Fishing Mishaps

[Zman]

I was fishing Brigantine on Friday and saw three different people lose rods into the surf, as they were dead-sticking bait and not paying attention to the surf washing away their sand-spikes! One guy ran into the ocean in jeans and looked like a chicken with his head cut off. I told him to cast out a treble hook and try to snag his line, but no such luck. I am interested in hearing others' stories about fishing mishaps - here are a few of my own:

• Was checking out a new rod and raised it into the air to check the action and put it into a ceiling fan . . . . oops!

• Tried to open a clam shell by hand (that was already broken) and sliced my thumb to the bone as the shell snapped.

• Didn't attach a two piece rod together all the way and casted with the bail closed and snapped the line and casted the top half of the rod about 30 yds into the surf (was able to recover it!).

• Left a small tackle box on the roof of my car and heard a noise while driving, but couldn't figure out what it was until I got home and realized what had happened. Lost some really nice plugs.

 

I know I've done other stupid things, but those are just a few that come to mind. How about you all - any funny stories you want to share. You gotta be able to laugh at yourself every now and again in our obsessive pursuit of the striped ones!!!

[Ay yo its fishin Joe]

ive broken a few rod tips when i was younger from carelessness and i think we've all done the grabbing the tack box thats not closed properly trick, you know what happens there.

[Sudsy]

Made a long, long walk at M and before I ever got a cast off hit the tip of the rod on a rock and chipped the SiC insert

 

Had to walk all the way back for another rod.

 

Learned that delicate guides are not the best choice in rocky areas

[Baccigalup]

I was new to surf fishing and went with my buddy to SH, we started at Spermicetti Cove and worked our way around the back. There were a bunch of guys fishing a sandbar and as we approached them I decided not to follow directly behind my friend but to take a shortcut around him. As I walked I got deeper and deeper, eventually going around in circles trying to find my way to higher ground and walking on my tippy toes. My arms were above my head holding my rod and surfbag and the water was just at my chest. another 6 inches and i would have been swimming. All the guys on the bar were turning around and looking at me and my friend was laughing. One of the guys on the bar finally directed me out of it. It was pretty embarrassing, but it had to look comical. My friend still makes fun of me to this day, bending his knees as he is walking to show how I was sinking and waving bye bye. I think he takes me along just for the laughs!!! I am glad my sense of misdirection can bring joy to others!

[bobabouy]

long story short,lots of cocktail blues hitting reel close to the rocks down on the north jetty,a buddy comes out to join in i tell be careful the little bastages are hitting reel close,his first cast with a plug,you guessed it a little blue darts up misses the plug he yanks and plug ends up buried in his forehead,the back treble ends up in his eyelid,he pulls it out ,i look over and he looked like one those pro wrestlers w/ the blood streaming out of his eyelid,he says how does it look? it was a tiny pin hole but it was gushing,just thought of another story ,the same dude with the plug in the eye,went muskie fishing at greenwood lake up north jersey w/myself my bro and "clamhammer" i rented a boat w/ hammer ,plug face and my bro were in plug face boat,i went ahead to smallcraft marina,told them i'll meet ya down on the jersey end,3 hours later here comes plug face and my bro idling up i notice his whole hand was bandaged up,i was like what the hell,come to find out plug face while getting in his boat tripped and fell into his muskie tackle box,for those of you who fish muskie you know what a skunk tail spinner is well the treble hooks on that lure are giant,you guessed right he buried a treble in his palm and spent 2 hours at the hospital getting it removed,maybe this is a long story great times

[Baccigalup]

Took my son on a party boat one time for fluke. We are in the cabin getting something to eat and some guy is sitting with his kid rigging up his pole. Once he is done He goes to put the hook in one of the guides and as he stretches the line the hook slips out his hand and catches him in the earlobe. goes right through the lobe. He is sitting there for the next half hour while the mate works to cut the barb off the hook so he can pull it out. FISH ON!

[Eric_S]

Was checking out a new rod and raised it into the air to check the action and put it into a ceiling fan . . . . oops!

