Best equipment failure stories!

[MI Ben]

And I do not meant the personal kinds.

Whats that fishing story you tell among friends of similar minds?

My brother and father managed to hook my favorite lure high in a tree, so they went about getting it down by throwing the anchor out. Needless to say we endeed up with both lines up there stuck AND and newly added tree anchor. As it turned out the lure they tries so hard to save was NOT a favorite...

[mattup]

Bought a $75 baitcaster rod reel combo never fished one though Id learn with this one first cast the line got caught around the eye the line snapped ...... So did the rod. With no line holding it it went in the drink. Tried to return it and they wouldnt give me back my money. Ive had countless failures of Penn SS anti reverses fighting fish.

[Bailey Boat]

Ahhhh, the infamous Penn SS anti reverse situation, very interesting........ I finally (after numerous years of failures as mentioned above) figured out the bug in the system. When you reassemble the reel after servicing, make CERTAIN that the anti reverse pawl is re-installed DRY !!!!! NO grease, NO oil on this part. You would think that if it moves it needs lubrication, lube it and it will fail to engage 90% of the time...........Why doesn't Penn mention that in the manuals???????

[BIGnUGLY]

I've had everything fail at one point or another, but my latest was more of a mental failure.

The admiral and I are anchored over a wreck. I cast a small jig and menhaden and am letting it sink. I set the rod down right beside me and start to set up a bottom rig when the Penn spinning reel and decent rod fly out of the boat before I can grab it. I stood up and it was just slowly sinking so without a thought I dove in after it. As soon as I was committed it took off at warp 10. I tried swimming after it, but with my shoes on, my hat, my wallet, and my sunglasses there must have been too much drag. As the pole disappeared, I gave up and just floated up holding onto my hat and sunglasses. This was when I could hear the admiral laughing, even under water.

All rods are now secured before screwing around.

[thubert57]

My best, well really worst, equipment failure was in the Chesapeake Bay back behind Willoughby Spit about 13 years ago. We had a couple of boats "rafted up together” and were just having a good ol’ time lounging around sippin’ on some adult beverages.

I was out sittin’ in an inner tube in about 15 feet of water. My then wife saw my keys with float on the end hanging out of my pocket and said “you better give me those before they fall out”. Well, I wasn’t worried they had a float on the ring and told her as much. And, just to prove it I held them up about a foot of so above the water and let go. I knew they would pop right back up … well after a few seconds no float. And as it turns out there wasn’t enough float to hold the number of keys I had on it. After what seemed like an hour of diving for them I still couldn’t find them. Problem was I was living in Raleigh at the time and this was the only set of keys to the car. $75 for a locksmith sure seemed high but it was a holiday weekend. For several years I wouldn’t even let her tell the story I was so pi$$ed. Mostly at myself.

All subsequent key floats are load tested in the sink!!!

[MI Ben]

LOL faaaantastic float story.

Guess this is turning into a "dumbest move" thread

I was fishing on Lake Charlevoix (MI), from shore, with a minnow. Not much in there that could really surprise you, so I shoved the rod butt in a hole, rested my hand on it and lay down to relax. The rod I was using was an antique brass(!) telescoping thing that weighed a ton.

I dozed for a few minutes, then took a routine look at the empty hole in the ground next to my hand. No trace of the rod. Whatever dragged it away would've had to pull it 15 feet down the bank, over rocks and out at least another 50 feet to deeper water.

The mysteries of fishing.

[bg]

On the first trip out after getting my current boat, we spotted a ling (cobia) towards the end of the day running at 25 knots, managed to turn around and find it again and get it to eat a frozen sardine on a wire leader. About 5 minutes into the fight, the guy on the rod hollers "Oh $h!t, my reel just broke!" Seems the anti-reverse on the Penn 320GTi somehow failed and he fought that fish for another 15 minutes in what what essentially amounted to freespool and we got it gaffed and in the box. The fish went about 35#, not a huge ling but an accomplishment none the less considering the events that came together to somehow get that fish into the box.

[Y&R]

Was sight casting on a mud flat a few years back from the bow of my jon boat. I had set the rod down between my feet with the lure dangling in the water just below the surface. Of course I wasn't paying attention to it and all of a sudden a ladyfish grabs the lure and takes off with the rod and reel. I just stood there looking at my feet for about 10 seconds with my jaw hitting the bottom of the boat.

[Great Laker]

Very ever first time fishing salmon in Lake Michigan. Visions of HUGE kings running throuh my head. 2 downrigger rods set. "they must be set right, the rods are nice and bent just like in the Magazine articles I've been reading". Back to the helm to steer the boat. 1 hour nothing! '"that's ok" i said to myself, "these fish are big and big fish are harder to catch"... after a few more minutes...WHAM!!!!!.....one rigger rod stands to attention and quickly doubles back down..."BIG FIH ON"!!!! my heart's beating hard and loud... I run to the rod grab it with both hands and yanked it out of the rod holder.........where it slipped from my hands into the deep blue lake..... I saw my rod & reel just keep going.....

