Man I feel ya !! I was plunking on the Puyallup a few years ago for Kings, I had my nephew with me and he wanted to hold the pole so I let him then he wanted a soda so I told him to put the pole back in the pole holder and went to the truck to get him one as I was walking back down to the river and I see him playing around with his dump truck he had brought but he didnt put the pole back in the rod holder as I was about 15 feet away I watched my lamiglas shoot out in the river that was the last i saw of it. I even went down to the hatchery and told them what happend in hopes the fish would drag my pole all the way back there but no luck (even though it would have been probly all beat up ..it would have been cool to get it back!)