The Cell Phone Hook-Set

[MurkyWaters]

This summer my cousin and I were bass fishing, throwing texas-rigged worms. When his cast hit the water, he gets a phone call from his "better-half." Yada, yada, yada, the conversation wasn't going anywhere. With the phone at his ear, he gets a bite and manages to overcome a bunch of slack line with a miraculous "one-armed, no reel" hookset. He lands the fish and it was a thing of beauty.

Same cousin and I were fishing a couple weeks ago during a hot crappie bite and he gets a phone call from his wife. He has his cell phone in his left hand, cell phone case in the right hand, and rod between the legs. This time he totally blows an opportunity at a fish because he was too busy talking. I told him he needs to get his priorities straight. I said that I would have thrown my phone in the hole and set the hook. (Maybe not, but I had to rub it in a little)...These events got me thinking...Do you have any good cell-phone or one-armed hook-set stories?

[Deitz Dittrich]

not any more, I got a hands free ear piece.

[DTro]

The only time I get a bite is when the phone rings and I answer it, so I encourage people to call me more.

[Glockwinger]

+1 on that Dtro!

More than once I have been on the phone and got a bite and said "fish on!" and dropped the phone behind me as to not drop it in the hole. The party on the other end gets to hear the agony of defeat if I loose it or the whoops if I catch it.

[lund4life]

Well I can't help it the "Better Half" has a knack for calling at just the right time!! The way I look at it is at least I am still fishing. Over the years I have seen so many funny and unbelievable hooksets that I don't have time to talk about all of them.

The one that stands out to me is one that actually happeaned to me last summer. I was out in the boat early one morning and I was just casting a buzz bait around the shoreline, I got directly in front of a dock that had a couple sitting on it enjoying their morning cup of coffee. We exchanged a little small talk you know, hows fishing, great morning and so on. I casted in front of their dock and get the bait back to the boat and with about 3 foot of line out a huge pike exploded and hit the boat. I set the hook out of shock and fear and tripped and fell in the boat. I have never heard people laugh so hard as i did that day. The couple on the end of the dock were laughing so hard i thought they were going to fall in. By the way MurkyWaters I did not land the fish!!

[Sonicrunch]

Happened to me Sunday. It's like the little buggers know.

[northernsportman]

ive had some pretty dandy phone sets in my day.

[mrfish1991]

o man i have too many good ones to list...probably the best was i was talking on the phone (head against the shoulder with the phone inbetween) holding the rod with one hand and munching on something with the other...

bobber goes down and i set the hook with the hand that has the rod in it...and reel in with my mouth...

btw welcome to the site lund4life

[Eckie]

lund4life ---

Welcome to FM....great 1st entry! Loved the visual that your story gave! Hilarious!

[JimBuck]

Welcome to FM lund4life,

To be honest, I get somewhat frustrated when people call me while I'm fishing.....I understand that they probably don't know that's what I'm doing. But for the few hours that I get a chance to get out on the ice or in the boat each week, I reserve that time for fishing and nothing else. This probably has a lot to do with why I don't have a girlfriend/wife.

Good topic, I'm curious what others have to say.....

[metro fisherman]

If a girlfriend calls and I manage to have some fluke catch that means shes good luck and will be fishing with me next time. If I miss it....

[Marbleye'd]

I have a buddy that always carried his phone in his chest pocket of his bibs. One year I watched THREE TIMES drop his phone in the minnow bucket. Never down the hole though.

[pdk511]

haha, me and my buddy were spearing and I get a call. Right when it started ringing my buddy starts sayin "Pike! Pike!", and i just think hes kiddin but there really was one. I hung up and eventully missed it lol

[Sandmannd]

Welcome to FM lund4life!! I'm with Deitz on this, go with a headset.

[acesinthehole]

I was bass fishing in a club tournament. I was using a spinning reel. I only needed one more fish to finish my limit and it was about 1/2 left in the day. I made a cast and the phone rang. I hand the phone pinned between my ear and shoulder when all of a sudden a big "thump" I set the hook (I wasn't in my normal position on the boat) and stumbled and went over the side with the rod and phone. Once I came up for air I still had the rod in my hand, so while treading water I started to reel thinking I lost it. Much to my amazement the fish was still on and I reeled it right to me while still treading water. It is weird seeing a fish coming right at you when you are at eye level with it. So I lipped it and handed it to my partner and then climbed into the boat. Once the shock wore off I was upset about the phone, but then I realized that it somehow fell in my shirt that was tucked in. The best part it was a 4 1/2lb bass and it was just enough to put me in first place in that tournament.

