Will I find the lures?

[Red Childress]

During the past few weeks of "high water" muskie fishing, we managed to temporarily loose 3 musky baits. I know exactly where they are and 2 of the 3 belong to me. The water levels are down now and as soon as my boat is finished, I hope to go back out next weekend and retrieve them.


WHAT IS THE LONGEST TIME FRAME ANY OF YOU HAVE LOST A LURE BUT EVENTUALLY FOUND IT?? ANY GOOD STORIES??

Of course I will start with a short story of my own................

I had some clients out during the Winter of 2004 and we were trolling perchbaits (of course). I hit a snag in 28 feet of water and my favorite purple shad color perchbait was lost in the depths. When I put on my glove to try and pull the bait free, my line snapped right at my hand which left 30 feet of line attached to the end of the lure. A few weeks later (unknown to me at the time), those same clients came back and tried their luck in the same area. A week or two after that, I recieve a package in the mail from one of those previous clients that had my perchbait in it. The letter that was included said, "Hey Red, we went back and fished that area and caught the same bait you lost last month so I thought you might want it back."

Talk about an honest guy!! What are the chances that my bait would have been found but better yet how many of us would have sent the 30.00 lure back to the original owner plus pay for the postage??

[Polish_Pike]

here's a related tackle reunion story. I was shore fishing this spot in the Ohio River one day...threw a big sucker out on my nice Shimano Baitrunner rig. Forgot to engage the freespool, and something grabbed it, ripped it off the posts, and I saw my outfit screaming down the river then into the depths. I was heartbroken. My pappy bought that for me as a birthday gift.

So I come back a couple months later with my Walmart $30 river rod to fish the same spot. The guy who let's me fish on his property comes down, tells me that just a week before I came back the police and river rescue divers were dragging that section of river looking for a body and found a rod/reel and gave it to him. He asked if it was mine, I described it, and he handed me this caked-in-mud rod/reel. I took it for a cleaning/lube, and it worked like new. Give Shimano some mad props fro making good stuff, and the super-nice guy who knew that was my rig and claimed it for me.

I still have that rod/reel. Owned it for 20+ years now except for the 2 months it spent living at the bottom of the Ohio. There are still honest people out there. Unfortunately they are the minority outnumbered by those that will steal your tackle box full of Plows when you turn your head.

[toothyfishman]

Trolling the river, dead of winter cold as he11.....tons of clothes on with hoods up all tucked in trying to stay warm. I go by and snag area and turn the boat, wind was blowing hard enough boat was actually still going straight and not turning much but keeping corse but boat was angled making me think the boat was turning. Not seeing the shoreline with my hood up.....snag!!!

Before I made the retrievers and probably what got me to do so....I end up breaking it off. Blue jointed perchbait, leader broke right past swivel.

About month later water was high into the woods, sun comes out midday and we decide to cast the woods and see if any fish moved up to soak up the rays. I notice a blue bait floating way back in the woodline. I move over with the boat and say hey, my perchbait came back to me....my partner is like yea, right it's yours.

I said....before I pick it up it has a broken floro leader right below the swivel so like 4 feet and a hand tied leader.
Sure enough, there it was, leader and all.

High water washed it free and it flaoted it

[R Findlan]

About 15 years ago on a trip to a small lake in Canada with my Dad we were trolling a 13" wooden Grandma, before they made the plastic ones. We hung up and lost the lure on one of the only main lake reefs. The following summer we were back at the same lake trolling and we noticed that there was a boat scuba diving the reef. It just happend that these guys were staying at the same lodge we were, so that evening we asked them if they found a big lure on the reef. The guy went into his cabin and came out with the Grandma and gave it back to us. These guys weren't musky fisherman so they didn't care keeping the lure. The lure was very waterlogged so we hung it out in the sun for the rest of the summer, had it painted over the winter and were able to keep using it. It now hangs in my dad's basement.

[Joe M]

I lost one of my favorite glide baits on a huge stump a few years ago. I went back after about 6 months and low water conditions and dragged the tree to shore and got my lure back. New hooks and a little tuning and still catching fish on it.

[Bob S.]

Red, I sure hope you find all that was lost, especially the blade and " other device " Should of used a palomar knot Keep me posted on your results We really enjoyed ourselves and you worked your a$$ off for us, another great trip x2 alot of sore mouths from the other Esox family...later and thanks again !

Bob and Wendy

[Red Childress]

I do not think the knot made a difference.....that bait was not coming back under those circumstances.

Glad you enjoyed the trip.......the pike action made up for the "lazy musky syndrome".

[Red Childress]

I finally got a chance to check out my 'lost lure' areas and did not find any of them........

[Chris Streich]

Last year a friend of mine got broke off by a huge sucker at the side of the boat while jigging for walleye on Kinzua. The only loss was a red/white jighead in the corner of the suckers mouth. A few days later a few hundred yards from where he lost that fish i hooked into something large. When i got the fish in the net it was a sucker with a red/white jighead in the corner of its mouth. Also, while trolling Kinzua one day i caught a huge ball of line that had no less than 10 bottom bouncers, 20 hooks, and some lures in it. Most had been there a while and were useless, although i was pretty amazed.