Recovery of Discs from Water

[COLODISCR]

We've all been there and tossed a great disc into the water (if you have any water on your local course). Yesterday I had a bad throw allowing the wind to get under my favorite disc taking straight over to the middle of the large pond at a local course. I tried a golden retriever without success. I even left to get the waders to walk in almost ending up stuck out there myself in knee deep muck on the bottom of that nasty pond. While out fishing for my disc three more guys tossed in discs and all had no luck recovering as you can't see them if they are not in the first 3 feet from the shore.

I've seen the lake rake threads on here as well as the basket types that have been made and I'm curious to hear how the rest of you recover discs in water you can't or don't want to get into. Do large lake rakes actually have much success getting lost discs you can't see? Besides lake rakes has anyone had success with anything else recovering discs in murky water?

Hopefully, someone has some good ideas because it would be awesome to get my disc back and be able to recover the other guys discs for them. Any ideas are welcome as well as DIY projects that we can all use since most of those lake rake threads are long dead and some of the pictures are gone.

Thanks!

 

[Aim For The Chains]

Rakes on long PVC work...sort of.

If you cant see it there isnt any tool in the world which is goong to really help. Damn sticks and stuff on the bottom make it much worse trying to rake or sift through and feel out the bottom.

Roof shovels with holes drilled in work well and have long heavy duty aluminum handles. BRP has pvc poles with heavy duty landscape rakes attached. Never had luck fishing with a golden retriever.

 

[Dan Ensor]

I hear about people just tapping the bottom with sticks to feel where discs are, then diving for them.

 

[Tpro]

I'm to the point now that when something goes in the drink its gone.. Sometimes it sucks but learn to throw stock plastic that's replaceable. I know its not fun to here but its true. If I can see it and its on the edge or in a creek ill try otherwise you kinda just need to chalk it up as being part of the game.

 

[DavidSauls]

IF the pond has a smooth bottom, a pond rake* works great. I'm sure we're well over 100 raked out of our pond.

We use the entire arsenal---golden retriever, 2 garden rakes retrofitted with long PVC handles, the pond rake, and swimming while feeling the bottom with our feet. The latter being seasonal, and the appearance of snapping turtles giving us a little pause. We also tried diving with snorkel and fins, but our water is black and it was a little spooky.

If the bottom is full of debris or stumps, swimming is about the only solution. And it's not fun.

* - by "pond rake", I mean the large triangular rake with spikes on both sides, and a rope attached.

 

[hook_nuts]

All you have to do is dive to the bottom and belly crawl around. You might not find it instantly, but it's easy mode really.

 

[COLODISCR]

DavidSauls,

That is actually kind of encouraging that you have had success with the pond/lake rakes. I'd go for a swim but the water in this pond is absolutely nasty and I'm sure swimming would probably get you sick. Since I was able to walk out a few feet in waders I know the bottom is fairly smooth with little else than deep black mud on the bottom. I might actually build a rake and give it a try.

 

[DavidSauls]

First I heard of those things, some locals built one and came out here and drug up about 40 discs one day.

We bought one instead of building it---but we get lots of use out of ours. (In case you wonder, they're designed for pulling aquatic weeds up).

 

[Broken Shoulder]

^ I was just thinking of those weed rakes. We had one up north with a rope attached. Throw it out and drag it back by the rope.

 

[DavidSauls]

People will tell you that a golden retriever only works if you can see the disc. However, before we got the pond rake, we'd use it and, if you had a good idea where the disc went it, it might take 20 or 30 or 40 throws, but odds were decent you'd get the disc.

 

[Brokensaint]

My golden retriever has paid for itself 3xs over. Yes you have to have an idea where the disc is, but perseverance pays off. It takes lots of throws sometimes.

 

[Jukeshoe]

I'm to the point now that when something goes in the drink its gone.. Sometimes it sucks but learn to throw stock plastic that's replaceable. I know its not fun to here but its true. If I can see it and its on the edge or in a creek ill try otherwise you kinda just need to chalk it up as being part of the game.

This, all damn day long.