[Laska]

happens to me numerous times, I go out for a relaxing fishin outting n my darn cell phone rings, Ive set the hook numerous times when the phone was between my shoulder n ear, one time I even just said heck with it and dropped the phone mid conversation and reeled one in, most of the time I was fishing for northerns...

So if I had a fish on, I would probably ignore the caller who-ever it may be to reel in a fish

[DonBo]

I was working on a yacht on the St. Croix, it was a beautiful day. While watching the fishing boats I couldn't take it any longer, I had to go home and get my boat. I'm self employed so I can go if the itch hits me but I need to carry my cell in case someone needs to reach me.

Well I was fishing a live bait rig, open bail, for eyes. A customer phoned. While I was discussing a job I felt a tug on the line. I dumped the line and told my customer I had someone on the other line and "can you hold please?" (the other line, get it?) I set the phone down, set the hook and reeled him in.

I got back to my customer and told him I wouldn't be in the shop for a while, I was working on a boat. He had no idea.

The fish? Sheepshead.

[Ray Esboldt]

I don't own a cell phone - how do you like that!

However, I have a tournament story a little bit like ace's. Two years ago during one of FM Bass Events on Waconia, two of biggest fish bit while my partner was netting one of my fish. His jig was sitting there straight down underneath the boat. That there was a tip to deadstick the bait, which we did. And, we managed to win that event.

Moral of the story, slow down. If I would get a cell phone, maybe I could make a habit out of fishing slow.

[croixflats]

Last weak I was on the phone with a vendor trying to sell me some product. Bobber went down said fish on and the phone did a rim shot but did not go in, got the fish though.

Bobber seems to go down when I'm tying a hook on the other line also. Had a few hooks stuck in me while reeling in.

[bmc]

Last winter I was fishing lake trout in my suitcase style 2 man portable. It was me and my lab, Maggie, and the fish weren't biting. I get a phone call and it's my brother. I'm talking to him and the rod darn near gets ripped outta my hand. I pinch the phone between my ear and shoulder and start fighting the laker. I'm giving my brother the play by play and Maggie is going nuts, jumping around. I drop the phone on the floor of the house and can hear my brother laughing his butt off and cheering me on. Finally I get the 4lb laker up the hole and as I'm pulling him out of the hole, the lure pops out and hits the dog, who's still jumping around. I drop the fish on the floor and it's flopping around and knocking my cell phone around while I'm trying to pick it up. It all worked out in the end, no hook in the dog or me, cell didn't get wrecked, and I landed the fish. We will laugh about that one for a long time.

Brian

[Cold_blood]

happened just today my parents call from there vacation in hawaii so i reel up about half way up the water column cuz no fish in their right mind is gonna come up that far off the bottom so i pick up my phone and turn to look at the vex just in time to see a red line where my lure was so i set the lure with my free hand which proceeded to knock my rod to the floor so i hand over handed the line all the while i was on the phone with my parents and i might have muttered some bad things in the process but they thought it was hilarious as did the rest of the family since i was on speaker phone lol

[russ]

Cell phone? It stays home unless I forget to take it out of my pocket.

[vexilareye]

Has happened mulitple times, seems like the cell phones are a fish magnet. Girlfriend called me over Thanksgiving break and while talking I hooked onto a 4 lb walleye, I dont know who enjoyed it more, me reeling it in or her laughing over the excitement in my voice. Another cell phone story not dealing with hook setting. I was out pheasant hunting for one of the first times with my new pup, kicked up his first bird and I shot it, in the mean time the cell phone starts ringing. Answer the phone, dog fetches bird heads back out and kicks up another, had to shoot the bird with the cell phone still in hand. One of the most memorable cell phone experiences I will ever have.

[mskyfshntchr]

I reserve that time for fishing and nothing else. This probably has a lot to do with why I don't have a girlfriend/wife. quote]

There are wife's/ gf's out there that will let you get out and fish and not be bothered. Now finding that one, can be difficult, VERY difficult

My phone stays in the truck while ice fishing- that law that everything that falls will go down the hole..well I don't want that to happen to my cell phone.

Besides- it is a good excuse to just fish and relax at a slower pace of life, without all the gadgets...well except for the locator, gps and camera

[DUCKJ]

I was fishing last spring and got a call from an employee. Still fishing I had to put my phone between head and shoulder, set the hook, reeled in the fish and when I swung the fish into the boat my head came off my shoulder and the phone went into the drink. Called my employee when I got back home and joking around, he asked if I dropped my phone in the lake. Laughing I told him yes I did thank you very much. $200 bucks down the tube, another $200 to replace. Alot of cash for some crappies.

Duck