Long story short - I left two rods and reels somewhere on the bottom of Conroe today. Very frustrated at myself but there�s truly nothing I could do about it now. I would say I could get better setups but while they weren�t the most expensive ones available they were still probably $400 combined and I was very happy with them. And I�m too cheap to spend more than that for two rods and two reels anyway. I�ll replace them one at a time over the next few months but it�ll take away from what I was planning on spending for a new depth finder.

Just angry at myself.

If you fish, it will happen.

Sorry for your loss. I know the feeling.

I don't understand,..how ?? and you could do nothing,..??

In 40+ years of fishing from a boat, I've had exactly one rod go in the water - I kicked it overboard myself when I stumbled. It went into about 12' of water. I recovered it within ten minutes, maybe even five.

Keep in mind that many rods will orient vertically when dropped in water where they don't tangle with obstructions. They act somewhat like a quill float. Any buoyancy in an attached bait typically helps insure this, but the weight is concentrated near the butt, and there's some void space inside most blanks. You end up with a vertical target that has a chance of getting snagged by an appropriate bait that comes in contact with the rig. I've known of several that were recovered this way. This is more likely if you have a reference point (such as a tossed marker) or can deploy shallow water anchors immediately.

Thats incredible, Incredible.

That it was, and it was my newest combo at the time! I should have bought a lotto ticket that day when I got off the water, lol.

Nothing in the story about how it actually happened. Rods are lost all the time.

Thus adds to the treasure trove of the lake...it is amazing what you can find on some lakes even if the water level is down 5-10ft...the amount of lures, fishing equipment and personal belongings are endless.

I have cast out before and had the rod snap off and everything go flying.
Except the handle,which is all thats left that I am holding in my hand.
These things happen

I had this happen once.....and I actually recovered it.

I have lost two rods and was able to recover both of them...lucky I guess.

I have 3 in Lake Palestine in 30 years of fishing , all due to Hybrids, only
one was my fault , other two to guests in the boat.

$#it happens

MO

Ok I was hoping to spare you the long story but some would like to hear. So here�s part of a note I sent a buddy who also fishes Conroe...

� I was fishing the north end early and the longer I was out the stronger the wind got. I decided to give the south end a look and if nothing else do a bit of exploring. It was choppy but not overly rough so I was cruising along at a pretty good clip until I got to the 1097 bridge where I slowed to headway speed to go under the bridge. Once past the bridge I�d just got back on plane when I heard the distinct rattling of a rattle trap which drew my attention to the port side front deck where I had three rods on the deck. Notice I said HAD! Somehow, the three rods that were previously safely secured by the rod keeper were now ONE which was halfway back down the deck. Two were missing. Off to Davy Jones locker! I was a little more than aggravated and probably invented a few new cuss words as I went through my entire vocabulary of cuss words which, according to my wife is quite extensive. Probably somewhere between $3-400 went to the bottom of the lake and when or where they fell off only the fish know. I�d been hauling A since Cagle and honestly never noticed when they were gone as I was watching the water intently since it was borderline how much I could push it in my little boat. So, if you happen to snag an Abu Garcia Veritas 7 foot rod with a Johnny Morris reel (worm still on the hook too) or a 6.5 foot Speed Stick with a Johnny Morris reel and a lizard on the hook you�ll know the poor bastard who donated them to the lake.�

I don�t know but I�m thinking I might�ve not had them completely secured in the rod keeper and it came loose and when I put it back on plane I hit a rough wave which bounced them over the side in 30�+ of water by the bridge. I just don�t see how I�d have not missed them before that. I was concentrating on the water but it�s in my peripheral vision if nothing else and running a four stroke I think I�d have heard something prior as it�s pretty quiet.

I've lost one over the side
it landed in a brush pile in 20' of water. 45 minutes later I got it back.