Well, I've done it

[OnAFly]

I'm in the club. For years I've been very careful and not lost anything down the hole. This weekend I managed to drop my 3 month old Garmin Oregon GPS into 24ft of water never to be seen again.

That was a very sick feeling watching that thing drop down.

The next one will have a float attached to it.

[Twins 57 Fan]

One word.... Unreal. Sucks man.

[hockeybc69]

I have added my fair share of "structure" to the bottom of a lake or three.... LOL.

If there is a hole,,,, whatever is dropped will magnetically be pulled down that hole....

[leech~~]

Well I didn't want to join the club but. I would have had a lot of nice pictures of my weekend up on Red Lake this last weekend but right after I had taken this sad shot of a 31-32" pike I caught and let go. I bumped my camera off the table right down the hole. I fished it back out with a larger pimple and saved the disk of other fishing and hunting shots on it at least!

[gopher_nation]

A very depressing moment when you lose something valuable down the hole. It builds character though!

[EMAGDNIM]

ahh bummer!! Lost my phone last year, learned my lesson. I wear my new one around my neck at all times and use my navionics app.

[fishersofmen]

Welcome to the club onafly. Welcome.

[Tom7227]

The HSOforum says that the Oregon is waterproof so it may be worth a rescue attempt.

[OnAFly]

It's waterproof, but there are no edges or anything to hook onto. We tried for an hour to get it back up. If we would have had a camera, we might have had a shot, but in 24ft with only 10ft of clarity and nothing to actually grab onto, we didn't have much of a chance.

I'm getting another with gift cards I was saving up and this one will have an improvised float attached to it. If it doesn't make it float completely, it will help it sink straight down and give me something nice to hook onto if I ever drop down again.

[Freedom1]

I too, finally joined the club this weekend. It was my first time out all year and I was checking ice depth with my scoop, when I lost it and it went down the hole. Not a big deal, but still stinks. For good measure that day, I burnt a hole in both of my new gloves that I got from my brother at Xmas and when we were packing up the wind blew in the side of the portable, knocking over my (new) lantern and broke one of the mantels - but luckily not the glass.

All in all it was the worst outing I've had in some time, but sure did feel good to get out on the ice!

[motley man]

Borrow a camera from someone around you or the resort.

[TruthWalleyes]

I managed to rescue the thermostat cover from an ice castle on Leech this year. Those $8 live forage rippin shad are good for something!

But i did watch my buddy drop his Iphone down the hole on the last day, still laughing at that one.

[OnAFly]

Where we were, there were no other people. It was a lake at the end of a trail near the BWCA. We were the only ones out there and from the looks of it, maybe the 4th or 5th group that fished that lake all winter.

[Jacob]

I was holding my old Garmin 76S in my hand when I went through the ice. That model floats and I was able to swim over and get it before getting back onto the ice. My buddy lost his wheeler but I saved mt precious waypoints!

[sweatervest76]

There is still hope!

A few weeks ago I hit the lake very early in the morning. Got all set up, scooped the last little bit of ice out of the hole and hung the scoop off one of the poles in my Clam Kenai. The wind started to pick up and blow underneath the canvas so I stuck my foot out to hold down the canvas and I all I hear is "splooosh" as I watch my scoop float to the bottom. I got over it fast, it only cost $2 anyways....until an hour later I felt a tug on my line, started to reel in, felt heavy but it wasn't fighting at all....sure enough....it was my ice scoop!!!!

[lakevet]

Welcome to the club,

Lost tackle box of 50 to 60 jigging spoons/jigging raps. Bumped them off pail and they slid past me across the floor of portable right straight into the hole. I was able to barely touch the box one last time with my fingertip before it was gone forever. Had the old style jigging raps that you can't get anymore. They are straight out and a little to the west of Zipple bay. Almost lost wedding ring reaching down hole for a fish over 30 feet of water. Felt ring slipping off my finger so bent finger up. Ring sat dangling on the finger tip while I raised my hand back up out of the hole. When I told my wife about it she just laughed said she was surprised I hadn't lost it sooner. It sits in a box in our bedroom now.

Have a H20 gps supposed to float, but have it attached to short cord that clips to my coat. Kinda like you would with a compass. I didn't want to drop it onto the ice. Not sure if it likes that kind of impact. Also have written in bold letters on my GPS storage box at home "DID YOU WRITE WAYPOINTS DOWN!" and have notebook in box with pen so it makes it easy to do.

Amazingly none of the 3 sons have joined the " dropped it down the hole club" yet. One son has attached floats to all my key rings, especially the keys for the trucks. Still, they all have sacrificed something to the flaming altar of the sunflower heater, so there is hope for them joining.

lakevet

p.s. Cell phone is still out in the woods someplace. Lost it before ice season. It's the sure way not to lose it down the hole!

[Sherpa]

Just barely saved my rod from going down the hole the other day. Caught it as it hit the water. I will probably not be drilling two connecting 10" holes anymore, kinda asking for it. I did watch my brother lose his wedding ring on the soft water two summers ago. Ouch!!!

[Stick in Mud]

LOL. "the flaming altar of the sunflower heater"....what pagans we fishermen are!

[8675309]

I have a float on just about everything.....the one on my eye glasses are a pain but hey I still have them...plus I have to remember to remove it before I go out in public......

[Nick Kuhn]

Just barely saved my rod from going down the hole the other day. Caught it as it hit the water. I will probably not be drilling two connecting 10" holes anymore, kinda asking for it. I did watch my brother lose his wedding ring on the soft water two summers ago. Ouch!!!

I would think an ice fishing rod with a cork handle would float. My dad sent a muskie rod overboard this fall and even that was still floating (barely, but easy enough to find and grab).

[DR_FISH]

Jacob, you were really worried about your garmin after you fell through?

[OnAFly]

It's just that sweet of a GPS

[Sherpa]

I would think an ice fishing rod with a cork handle would float. My dad sent a muskie rod overboard this fall and even that was still floating (barely, but easy enough to find and grab).

I didn't even think about the cork handle on it. Maybe it would have floated. Guess I wasn't thinking about that when I saw it headed towards the hole. I can see myself trying to find out the next time I'm on the ice though.....Oops there she goes.