like most fishermen,I've had a few instances where i was able to help somebody out usually by towing them in...this is my best "feel good" story....pretty sure I've posted this several years ago so forgive me if you've read it previously...and if you've got a "feel good" story-please share it with us...


.several years ago was fishing a Redman(BFL) tourney on Lake Sinclair(Ga.)..was fishing around docks and came up on one with couple little boys bream fishing off it..one was probably 6 years old and other one couple years older........did the usual "catching anything" greeting and both of them started telling me about a giant catfish had pulled their fishing rod out of the holder and swam off the night before and it was the older boys brand new rod and reel....both of the boys were kinda dejected over losing the rod and we told them we were sorry and continued fishing down the bank...
probably about two docks down,I saw a bobber in water at edge of a boat house with no rods on nearby docks...just on a hunch,I raised the bobber up with my rod tip and pulled the bobber to the boat and pulled in the line....no giant catfish but there was a brand new rod and push button reel....

I turned around and headed back where the boys were on the dock....as I got with within earshot I told them I had found a rod and reel that I might sell cheap...the older boy asked how much and I replied probably a dollar would be enough....older boy told the younger one to run up to the house and get a "dollar from Daddy"...and younger started to the house and I told him to hold on a minute til they saw the rod because it might not be worth a dollar....I can tell you,it was worth a hundred dollars to see the look on their faces when they saw the rod lying on my deck,recognized it as theirs and both of them trying to tell me at same time that was the rod the catfish had swam away with...I told them that if that was their rod,I just couldn't charge them anything......and it was worth another hundred dollars to have seen them running up to the cabin hollering out to their Dad they had got their rod back.......

it's the little things

Cool story

Love it!

Yes indeed.

... Dan

A few years ago I was fishing with my BIL early in the morning on Lake Fork. We were at the Mustang bridge and he was fishing with an new rod and reel he had purchased from Bass Pro a couple of months earlier. Second cast and the rod and reel slipped out of his hand and into the water. He had been unemployed for 6 weeks or so and really felt bummed about it as it was an expensive combo and he did not have the money to replace it. We attempted to do a recovery with no luck and continued to fish. About two hours later he received a call from a company that wanted to interview him that afternoon for an open position. We made haste back to our lauch ramp and he hookedum back to Dallas. I continued to fish after he left. Before calling it quits for the day I decided to go back to the bridge for one last attempt at retrieveing the rod. I had marked the area that morning. I rigged up my heaviest spoon and began a dragging process over the spot I thought the rod went in. A couple of minutes later up comes the rod. I had hooked it in the guide on the tip. I called him and told him I had his rod and he told me the interview had gone great and he had been offered the job. I honestly think he was more excited that he had his rod back than he was employed again.

great story-thanks for sharing..

got another lost rod/reel story....

several years ago was fishing a Everstart/Stren series tourny on Eufaula (Al.) We were working our way around around a cove upriver when I hung a small fish....when my co-angler grabbed the net,he somehow kicked his rod overboard....he had shown me the rod earlier,it was new and he mentioned how much he liked this rod....we stopped,I rigged up a spoon and he rigged a weight and treble hook...we spent probably 15-20 minutes trying to find his rod with no luck....he mentioned that we were wasting valuable time and we needed to resume fishing which we did...he was from another part of the state and asked that if I was back in this area,would I make another effort to find his rod which I readly agreed to do..I could tell he was really disappointed at losing that rod .he was a young guy and like most of us,I'm sure he didn't have a lot of disposable income at that age....
we fished around the cove and were idling out when I decided to give it another chance to recover his rod...about my second drop with the spoon I hooked his road and brought it up......that probably was the closest I ever came to getting a hug from a co-angler...

went to Monticello a few years ago, after park was closed... heard you could legally fish it if you unloaded from bridge embankment..stopped at several places near mt pleasant to ask if it was true..nobody knew.. get to lake and park next to bridge and see someone fishing from embankment and ask him if he knew if it was legal.. he said yes, and pointed to his son, fishing from kayak in the distance.. his son paddles back while I am talking to his dad (they take turns fishing from kayak) and lets him know he lost one of his rod/reels (he was pulling rod out of crate and it must have caught rig beside it). his dad handled the news so well, he says well that rig was only $300.

I end up unloading my kayak, paddling to where he lost it and dragged bottom with no luck.. after 15 minutes I give up and go to fishing around bridge.. first cast bass, second cast I catch a monster.. biggest bass I had ever caught at that time.. paddle over to kid and his dad who were on bank and luckily he has a scale. Kid follows me back to bridge in kayak and get him rigged up with 6xd and we catch 7 more, smaller fish.. they leave later, I stay to almost dark and head back over to where kid lost rod and reel... and find it.

Dropped it off at their home in Tyler on the way back home.. win/win



25 + inches, 11lbs 6 ounces I think, cant remember



His dad got him a kayak soon after so they could both be on the water at same time.. they sent me this picture a few months later when son caught 3 of these for over a 100 lbs on Monti one day.. I think the kid likes kayaks.