We paddled to shore and removed the hook from my thumb then paddled on across the lake to a campsite where we ate lunch and set up for a lay over day. All the rest of rest of that day and that night in the tent I thought about that net at the bottom of the lake.

The next day one of the kids on the trip was going to go swimming and had brought her goggles that she wears when racing on the high school swim team. I had an idea!!! She and I paddled back across the lake and I positioned the canoe as close as possible to where I thought the net had gone overboard. She slid over the side of the boat and made two or three dives into the depths. She commented that it got really dark down there but on her third attempt she surfaced with my net. She saw the brass tone handle shining in the gloom of the deep.

I still have that net and use it every trip some 25 years later. But I also bought a spare to keep on hand at home just in case!

I also dropped a pair of needle nose pliers. Those went down fast and never were seen again. LOL

My wife's GPS sank fast. None of that slowly sinking and toying with us. Her new one has a small foam float attached to it.

Camped on Kenny Lake in the Quetico below Canyon Falls. Fishing between the point and the little island. Caught a giant northern and carefully took out my pliers I had since a high school scout trip to take the lure out. Laid the pliers carefully on the paddle laid crossways on the canoe. Fish on stringer, paddle in hand, pliers in water. No value, just 15 trips of sentiment into lake. Thought about diving in for retrieval, but no.

quote Savage Voyageur: "Once when fishing on Sag my buck knife sheath snap can unsnapped. I watched it sink at a high rate of speed to the bottom. Another tine on Ensign I was using my buddy's rod and reel because mine broke. As I was lowering the anchor rope the rope caught the rod and took it over the side. We both just watched in horror as it disappeared. "

So you basically you went through 2 rods and reels and then had nothing left to fish with for the rest of the trip and one of them was your fishing partner's rod? I would call that a nightmare.

I have a nice rod and reel on the bottom of Winchell Lake, lost when I snagged on a reef and the rig flew out of the canoe back in 1987.

There's a really nice Leather Man in North McKenzie Bay. It was more of a boom, gone, crap feeling as a accidentally dropped them unhooking a NP. There's was a super nice Benchmade folder on a portage landing on the Falls Chain that had 15 years of sentimental value I didn't realize came unclipped getting in/out of packs until we got to camp on Kenny Lake. Really bummed on that one.

quote Ausable: "Then there was the time that my bow paddled lost his Tilley hat overboard in a stiff breeze. That was painful to watch."

I thought Tilleys floated. At least mine does.

quote Pinetree: "

quote Whatsit: "Three weeks ago I tried rigging a poll to the side of my canoe with my go pro camera on it. Went out in terrible windy conditions and a wave came up an like your sun glasses it went down and I couldn't get to it in time. Very upsetting lost to handle. "

Did you lose your go pro camera too? That would be a big sinking feeling,"

Yes. The wave hit in sending it flying. I had my wife and kids in the canoe. Had I reached any further we all would of been in the water. Living in Oklahoma there's no natural lakes in the whole state. So the water is very dirty any not clear at all. We kept looking and I even went back to see if the odd chance it washed tomthe shore line but nothing. Oh well. I was stupid. I should of had it better tied down. I was trying it out for my upcoming solo in the bw.
Mike

I've lost rods, nets, sunglasses, stringers, pliers, you name it. I've trolled up anchors, rods and reels, a sweatshirt, and old lures.
Ice fishing is when the rules of gravity change and things get vortex-sucked inot the hole. One year out on Mille Lacs, a buddy came out to my permanent house and put his aquaview down the hole; a fire extinguisher, jigs, a fork, etc were down there.

I have also donated several items to Charlie Tuna over the years. The latest was a collapsible minnow trap on Ensign a few years ago.

After a long day of paddling, finally arriving at our destination lake, the wind kicked up as we did our last big water crossing before landing at camp and my sunglasses went over. I never should have left them sitting on a pack, but I had taken them off a few minutes prior because it had gotten cloudy. Couldn't turn around in time to retrieve them, slowly they sank into the abyss that is LLC. I knew I would be getting headaches from squinting if I didn't do something...so...I fashioned some "birch bark sunglasses" out of some bungee dealee bobs and piece of birch bark for the rest of the trip a la Shug style! Thanks for the idea Shug! Now, my sunglasses are tethered to me all the time. Lesson learned.

quote BnD: "There's a really nice Leather Man in North McKenzie Bay. It was more of a boom, gone, crap feeling as a accidentally dropped them unhooking a NP. There's was a super nice Benchmade folder on a portage landing on the Falls Chain that had 15 years of sentimental value I didn't realize came unclipped getting in/out of packs until we got to camp on Kenny Lake. Really bummed on that one."

