Diver recovers boy's sunken fishing pole from Tennessee lake

July 18 (UPI) -- A Tennessee diver came to the rescue when a 13-year-old boy lost a fishing pole with immense sentimental value in Norris Lake.

Kendryx Nicley, 13, said he inherited the fishing pole from his father, who died in 2022, so he was distraught when it sank to the bottom of Norris Lake.

"I was on our kayaks and I paddled too fast and the wind caught the back of it and it fell off the back of the kayak," Nicley told WBIR-TV.

Nicley's grandmother called Jason Hopkins, a local diver known for reuniting people with their sunken treasures.

Hopkins was able to recover the pole in a matter of minutes.

"To see the smile on Kendryx's face was priceless," Hopkins said. "Absolutely priceless."

Nicley said he will take care to make sure the pole stays out of the water from now on.

"We ain't got a lot of his stuff," he said. "So it really meant a lot for me to get it back."