Topic: Lost my rod and reel

[bamafish]

 While fishing today, at some point one of my rod and reel's went overboard. It can be in a 1/2 mile stretch of dingy water about 3 to 4 ft. deep. I spent 3 hours with my 898csi in sidescan at 30 ft. side distance looking for the rod to no avail. My question is: am I wasting my time trying to find this rod in 3-4 ft. of water? Will this sonar show me the rod if I pass over it at this shallow depth?  If so, is there any special settings I need to use for this situation? Any thoughts will be appreciated. Bill.

[Roddy]

Bama; 3'-4' keep scan'n it's there you'll find it!

1-2kts. scam and rescan. Good luck Roddy

[RGecy]

Yep, keep the speed very slow, 2mph if possible.  You probably will only see the return from the reel itself.  If the rod was pretty thick, it may show a little shadow.

You are gonna have to use 455khz and make few passes on different lines if possible.  If you go directly over it, you may not see it.  You need to be off to the side to get a good image.

Its gonna be tough, but a good test of your skills.

Good Luck,

Robert

[Ddorriety]

Maybe you could put an old reel reel overboard  and tune your system by making passes over this reel.
You could put a float on so you could retrieve the reel after you finish.

Dennis

[bamafish]

 Robert, I might have seen the reel and thought it was a rock. I was looking for the 7 ft. rod. I will take an old rod and reel when I go back to use to test with. We are having heavy rains this morning and the tenn. river will flood. It will probably be a week before the river calms down enough to get back to the spot now. Thanks for the advise and encouragement. Bill.

[tjj]

I would switch to 800K SI for greater detail and 30 ft range.  No SI enhancement.  Adjust sensitivity and contrast for a nice sharp image, enough brightness without washing out details.
 
I lost a $300. set up a couple years back.   I reached down to put up my bil's stern lite on the floor and a big red took my rig right off the back deck.  I saw the reel and handle heading into the water.  Could have dived after it but I figured it wasn't worth drowning over.

[RGecy]

800khz would be great if he were in a little deeper water, but since the verticle angle is much smaller, you will not see very far out at all with 800khz.  Maximum of about 10-12' per side at 3' depth.

Robert

[newkid4si]

Another suggestion-- while scanning, put a card in and record. Play the recordings in HumViewer and it will be easier to see if you pass
over the rod.

[bamafish]

 Newkid, A bigger screen would be a big advantage on the water, but a recording would be the next best thing I guess.  I will make a few passes on 455 khz and if  I don't find it I will switch to 800. I was very frustrated friday while looking just because I had lost the rod and reel. Now it is more of a challenge to see if I can locate it on sonar and then retrieve it. Hopefully the river will settle down soon. We had heavy rain saturday, sunday night, and more coming tuesday night. Where my rod is, is just a few miles below wilson dam. The current is too strong for this right now. Thanks for everybodys suggestions and help. Bill.

[reddog]

Try not to  have a preconcieved image in your mind of what it will look like. You dont know the orientation it is laying on the bottom, in relation to the scanning direction. 

[lcookie]

With the extra flow in the river don't you think the current will push it downstream?

[bamafish]

I am headed out this morning to try to find the rod. I have a old rod and reel with line and a float on it to use as an example of what it might look like.  I am hoping the current isn't as strong in the shallow flats where i will be. The river level is up 3 ft.. Instead of 3 to 4 ft. deep, the area will be 6 to 8 ft. deep.  I hope this will actually help with  the sonar view. Bill.

[bamafish]

 I could not find it. I am dissappointed, but I have  put alot of time into this and gave my best effort. I will buy a new one now.  The pictures are from the test rod I dropped in the water.  The 800khz picture is substantially clearer than the 455khz. Neither looks like a rod and reel though. I thought the picture might be a little more defining than it was. It was a great learning experience for me. Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help. Bill.

[Roddy]

Bama; Don't give up, keep scan'n!  Roddy

[tjj]

If you still have the recording you may replay it with a reduction in sensitivity and contrast.  See if the image doesn't sharpen up a bit.  You were going a bit slow too.  I find a better speed to be around 4-6mph with chart speed set to about 4 for best images.
Your rod has probably moved downstream.  When you said the river would be rising with a storm passage I figured that put the odds out of reach in finding it again.  It could be partially or all covered with sediment too.

[MonteSS]

Lost my rod and reel a couple weeks ago also in about 3-4 foot of water. But I knew approximately where it went in before the wind blew me off it.

I did not see it on the Si. Went back a day later and got it first try with a rake.

Then dropped another one a week ago in 20' water. I had never done this in 30 years of fishing LOL. This time I cast a carolina rigged rattle trap and got it rather quickly.

I was lucky I guess. But either way did not see anything on the Si.

Being a river, you may be SOL. If anything I would troll with a weight and heavy lineto try and find it.

Good luck...Bill

[sonar2000]

Hint: set a waypoint as soon as you lose the rod....You can always get back to this point..

Yep a garden rake will work wonders......Take off the wood handle and affix a nylon rope to the center. You can also add a small weight to each end tine of the rake.
As will a 3 "0" treble hook on 50 lb mono.  For this you usually cast it from another rod and retrieve.
Have gotten many a reel at piers and ramps this way...
Chuck