When I die my first question to God (I hope it's God) will be "How big was that fish"?

[saltyric]

Not really equipment failure, but I cringe when I think about it.

Last year I bought a new Shimano catala and a 7 foot St. Croix "musky" rod, perfect for stripers. Maybe a $300.00 set-up. I took it out on it's first outing, which happened to be a snotty day. I was heading into the harbor and i hit a big wave. I looked back just in time to see it pop out of the rod holder. It was gone before I could do anything.

I'm still sour about it!

[livewire127]

Mine would be my lack of buying lisences and being fined for it often.
I've been fined 3 times. Once was because a ranger pulled us over on the deleware water gap (I think) in hopes to get us on underage drinking charges. He searched the coolers on all 5 canoos of our party, but no drinks- we just had kegs back at the campsite So to not completely waste his time he asked me for my fishing lisence. I had a NJ one , so I was like "yeah, I'm glad I got this thing" , but aparently , a lisence is needed for the state your in (either NY or CT for that river), so he fined me $75. Then, in the poconos a heard of us went on our annual hike through the woods, trough the barbed wire fence, through the dangerous un-railed walkways that made up an then closed down waterfall attraction. The trout fishing there was like no other. there is a deep pool that's not too wide at the bottom of a big waterfall. I could throw bare hooks down and catch big rainbow and other trout one after another. So were're in this secluded place but I think because of the cigars we were smoking when we passed a couple in the woods, that the authorities were called. Were were just fishing and jumping in the pool when the rangers came get us and fine the lot of about 12 of us for trespassing and no fishing lisences, which was like $200 a person.
Then, last summer, I made like 3 casts into a lake off the side of a road and ranger says "hey"! I was considering just swimming away, but got my thrid no lisence fine that day.
Let that be a lesson to anyone that might consider not getting a lesence like I did, because they think they'll never use it and that the gov should have enough $ to stock and take care of the waters.

[SpaceMan]

My best fishin' buddy and I were both fanatical largemouth bass fishermen. We were casting in the shallows at Kerr Lake one day when I kept hearing something behind us out on the main lake. Finally after a few minutes we spotted a school of some huge fish bustin' and even coming clear out of the water. Needless to say we reeled in and after a couple of minutes of Keystone Cops, adrenalin-induced fumbling and bumbling, we fired up the motor and tore out toward the blitz.

We had enough sense to shut the motor off and coast toward the melee. As soon as we were in range we fired our crankbaits into the middle of the feed. What I forgot about was that I had just cranked the drag on my baitcaster down to MAX DRAG because we had been casting around some fallen logs and I didn't want a bucketmouth to break me off on a limb before I could drag him clear.

On the first cast both of us hooked up SOLID.

We had just gotten into our first school of stripers. When mine hit it was runnin' hard and jerked my rod tip right into the water. I was just hangin' on for dear life with my rod buried about three feet under. Both of us were whoopin' and yellin' and laughin' like morons while these stripers were scorchin' us. Finally, I managed to let go slightly with one hand and started thumbing the star drag to lighten it up but it was locked up. So, it was mano a mano with that fish for about another minute before she straightened the hooks on my shadrap.

My buddy managed to land his fish--about a 10 pounder. And we both just sat in the boat laughin' our heads off. We had never experienced anything like that before.

Needless to say we both instantly became certifiable striper nuts and are still to this day.

[auguste]

Got a real deal on a new anchor . . . stainless steel, would look great resting on the bow . . . left the store and*since I didn't have the right tools to properly attach the anchor*chain to the anchor line, I placed it in my anchor locker . . . we left the dock and went to a favorite spot to fish . . . I postioned the boat and buddy went to bow to set the anchor . . . yup he threw the new anchor into the water*

We then set up with the 'old' anchor and had a not bad day of fishing . . . except we got teased a great deal

Two days later went down to the boat and there was the new anchor with a note . . . went scuba diving and*found your anchor . . . you owe us a couple of beer

[Kamper]

I bought a boat with a very old motor on it. For back-up and because I might go fishing someday, I added an electric*trolling motor and battery,*to my vessel. I tested it by running abut 1.5 miles up a small river and back again.*This took about 2 hours and it*worked like a charm.

I got a bit adventurous and took a cruise on lake Champlain and the motor died about a mile below South Hero. This end is all cliffs except where a campground dug out a ramp and beach. The next clost place (due to vegatation and more cliffs) was maybe 3 mile further on. I switched my backup propulsion and patted myself on the back. Wouldnt you know it... About half way there the circuit breaker tripped. I had never taken it apart before so I didnt know where to look to fix it.

I paddled most of the way to the beach and was just about to be swept past the landing by a slight current when some waterskiing kids gave me a pull the rest of the way.

I still have that t/m and it hasnt given me any trouble since that day. Must have been a gremlin attack.

[sailfish272]

Trolling when a marlin comes up and smacks my brand new, super dooper, Yozuri, diving squid. Unfortunately, the hook does not set and he gets away. When I reel the lure in to check it, I realize the clear plastic protects are still on the hook.