There's a really nice pair of pliers at the bottom of Skoota Lake that a NP took from me...

So apparently "leave no trace" doesn't apply below the surface of the lake. LOL

As the list grows it seems I am not the only one with clumsy hands or a wandering mind that goes oops.

I was hiking the Beartooth wilderness in Montana for about 1 week in the back country. Well all week I had a fairly expensive camera on a leather strap around my neck. Well the trip was just about over and had to cross a rushing stream 100 yards from my truck. While crossing on a log the leather strap broke and my camera went tumbling into the stream never to be seen again. That whole trip the strap worked great. Until than.

There is nothing worse than a young child losing a pole. Fall Lake claimed my daughter's last Princess pole a few years back. I started tying her pole to the canoe after that on the next trip. I couldn't take another one of those moments it was so sad.

quote caribouluvr: "There is nothing worse than a young child losing a pole. Fall Lake claimed my daughter's last Princess pole a few years back. I started tying her pole to the canoe after that on the next trip. I couldn't take another one of those moments it was so sad."

Had that happen to me once. We were spending a week at my grandpa's cabin near up in Crosslake and I was having issues with my reel. It was the first day up there and we loved fishing so my grandpa wanted to get it working. He tries loosening the handle thinking that it was too tight causing the plastic to bow. I had to be 7 or so and this was a cheap plastic telescopic rod. He gives it one cast off the dock and the whole thing goes flying leaving him with just the handle in his hand. The look of pure horror on his face and probably mine too. They figured that it was time to give me my new fishing pole birthday present right then and there. We still tell that story when we go to visit.

Haven't lost anything to the lake in the BW yet though. Only gone on 3 trips so far, so I figure its just a matter of time.

About 30 years ago my girlfriend and I were camping at Gunflint Lodge and had one of their rental canoes. We thought it would be "cool" to mountain bike in Canada, so we puts our bikes into the canoe and started to paddle across Gunflint. I also had an Olympus OM4, a 22mm wide angle lens and a 200mm telephoto lens in my camera case in the boat, not to mention all of our fishing gear.

Well, a heavy wind was a blowing from the southwest, and in the middle of the lake we swamped. It happened so fast and the wind was so strong that we could not even grab the canoe. Lost everything and eventually ended up on the Canadian side of the lake with nothing but ourselves and one paddle.

I tied my undies to the paddle and waved that flag at every boat we saw. Eventually, someone noticed my whitey tighties flying in the breeze, and he came to the rescue.

Not a good day...

I was fishing with my mom on the lake here maybe twenty five or thirty years ago. I had a brand new shimano reel. I had very little feeling in my hands and a great cast sent both my lure and rod and reel sailing. My mom was disappointed I didn't jump in. I was already finding landmarks and such where it was. I tried several times and we see my mom's cousin Elmer so we go in. Ol' Elmer and I went out and I cast twice with a big old spoon... sure enough I pulled up line and I pulled every inch of that line up before the rod would come. Used that reel for years...

Coming back from Beartrap I cast my brand new baitcaster right out of my hand into the lake. Reflexes kicked in and I lunged. As the canoe was tipping over with my annoyed son in the back I grabbed the rod before it disappeared into the depths of Thunder. Unfortunately the brand new $250 spinning outfit I had not yet cast slid into the murky depths. Upon surfacing with my baitcaster I noticed my glasses had slid to the bottom as well. Spent the next four days not being able to see past my nose. Expensive little lesson that summer it was!

quote dbpmw3: "Coming back from Beartrap I cast my brand new baitcaster right out of my hand into the lake. Reflexes kicked in and I lunged. As the canoe was tipping over with my annoyed son in the back I grabbed the rod before it disappeared into the depths of Thunder. Unfortunately the brand new $250 spinning outfit I had not yet cast slid into the murky depths. Upon surfacing with my baitcaster I noticed my glasses had slid to the bottom as well. Spent the next four days not being able to see past my nose. Expensive little lesson that summer it was!"

I always take a extra pair of glasses,otherwise I would be bumping into the shore and trees.

I loaned my cousin a nice rod and reel. We are trolling and he set it down for a second. It hit a snag and popped right out of the boat. He reached but it was too late. We both watched it slowly sink out of sight. It was one of the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Glasses, sunglasses, rods,tackle box, dip net, hat, the list is endless.... my uncle lost his false teeth down a ice hole on Big Moose . Temp was -20 degrees and we were fishing without a shelter. He thought about reaching in and trying to grab them but the thought of a wet arm at -20 stopped him cold, no pun intended.