 

[RFrance]

There is good reason to be careful in diving for your discs in that nasty water. Depending on where you live in the U.S. you can come across parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia (Beaver fever) which can cause some nasty diarrhea. Also, if you have any open cuts they can become infected as well from bacteria and algae. There is also the very, very rare, but makes good headlines in the newspaper, infection of Naegleria fowleri, better known as the brain eating ameoba, found in warm water lakes with a 97% fatality rate. More than likely you'll be just fine but if you jump in make sure you wash up extra good when you get home and probably swab your ears with some alcohol.

 

[PWaggoner]

I get in ponds all the time. Real nasty in spots. One spot is pretty muddy and people have sunk in waders. But my technique is just to kinda float swim on the mud. I push one foot out all the way then another. Move a foot length and do it again. Covers large areas. Also like the guy above says you can get nasty stuff so I never let the water go over my neck. Don't let that stuff in your mouth, ear or nose. Oh and don't pee (or poop) in the water

There is one pond though that is straight green from goose poop I won't go in past knees. I just say goodbye when they go in the middle. After I cuss myself.

 

[THUGNIFICENT763]

If my disc goes into a water hazard, I am not far behind it. It would have to be a straight up cesspool before I would abort the mission. I have been mauled by leeches and chiggers numerous times, but I get my disc back, and that is what counts to me.

 

[DiscJunkie]

Personally, I tend to be a bit adventurous when it comes to disc diving for my plastic.
I tend to be a bit obsessive.
My solution is to avoid throwing any plastic that cannot be replaced for $20 or less.
And always have several backups for any disc I like.

It really helps saying goodbye when you know that you have a backup.

 

[JRW III]

I have a custom lake rake (PVC pipe and threaded rods) and have had a lot of success. Our lake has a soft bottom, with small rocks in some places, and zero visibility.

We generally use one of two methods. Since there is no visibility, both rely on dredging in rows trying to get complete coverage of an area.

1) One man operation. Tie a rope to the rake and throw it out. Generally can only get about 30ft from the bank.

2) Team effort. Take out a canoe, one person in the back of the canoe to paddle, and one person in the front to drop the rake. Our rope if 100ft and we take it all the way out. The person on the shore drags the rake all the way back to the shore dredging the bottom.

This method is effective. Hard to tell how many discs fall off the rake as you drag it in. Rocky bottom areas tends to have more fall off.

The last time we went, we used two rakes and two canoes. Had our kids search near the bank for discs that fell off the rakes. In about 4 hours of raking, we pulled in over 50 discs. One pull had three discs on the rake and we had several other pulls that would have two discs on the rake.

 

[DavidSauls]

I'm to the point now that when something goes in the drink its gone.. Sometimes it sucks but learn to throw stock plastic that's replaceable. I know its not fun to here but its true. If I can see it and its on the edge or in a creek ill try otherwise you kinda just need to chalk it up as being part of the game.

For myself, I routinely play a course where, between the amount of water and my own inaccuracy, I have about a 50% chance of sinking a disc each round. I'm not giving them all up without a fight.

Hence the arsenal of retrieval tools.

But also....it's water that I swim in, anyway, whether I'm after discs or not. So it's not a big deal to add a disc search to a swim---at least in the parts of the pond with smooth bottom.

 

[Reniger]

I carry a beat DX Shark for just such occasions.

I used to swim for discs all the time, but, after numerous encounters with leeches, snakes, and turtles (and aging) I've abandoned the swim for the most part. I just throw discs that I trust or throw a disc I don't care about.

I have had some luck with a metal garden rake head on a rope, but, it's a lot like a Golden Retriever - takes a lot of tosses to get it right. However, I got the rake head for free from my father and have gotten 6 discs back with it, so, not the worst thing...

Cheers.

 

[Quinum]

Yeah, if I am playing a course with water, I will always be sure to bag a cheap dx disc that I am not afraid to lose.

Losing a DX Teebird, Leopard, or Roc in the water is not as painful as losing one of my well-loved and beat-in Star/Champ discs would be. I don't throw anything OOP though, so I suppose I can understand obsessively disc diving if I lost one that was super valuable.

It's funny, though, I actually find that I throw much better around water hazards when I am not afraid of losing the disc. More confidence in my shots (or less worry about the consequences of a bad one), I suppose.

I have gotten a disc out of the water using a rake before, as others have said. Seems to work OK, but it does take some time and luck.