Your worst nightmare has come to life. You’ve dropped your phone down the hole and you’re panicking. The last thing you should do is stand there and read this article but what other choice do you have at this point?
Without wasting any more of your time, here are some ways to get your phone out of an ice fishing hole.
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1. Just Go For It
Sometimes when we’re faced with a difficult situation in life, we have to jump in head first and go after it. One option you can choose to get your phone out of the hole is to simply reach in and grab it.
If you have quick reflexes, you should be able to stick your arm in and grab it before it sinks too far or slides under the ice.
Keep in mind that whenever you drop something that floats into an ice fishing hole, it’ll almost always get sucked up under the ice. The same happens when people and animals fall into the water which is part of why it’s so dangerous.
Be extremely careful when you do this and I don’t recommend doing it unless you have the proper ice fishing clothing on as well. Your arms can become very cold quickly and even get numb if you leave them in the water too long.
While I recommend this option if you can react quickly, the only other time you may use it is out of pure desperation. If you have a skimmer for cleaning out your ice fishing holes, this can serve as a very useful tool in addition to your arms.
2. Fishing Net
This is a more realistic option for most of us. If you’re fishing, chances are you have a fishing net. Nets aren’t as popular in ice fishing because most of them are too large to fit through the holes.
That said, if you have a small enough net to fit through your ice fishing hole, this method could work. You’ll have to react quickly before the phone sinks too far down unless you’re fishing in shallow water.
If you find that your net is too large for the hole, you’re left with two options.
Option one is to find another option. You can’t stand around and think for too long, otherwise, your phone will be gone for good.
Option two is to quickly try and increase the diameter of your hole so you can fit the net down there. Use an ice chisel to chip away at the ice as quickly as you can before the phone gets out of reach. If you’re lucky, the ice will break away and you’ll be able to get the net through the hole to retrieve your phone.
3. Pliers
Your typical set of pliers that you’d carry around in your toolbox will not do the trick for this job. You’ll want a pair of extended reach pliers because they have a longer handle and an extended grip. Many of them also come with a bent nose at the end that will help grab onto your phone once you get it.
This method will work best in shallow water if the phone has already hit the bottom, but if you’re trying to grab it on the way down, you might get lucky.
Get a good idea of where the phone is and stick your arm down in the hole if you can. Keep in mind that you’re probably going to splash a bunch of water out of the hole and onto the ice. Be sure you’re wearing the proper gear to prevent yourself from getting excessively cold and potentially frostbitten.
If you find you’re not having any luck, scroll down to check out some of the other options to help you get a phone out of an ice fishing hole.
4. Your Rod
Should we have thought of this one sooner? Maybe, maybe not. Once your phone reaches the bottom and you can see nothing more than the slight glimmer of your background screen, it’s time to break out your rod.
If you have a treble hook , you’ll want to rig that at the end of your line. The treble hook has a higher chance of grabbing the phone because it has three hooks. You’ll also want to load up on weights because you want the hook to drag across the bottom without floating up too easily as you retrieve it.
Ideally, you’re going to drop your line and because of the weight, it’ll sink right to the bottom. You’ll retrieve it in the direction of the phone and hopefully scoop it up or stir it up enough so you can reach in and grab it.
5. Magnets
At this point, you’ve pretty much lost sight of your phone and you’re not sure if you’ll ever get it back. Magnets are a sure-fire way to get it back. I don’t know about you, but I don’t bring magnets with me when I ice fish so I’m going to guess that you had to go buy some and come back.
By this point, your phone may have drifted a bit. If you have a fishing camera, you’ll have a significant advantage because you’ll be able to find the phone.
The process of retrieving it is simple. Rig the magnet to the end of your line, drop it in the water, and retrieve it until your phone comes up with it.
Keep in mind that super strong magnets can ruin your phone so be aware that your efforts may be all for nothing. The best magnets to choose will come with the rope and everything already attached like a Brute magnet .
How to Dry out Your Phone?
If you end up plucking your phone from the frigid water, you’ll want to dry it out quickly otherwise it’ll do irreparable damage.
Here are a couple of methods to dry out your phone:
Remove Everything – Take off anything you can including cases, backs, batteries, chargers, and whatever else you might have. All of these things will trap water.
Uncooked Rice – The old-school method of putting your phone in uncooked rice still works. Take everything off and put it in the rice so it can soak up the moisture.
Phone Drying Kit – They actually sell drying kits for you to put your phone in if it gets wet. If you’re lucky enough to already have one of these, I’d suggest using it.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, using your rod or some magnets may be the only option once the phone has sunk far enough into the water. It’s important that you be careful on the ice and always have dedicated areas to store gear like phones because they could be your lifeline if anything was to go wrong on the ice. Stay safe and good luck out there!