Gunsmoke & I were paddling down the Des Moines river and hit something in the tandem kayak and got that slow sinking feeling. It turned into a fast sinking feeling real quick though.

I once lost five needle nose pliers while musky fishing. I brought six pairs and when I lost the fifth, all to muskies moving suddenly beside the canoe, I tied the sixth to the canoe and have done the same ever since.

Been there more times than I care to admit.

quote Northwoodsman: "Lately each morning when I go to work."

I hear you. I solved that problem by retiring 2 moths ago:)

With the number of posts mentioning pliers.....maybe I should be thinking of a patent on this.

quote DougD: "With the number of posts mentioning pliers.....maybe I should be thinking of a patent on this. "

Yes add a pair of pliers here also.

We lost a nice gps in the middle of the lake once.. that made me sick

I was doing a little casting on Brule in my solo canoe. On the back cast I hooked my spare rod and watched it do a swan dive into the depths. Fortunately the hook held and I could reel it back in.

I have some of the most "you couldn't make it up" rod overboard stories that I have ever heard. The curious thing was I got every one back. A loomis knocked off a cooler while paddling a gator infested florida canal.........Throwing a $700 outfit into the water on a hard long cast on a still full moon night on an offshore party boat (KERSPLOOSH!).........having my sisters loser boyfriend hook a loomis rod sitting on a rod locker and launch it overboard during a cast and in the process of diving in I kicked another Loomis in..........Rolling my canoe and having 2 more outfits in the drink.........all these rods were recovered without exception. I guess thats what happens when you take care of your sticks.......wipe them down with a bit of furniture polish and they develop a certain loyalty ;-)

And of course the usual suspects..........2 pair of sunglasses in the drink when the rains came and the cover of the boat was lifted up (bloop, bloop) and yes a nice fat stringer of fish either broken or came unhooked on Lake Erie..........etc. etc.

Didn't lose a rod overboard, but....

A few years back my friend Ed and I take my 3 kids to a children's fishing derby at a local metropark lake on a beautiful spring day. We get there early, pick out a prime spot on a smooth rock surface next to the water, set up our chairs, help the kids with bait, bobbers and casting. Then Ed decides to throw his own line in the water, fishing for catfish on the bottom.

One of my daughters gets a nice (stocked) rainbow trout on their line. Ed lays his rod down, and goes to assist my daughter, who's barely big enough to reel it in. Sure enough, 5 seconds later, a catfish must have taken Ed's bait, and we watched his line, rod and reel get pulled into the lake and into deep water like they were shot out of a cannon, never to be seen again.

I watched my small Frabill collapsible net slowly sink into Tuscarora several years ago. Trolled the spot with spoons to try to hook it, but no dice.

quote mr.barley: "I watched my small Frabill collapsible net slowly sink into Tuscarora several years ago. Trolled the spot with spoons to try to hook it, but no dice."

usually if a net goes, they go soo slow. Usually for a second you think yes I can still get it. It is worse in clear water where you can watch it for awhile.

Yup, spinning rod a few years ago. Knocked it overboard on a clear water lake in about 15 foot of water. First 10 feet all I could do was watch it slowly descend into the depths before it disappeared. I hated that feeling.

I drop my camera three time's in the water the last three years, lucky it was in shallow water and I saved it all three times, thankfully it's waterproof.


Had a friend cast one of my fishing poles from shore and he let go by accident but dived in after it and saved it, to bad it was his last pair of dry cloths after it rained all day.

Borrowed a Buck 110 folding knife to the person on the water with me,he did what he wanted with it,folded it up,than without thinking threw it overboard. I just stared and got a Whoops from him.

I lost a stringer full of Walleye on Ensign. It was there one minute, gone the next. The stringer was brand new. I felt bad that I wasted the fish.

Not in the bdub but a couple years back me and some buds were fishing the Minong Flowage and my cell phone literally jumped out of the top pocket of my Carhart bibs on it's own accord, it hit the center of the hole like a Saturday night bullseye, it fluttered to the bottom like a drunken butterfly. The worst part was the ribbing for the rest of the winter; How are the fish bitin on the flowage, oh never mind, I'll just call up and see.

nooneuno: "Not in the bdub but... ...hit the center of the hole like a Saturday night bullseye,..."

