I broke one of the cardinal rules of boating today.

[SlowPoke]

1. don't forget to put the plug in.

2. don't forget your license/operators card.

 

3. don't leave your boat keys on the bumper, drive to Lake St. Clair, turn around and come home.

 

Got home and retraced my route. They were found and left at the gas station where I filled up.

Edited August 19, 2012 by SlowPoke

[misfish]

Wow that sucks.

 

I did that once. You wont believe it but,I drove from Barrie up to lake Muskoka for a bass tourny. When I went to the back of the truck,lo and behold,my keys were still on the bumper. Someone was watching out for me.

[kickingfrog]

Well, I guess the only good thing is that you found them.

 

Maybe you could tell yourself you'd have been skunked anyway?

[kyle7273]

No way to hot wire it?

[davey buoy]

It doesn't help you now,but I leave my key in the ignition.If someone wants to steal it,the key is easy to bypass or change. Extra key at home,another on my truck key chain. Now if the boat doesn't start,it just wasn't meant to be.

[Handlebarz]

Brian I wish you had called me when it first happened I would have come and got ya the best part is you did not miss out on any 50"ers today just a few nice sized ones and a great day ion the water man was it nice out.

 

Oh wait you know all this from us talking earlier.

 

On a good point I will be getting another key for my boat I always leave mine with my supply bag it has my release tools GPS/Sonar and everything else I need for the day so if I have no key im missing alot more then just a key.

[Sinker]

I thought everyone left a spare key in thier boat?

 

One more reason I love my tiller....NO KEYS!!

 

S.

[Joey]

Damn Brian, that hurts. Almost as bad as leaving for a week of holidays and remembering you forgot the trolling motor 1 1/2 hours later on the highway, so you gotta turn around and add another 3 hrs to the drive

[Handlebarz]

Or driving 5 hours sitting around in the pouring rain then driving back 5 hours and call it a weekend trip after 14 hours with kids wife and dog in a van Joey I think your and I are making him feel a little bit better. Well maybe not after I do up a video of today fishing on LSC

[aplumma]

I put the key to my hitch lock on the boat keychain so I get to see it at least once before I leave for the water. Glad you found it though they are a pain to replace if you don't know the key code.

 

 

Art

[Whitespinnerbait]

No way to hot wire it?

 

 

Even if one has to strip the ignition wires with their BARE TEETH .......Somehow,Someway Hotwire the damn thing!!!

[Cudz]

I have done that a bunch of times but luckily pretty much any key that will fit into the ignition will start it. So no biggie.

By the way this is not an invite for everyone to come and take my boat for a spin.

[Handlebarz]

I know for a fact if this was last year and Brian had his Old boat he would have been fishing but its hard to start chopping a New boat up with just 1/2 a season under it.

[misfish]

I have done that a bunch of times but luckily pretty much any key that will fit into the ignition will start it. So no biggie.

By the way this is not an invite for everyone to come and take my boat for a spin.

 

 

I,ll leave a note.

[Jet]

I spent hours all night tying hundreds of roe bags for a much anticipated Steelhead trip to New York. After three hours I arrived and was so excited I couldn't rig my rod fast enough.

 

Then my heart sank when I went to bait my hook and realized I left it all in the fridge at home! I was livid!!

 

And that's just one of my Forgetful Jones moments. I've left wading boots behind and major tackle only to realize it at the rivers edge.

 

Now I post sticky notes in my shoes and on the door before each trip and double check after I get in the car. And I still forget stuff!

[DRIFTER_016]

Got all the way (40 hrs of driving) to Alaska last fall only to realize I forgot the charger for my good camera.

Good thing I take more than one.

[muskymatt]

I did that once, now I have a spare boat key in my wallet!

[Rich]

I towed 45 min to the bay once and realized i had no fishing rods. Ha, bad days mean a bright future!

[SlowPoke]

Ha, bad days mean a bright future!

Ohhh young grasshopper, you have much to learn.

 

This afternoon I found another sucker to go "fishing" with me. We went to Wildwood, floated around for several hours and here's the final tally:

 

Me: 1 perch

Him: 1 trophy rock bass and 1 real bass

Boat: 1 mangled prop, 1 bent skeg, 1 rope sucked into the prop.

 

We're not sure how it happened; we didn't hit anything on the lake. When we pulled the boat out another fisherman said we had a rope in the prop and that's when we noticed a few bite marks on the blades. It was an old mooring rope with loops at both ends. My guess is that it got sucked into the prop and one of the loops hooked the skeg. I can only think the prop bottomed out when we were loading the boat.

I was able to straighten out the skeg with very little effort and I have a new prop on there now.

[Billy Bob]

The key in my boat stays in the boat all the time.......while in the garage, while trialling it and while it's in the water...Why would I remove it....

 

My plug hasn't been removed in 27 years......don't understand why someone needs to remove it......unless you don't have a bilge pump...

 

I don't require a boaters card...

[solopaddler]

Wow that sucks.

 

I did that once. You wont believe it but,I drove from Barrie up to lake Muskoka for a bass tourny. When I went to the back of the truck,lo and behold,my keys were still on the bumper. Someone was watching out for me.

 

Oh yeah? I left my wallet on the roof once and drove two hours north without realizing it.

Was still there when I stopped for gas. I guess there was a lot of change in it LOL!

 

Stuff like that happens to most people. We are human after all.

[SlowPoke]

A month or so ago, Rolly left his iPhone on my bumper in London and it was found in Mississauga... 150 kms!

[RangerGuy]

Ok.. I'll fess up so I never do such a stupid thing again...

 

 

Last fall end of November, there is a light skim of ice on the marsh I was hunting.. I was super excited because this meant most of the small ponds etc would be frozen.

 

I launch in my momarsh, get to my spot have a great morning, have to break ice 3 times off my decoys but get a bunch of birds and call it a day with a tired dog and I'm hungry HAHA!

 

I packed up my gear, went to grab my life jacket ( one of the expensive mustang inflatable ones, boat is to small to wear a normal one and stay flexible enought to move safely ). Couldn't find it anywhere, I thought some how I knocked it overboard but I rarely take it off unless I'm going to be sitting for a long period of time.

 

I'm p'd off because I just lost a $200+ dollar life jacket, by now the wind has kicked up and I know the bay I need to cross will be on the line of being very dangerous for my boat. Was a pretty scarey ride back to the ramp when I get there I see it sitting on the hood of my truck ARGH!!!! I'm an idiot..

 

Thankful me & Suzy got back safe but man.. I still get angry at myself when I think of what could have happened for 1 moment of stupidity!

Edited August 20, 2012 by RangerGuy

[SlowPoke]

Thankful me & Suzy got back safe but man.. I still get angry at myself when I think of what could have happened for 1 moment of stupidity!

Wow, glad that turned out okay and I'm impressed the PFD was still there!

Just in case you weren't aware, inflatable PFD's are only legal when worn. You can still get fined for no PFD even if it's sitting in the boat with you.

[RangerGuy]

Yup

 

Just wanted to share the story, to help easy your pain LOL!.. we all do "silly" things sometimes ...hehe!