PSA: Anchor your gear on a windy day

[sundancedan]

I decided to try my luck at McGregor today. As a public service announcement, anchor your chairs down.

There was 3 inches of solid clear ice, in 5 fow.

https://i.imgur.com/FSBA8EG.jpg

I didn't spend long fishing, but in an attempt to retrieve my new fishing rod, and chair with my dead stick as a tiny gust of wind caught it, and slowly slid by me as I attempted to run after it. I then quickly turned around as you could see the ice crack below me.

https://i.imgur.com/lr4EQ8S.jpg

There's my chair, just off the boat ramp. I spent the next hour and a bit, and 3 lures, trying to catch it with a hook and drag it back. I bounced the jig off the legs a few times, and casted past it to the left, and then to the right, but never successfully snagging it.

There's a free fishing rod and Lindy Darter, and a chair, and my gloves for a brave soul :sign0176:

[HuyFishin]

O noog.

[HuyFishin]

O noo! Sorry to hear, that's rough! I never thought of that happening. You need a surf rod and a quick strike rig for that now haha

[sundancedan]

Thanks man! hopefully I can head that way tomorrow afternoon, I doubt it will be as close though. Of all times for it to happen too. All year my casting rods were in my car, only to have just been switched for ice gear.

[slingshotz]

Oh man that sucks, hopefully someone here sees your post and retrieves it safely. My tent did that once many years ago on MacGregor as well as I was putting it up, only takes once and you never forget again lol.

How murky is the water now?

[sundancedan]

It didn't look murky, I could see the bottom it looked as if there was about a foot of weeds, and most were still green.

I am heading back tomorrow afternoon, with my canoe... maybe.

[barbless]

Wow good thing you held up on the chase. Had that cracking noise at Traverse one fine afternoon long ago. Many many many years ago we were out on Newell and the wind came up and same thing chair was an ice surfer but we had good thick ice. Thought about a chase but it was leaving fast. Lucky for me I had my buddy "Brutus" (dog) with me. Told him to go get it and within 4 min I was sitting back in my chair. Amazing dog he was.

[sundancedan]

Success was made with a 5 of diamonds and 30lb braid. The lure from the rod on the chair was frozen to the ice. It gave the 6lb mono I just put on quite the test. :fighting0074:

https://i.imgur.com/CWtrnJa.jpg

It looks like the ice of the rock wall moved further away, there were a people fishing the open water.

If I was sitting on the rock wall, fishing into a ice hole, does that count as ice fishing where I could have a dead stick as well? I am hoping to head that way after work tomorrow.

[HuyFishin]

holy jesus!! now thats a real fishing story

[mapleleafman3]

Nice snag!

I always keep something big and heavy in my ice gear for just such a thing. Usually to retrieve things that "accidentally" went down the hole.

I had the wind take my hat across the last last year. Luckily it got bogged down in some water about 75 yards away. Nothing like seeing your item flying across the ice like an Olympic speed skater.

[fish99]

years ago at MacGregor with the kids when they got out of the ice huts we had to drive around to the other side of the lake to get the huts and 5 gal pails back the joy of fishing in the wind and no snow on the ice,

[Okotok]

Ha! Well done. Of course in the old days, we'd have just done a hand swing cast. Once that skill is developed in absence of the bucks required for a real rod, it's a viable option. :)

[EZM]

Had a gust of wind take the tent, smash me in the side of the face, peel my hat off and then the tent went up and off, YUP ......... up and over us before we could grab it .... and the chase was on, luckily one of the sides popped down and she settled - but man was it funny as hell looking back at our holes, mats, chairs all just sitting there all lonesome as us two chased the tent. How the chairs stayed there was beyond me - wish I snapped a picture - we were laughing all the way back wrestling the tent in the wind. Had to gather up my bait bag and few things, but most of just stayed there.