I know the feeling. I was on the 6th floor of an office building in Mpls. waiting for the elevator. I was about 4 ft from the door. As the door opened I took my hand out of my pocket and my car keys flipped out of my pocket and went right down the slot between the floor and the elevator. Couldn't have hit that if I was trying.

Paddling down Crooked, went to swat a bug off my shoulder, and must've popped a pin loose in my watch band and down she went. Not a 5-figure type watch, but a fairly nice one. Bugged me pretty good for a bit. Reading many of these makes me glad Van Staal puts a tether on their pliers!

Dropped a $200 pair of Oakleys into the drink, not once but twice. I need to stop putting them on top of my head when not on my nose.

I'll see your 2 Oakleys and raise you that I lost both of mine on the same day in the same lake.

Left a rod & reel in Gull and a couple in the BWCA. Also knocked a brand new knife into LIS with my paddle as it sat on top of my pack. I need to pay more attention to what I am doing. sigh.

What is worse is when it daunts you. You lose something overboard and it floats just for a second giving you hope. You grab for the dip net to scoop it up and than it slowly zigs zags its way out of site.
Lot of future archeological items being deposited out there.

I was fishing with a guy below a falls in WCPP. The wind came up and blew his hat off of his head. I tried to lift it out of the water as it floated to the bow. I missed, it sank. But the fun wasn't over. In an effort to save the hat, he quickly set his rod and reel down next to him --- but just outside the canoe. As we both watched his hat sink into the depths I yelled out "your rod!". Too late.

We paddled the shore and he waded into the depths and dove for it by holding the line still attached to his rod and lure (I can't remember how he found his line in all that murky water).
He was able to retrieve his kit but the hat was a total loss. There is probably some walleye somewhere that is wearing his hat...

On Agnes a couple of years ago in early June I decided to in for a quick bath, just to splash a little water on myself and cool off. The water was really too cold for me to want to actually go for a swim, but I stepped onto one of those long gently sloping, very slippery rocks and very slowly slid out into water clear over my head. I got more of a bath then I expected.

HighnDry- your story reminds me a time I casted my plug out and let go of my rod and reel go and it went flying and than sank. Luck was with me,my plug floated and carefully I pulled my rod and reel back in plug first.

Too many times, lol.

last spring, first week of may, we were paddling on cherokee and i happened to glance over my shoulder to see something floating on the lake. asked my paddle partner to look that way and we decided it was "something" so we paddled backwards (yes, backwards, no sense wasting time turning the canoe around!). met up with the "something" to discover is was one of my smartwood paddling gloves ! must have fallen out of the canoe somehow. whew... needed that glove throughout the rest of the trip.
i was surprised how long it stayed afloat, must have been a good 5-10 minutes.

I can think of a number of times that I have had that "sinking feeling"!

first time was early in my guiding career with the Boy Scouts. I carried two of the old "sierra" cups, one for eating out of and one for dipping in the lake for water. We were paddling across Ester Lake on a bright sunny day, reached into the lake for a drink of water and lost my grip on the cup. I watched it slowly sink into the depths of the lake. So, still being thirst, I grabbed my second cup to get a drink, and what do you know the exact same thing happened! I remember thinking as I watched the sunlight flash off of them as they sunk, that the could make a really good jibbing lure if I attached a few treble hooks to them!

I also remember guiding a fly fisherman one time. We got into wood lake, and he was telling me all about these really nice, expensive sunglasses that he bought just for this trip. On one of his first casts, he somehow caught his glasses and flipped them overboard. we were only in a few feet of water, but the bottom was mucky and after several minutes searching for them we gave up.

I also remember a day many years ago while duck hunting up on rainy lake. My brother in law was in his canoe and monkeying with his brand new GPS unit, only to drop it while trying to control the motor and watch it sink rather quickly in rainy lake. Which reminds of another trip with him, where the motor wasn't properly secured to the back of the motor boat, and the motor came off while at full speed down the lake. It went in circles on top of the lake till it used up the gas and then sank like a rock! good thing he had a little kicker motor with him!

CrookedPaddler1:
Which reminds of another trip with him, where the motor wasn't properly secured to the back of the motor boat, and the motor came off while at full speed down the lake. It went in circles on top of the lake till it used up the gas and then sank like a rock! good thing he had a little kicker motor with him!"

Wow what a sight.
It actually stayed on the surface and running for awhile? That must be a quite a sight and would of been a "Kodak moment" in the picture world. I suppose it was a situation you didn't dare approach the motor?