 

 

I did that at West Marine. It was their fault for putting the rod rack right under the fan.

 

Set my plug bag down on a jetty one night and had a wave sweep it right off. I managed to get most of my stuff back but I no longer put my bag down unless it's flat calm.

 

Cast netted some bunker from my boat and when I was done I tossed the net back in the water to rinse it off like I always do. My mind was elsewhere and I drove away after forgetting to pull it back in .

 

Got to the boat ramp one morning and realized my battery cover had blown out of the boat on the way to the ramp. Guess I didn't strap it down after charging the battery. In haste, as I backed up the car to turn around, I didn't pay attention the angle of the trailer and I bent the shaft of the trailer. That was an expensive mistake.

[MadBomber]

I did that at West Marine. It was their fault for putting the rod rack right under the fan.

 

Set my plug bag down on a jetty one night and had a wave sweep it right off. I managed to get most of my stuff back but I no longer put my bag down unless it's flat calm.

 

Cast netted some bunker from my boat and when I was done I tossed the net back in the water to rinse it off like I always do. My mind was elsewhere and I drove away after forgetting to pull it back in .

 

Got to the boat ramp one morning and realized my battery cover had blown out of the boat on the way to the ramp. Guess I didn't strap it down after charging the battery. In haste, as I backed up the car to turn around, I didn't pay attention the angle of the trailer and I bent the shaft of the trailer. That was an expensive mistake.

 

You never told me the West Marine story Thats a classic!

[MadBomber]

When I was a kid we lived in Naples Fla for a while. I was on the pier on day and the Snook went wild. Everyone is casting and I reared back and casted with all my might. I managed to cross every line on the front of the pier . Needles to say I had about 15 or 20 guys very p%ssed at me.

 

 

When I worked on a party boat,I was helping and older gent off the boat. I handed his rod up to him as I was getting ready to help another person. What I didnt realize was that the rod tip hit the Capt's head and lifted his wig right off his head!

 

 

Another boat I worked on. Capt says to me "get my rod for me" well I was to lazy to go down and get it. So I reach over the rail and grabbed the tip and lifted it ,as i did the boat rolled and I dropped it over the side.

 

Took the bildge pump out of a boat I had, to fix it. You guessed it...it sank that night

[MadBomber]

Forgot this one:

 

Went to the rip at the Hook one night about 20 years or so ago. It was my first time there. After about 3 hours of fishing I head back down the beach to the path I took to get to the parking lot. It was pitch black and I couldn't find the path. I sat there for 2 hours until I saw a guy walk out to the beach. I was only about 30 yards from it the whole time.

[sicrado]

• def did the tackle box not closed a trillion times... then i switched to a bucket with an apron...

• Got shocked by a stargazer once.... that sucked!

• We have been restoring a 13ft '67 whaler my buddies grandfather left to him, needless to say the first time we dropped it into the water, we forgot the plugs at the house (with out realizing it, and it swamped...bad) ofcourse there were 4 other people waiting to drop their boats in the ramp... as we were bailing with his hard hat and my tackle bucket... amateur move! ...on some borrowed plug from a nice guy in a 24' polaris (thank you!!)

great thread!

[unklebenzy]

my first rod got the garage door guillotine style... i can still remember the snap it made...

[smellslikefish]

unknowingly went on a bluefish boat with a full party of def mutes.

Interesting night.

[ydnabronn]

Early morning fishing trip, load up the car. Left the back seat rear door open and almost ripped it off pulling out of the garage. Was able to close and somehow bend the door back in to place.

[Bob S.]

Chunking bass off Flynns Knoll on my cousins boat. I was cutting bunker to lay down a slick and fishing the same time. Never cleaned my hands. Fish on my custom Bogans chunking rod and it ripped it right out of my hand into the sea. As we were anchored up and I saw my rod and reel slowly fading into the abyss the thought of jumping over to retrieve it crossed my mine but I resisted and just suffered at the sight. Now a wet towel is always near.