I love fishing at night.  I remember a few years ago coming home from work, going straight to bed at 5 pm and waking up at ten.  I was on the lake by 12:30 and fished til sunrise.  I caught a ton of fish, your senses are really up and you can hear everything.  Then being on the boat and watching the sun come up.  I can not think of a better way to spend an evening.  

avid how deep is your lake? i have dove in the dirtiest, darkest, scariest water to retrieve an outfit. it really isn't that bad to just dive in and get it. if you know exactly where you dropped it in, i will come up and get it for you. i live in boca. catch is, you take me fishing in this lake of yours.

I admire your dedication, and appreciate your offer.  Fact is, if I knew exactly where It went overboard I would have it back.  It's somewhere at the bottom of a pretty big, weedy cove.  It's gone.

Redline- Yes, night fishing is a whole different animanl, and I do enjoy it.  I usually make better preparations but this was actually a daylight outing that I just couldn't come home from till way after dark.   It cost me.

You asked for it, Avid!

1. First baitcasting outfit, circa 1975 on Occoquan Reservoir in Northern Virginia. Hooked a fish on a plastic worm in 25 feet of water. Set the hook and the fish set it back. Yanked the rod completely out of my hands and over the side. Dragged the bottom for 3-4 hours. Have not seen it yet.

2. Partner new to fishing. Threw his rod over the side on the cast. I keep a bass buoy on the bow for just this purpose and tossed it over the side. Got out a heavy rod with a 3 ounce snag hook on 45# braided line and dragged around the buoy. Retrieved the outfit.

3. Put my 80 year old partner ashore on the dock at the ramp. He has neuropathy in his legs and cannot feel anything. As he was alighting, I noticed one of my rods go over the side and I reached down and grabbed it as it went under. The following day, I looked in my rod locker for a particular outfit for a client and found that it was not there. Figured that it went over the previous day also. When I went back to the ramp for her "potty break", I took a Rat-L-Trap and jigged alongside the dock and pulled up my outfit. You should have seen the looks on the faces of the bystanders. Told them I do this all the time.

4. Fishing the Chesapeake Bay alone in a 14' aluminum boat, drifting and bottom fishing, while relaxing in the warm sunshine. Had two rods in the rod holders when a 50+ foot motor trawler came within 20 yards of the boat. The wake obviously rocked the boat quite a bit.....actually, enough to pull the rods out of the rod holders and over the side. Got out my snag hook outfit and retrieved both outfits by snagging the line and bringing them in hand over hand.

5. Night pier fishing in Kill Devil Hills, NC when someone called for help down the pier. I placed my 7' spinning rod with large Daiwa S/S series reel on the deck with only one guide over the rail. Went back to assist the other angler when we heard a loud clatter. Turned around just in time to see my rod/reel go over the side. He was very apologetic and asked what he could do. I replied, "nothing. Whatever took it over the side is probably 200-300 yards away and truckin'". Returned to fishing with another outfit. Felt a hit and set the hook. When I reeled up, I noticed a piece of orange line across the hook. I started pulling on the line and after getting in a pile of about 150 yards of line, I got back the rod/reel. I then started pulling on the other end of the line and the fish jumped just outside the circle of light from the pier. As I continued to pull on the line, the pressure caused the line to break.

I have been very, very lucky in my 30+ years of fishing.

These stories are sad and funny at the same time. I love night fishing prefer it for the lack of crowds.

As far as losses this isn't in the same league as your losses but on one particular day my buddie and I went to thow out my only real anchor. It came untied and pfft $16 anchor gone. 20 mins later he went to  throw his fish basket over the side and pfft untied and lost the fish basket full of bluegill.

Not major stuff but was still recovering from 1st and only job layoff it hurt just the same.

Stinks to hear you lost your rod. But i too enjoy night fishing. I've only done shore night fishing, no boat. But i like it. Its a bit more focused in on the fishing i think. Me and my friend night fish in the pond behind his house all the time. I don't think we have lost or broken anything night fishing before. The only thing is i think we broke my friends screen door while walking back in. Not our best moments.