Pinetree: "

CrookedPaddler1:
Which reminds of another trip with him, where the motor wasn't properly secured to the back of the motor boat, and the motor came off while at full speed down the lake. It went in circles on top of the lake till it used up the gas and then sank like a rock! good thing he had a little kicker motor with him!"

I don't know about a Kodak moment, but I sure learned a lot of new cuss words that I didn't know existed! Especially since it was a brand new motor on its inaugural trip!

Wow what a sight.
It actually stayed on the surface and running for awhile? That must be a quite a sight and would of been a "Kodak moment" in the picture world. I suppose it was a situation you didn't dare approach the motor? "

I had a little wireless remote for my trolling motor, it was about the size of a keyfob for your cars keyless entry. I had set it down on the carpeted gunnel of my fishing boat not realizing the little retractable cord attached was laying over the thin fishing line of a rod setup also laying on that gunnel ledge. Went to grab the rod, the little remote flung into the air, started sinking fast, no time to grab the net (I was yelling for it). Managed to hit it a few times with the rod tip a foot or two under water hoping it would snag on it somehow. No luck, its somewhere at the bottom of the narrows that connect Sand Point and Namakan lake. Why they would make that remote, a device made for on water use only, non-floating I do not know. 25% bigger with a piece of foam inside and it would likely float. I have since attached a foam boat key floaty to its replacement but its not as handy with that hanging off. I previously liked to clip it inside the sleeve on my jacket but that doesn't work well anymore.

Snagged a few dip nets over the years while trolling someone lost overboard.

Sure.. Waterproof chart blown out of canoe. It was windy,, Those plastic coated charts don't float. While I tried to maneuver to get it it slowly slowly sank in the ocean
Thankfully there was a backup map.

yellowcanoe: "Sure.. Waterproof chart blown out of canoe. It was windy,, Those plastic coated charts don't float. While I tried to maneuver to get it it slowly slowly sank in the ocean
Thankfully there was a backup map.
"

If going in a new area,I always have a small backup map.

Any 2018 additions to the depths?

fishing rod (never liked that rod anyway :).

I have a rod and reel somewhere on the bottom of Seagull Lake. It's attached by 8lb Florocarbon and a rapala taildancer to the remains of a large Laker. Two big losses in one dumb move...

Two reasonably minor incidents: A metal drinking cup on what was then tap Lake and a map on Moose lake. The map was minor until we had to go back to a lodge to purchase another for our trip Lakes.

I lost a pair of Oakley half jackets in the Buffalo River in Arkansas when our canoe capsized and I got pinned underneath it and against the downed tree that we were trying to avoid. Scary... I didn't realize my shades were gone until a few minutes later, after we scrambled to catch all the stuff that came out of the boat and our paddles and map. That's the closest I've come to death in decades of outdoor trips.

On a backpacking/climbing trip in the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, my friend lost a nalgene bottle down a near-shear cliff... we watched it tumble down for at least 45 seconds allllll the way to the bottom.

But the most sinking feeling I've had was when my nalgene bottle lid wasn't screwed on tight on the first day of a two day down/two day up backpack down to the river from the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I had packed 4 bottles, but that was going to be all my water for a day and a half. I didn't notice that the lid was loose until almost all the water had shaken out of it. Having to go a day and a half in the Grand Canyon on 3 bottles, some of which was for my freeze dried dinner the frist night, was pretty scary to me. This was the first weekend of December, but still... it was warm during the day and that air is super dry and I drink a lot of water when I'm outside. I made it, but it was dicey on the 2nd day. I drank so much water that night... the 2 days hike out was actually more challenging and I went through my water a lot faster. Obviously, climbing up is more strenuous. Fortunately, someone had left a gatorade bottle stashed that they didn't want to carry out and left for someone else in need. Gatorade never tasted so good.

Low hanging branches in a river with current is one of the most dangerous things out there. I tipped over on one,but lucky I just got wet and we had zero stuff in the canoe.
That had to be a scary moment.
Maybe the lid thing it is nice when the caps are connected to the bottle.

Wow,that isn't much water.

Yeah, it was pretty scary. I was fortunate to be able to grab the gunwale and pull myself out from underneath the canoe, which had turned perpendicular to the current and broadsided the tree, throwing us both out on the upstream side. My friend in the front managed to be swept aside of the bow of the boat while I was right in the middle and nowhere for the current to push me but right under the boat and against the tree.

You're right, 1 gallon of water for a day and a half in the GC isn't a lot, but I felt confident I could manage if nothing bad happened. A great deal of our hike the first day was along the "Esplanade" which is a mostly flat shelf about halfway down the canyon and I knew we'd be in the shade most of the day. But 3 litres made me nervous. Everything turned out ok though.

Hey, BF - That gatorade was some TRUE trail magic!!

Another lost-in-the-depths fishing rod and reel story but it was my husband's, not mine. We were out fishing for dinner on our third night of a 9-day trip when he hooked a nice-sized one. Got it tired and had it up to the canoe and reached for the net to get it in when apparently it decided it enjoyed it's watery life too much and didn't want to sacrifice it for the big monster in the yellow banana. With a good burst of energy it made it move. Away it went and along with it Darryl's rod and reel. He didn't have a spare rod and reel along. He was bummed out. But after I caught our dinner, I assured him that I would share my rod and reel with him. I shared it generously with him for the remaining days of the trip. I earned a large number of good wife points on that trip.

In all subsequent trips, he brought a short rod/reel as a backup.

All these lost rod stories have me scared.

Should I get some rod buoys? Do they work?

proepro: "All these lost rod stories have me scared.


Should I get some rod buoys? Do they work?
"

I was thinking the same thing. There is a lot of rods down there.

On the Crab portage a few days ago I talked to a guy who Recovered the rod he lost last year. He was happy.

Years ago I visited a individual who lost his glasses down a ice fishing hole in his fish house on Mille lacs lake.
A couple hours later he got a fish on his line. It was a burbot, which usually hang close to the bottom. Well he pulled it up and the line got tangled with his eye glasses on the bottom and he got his glasses back. What a long shot in getting them.

Your story reminds me of a story me dad tells. When he was a teen he went Spear fishing in a dark house on the river. This day he brought his lab with (the lab was his buddy...would ride motorcycles with him.) So a huge northern shows up, and before he could do anything the lab sees the fish gets all excited and jumps in diving for the fish
The northern swims away with the lab in Hot Pursuit. The lab dissappears under the ice. My dad waits a few minutes then realize his lab is gone. He is devastated. Then a minute later he heard screaming coming from the spear house down the river. Sure enough the lab came up in that other person's house. They people were so shocked they started screaming not knowing what was going on.

Canoearoo: "Your story reminds me of a story me dad tells. When he was a teen he went Spear fishing in a dark house on the river. This day he brought his lab with (the lab was his buddy...would ride motorcycles with him.) So a huge northern shows up, and before he could do anything the lab sees the fish gets all excited and jumps in diving for the fish
The northern swims away with the lab in Hot Pursuit. The lab dissappears under the ice. My dad waits a few minutes then realize his lab is gone. He is devastated. Then a minute later he heard screaming coming from the spear house down the river. Sure enough the lab came up in that other person's house. They people were so shocked they started screaming not knowing what was going on. "

WOW,once in a million there also. Without the other spear house the dog would of been a goner. I would also lose my shorts in the other house. Use to spear and a muskrat woke you up enough.

My cousin once took his 2 year old son ice fishing and the toddler stepped in a round ice hole and fell right in. He grabbed the kid by the hair right before he went underwater (the kid is now an adult). Because of that I made my kids wear life jackets on the ice from walking age until they were about 8 years old.. when I knew they wouldn't fit through a big round hole and knew they understood what an old spear hole looks like.

Many things have been offered up to the water gods
The most painful was a new fishing reel that "fell off" a rod

HammerII: "Many things have been offered up to the water gods
The most painful was a new fishing reel that "fell off" a rod


"

Apparently at the time you didn't have line-lure thru the rod eyes etc to save it?

I bet sunglasses are numerous in the lake bottoms also?

Heavy Canoe and I along with one other friend have knocked each others gear in the water so often we have toyed with including a stop at Gander Mountain on the way back from every trip.

Examples: filet knife, fish locator, spinning rod, jig pole...

The spinning rod was my son's and he made sure to tell Heavy Canoe (who dropped it) that it was a special Christmas present. We now make a HUGE back story to every item that gets lost...that filet knife was my grandfather's, given to me on his death bead, that he got in the war...you get the idea.

My brother was pretty proud of the new Anchor he had recently bought.
He was bragging it up as we set up off shore in his fishing boat.
When he found the exact spot he he thought the fish would bite, he threw the anchor over the side of the boat.

Problem was, he forgot to tie the anchor rope to his new anchor.
It was a fast sinkng feeling, but it took a while to slowly set in.
God was that funny.