Occasionally while walking to a stream I will find some item or other on the ground or in the shallows of the stream itself. Nippers on a pull pin, small box of flies, one time a net…somebody’s lunch and twice a ziplock bag with a license in it. One of them also had a couple of bucks.
Once a dozen years or so ago I also found a nice cane rod and Hardy reel just leaning against a tree. When ever it is possible I will return the item,if not marked I check the local shops to see if anyone is missing anything… Very seldom is there a name or phone number or any other marking on this stuff.
I left the rod at a shop with my card. Surely this is one thing someone would come back for. I returned 2 weeks later and someone had picked up the rod. No name, no note…Just said to say “Thanks”.
A little thank you note would have been nice. Then I began to wonder…Did someone really pick it up???
So, how about you? Do you mark your stuff? And have you found anything along a stream?
My son found a Womans purse with all the credit cards but no money or Id. We found Her phone number on a Motel recite in the purse . He turned it into the cops who believe it or don’t suggested that We call the woman In Alberta and let her know . The cops said they would only keep it and give it to her in person but don’t send things onward . We called the next day and She asked us to courier it out to her which we did . Nice lady she sent Me $25.00 to give to my son . If the motel recite wasn’t in her purse she might not have got it back.
My fly boxes all have my name and phone number.
mantis,
When I was a kid in high school, a similar situation happened. I left something of value at an office and when I returned to find out if it had been claimed,the person said it had. No note. Not even a message the person said ‘thank you’. If name,addy or phone I will contact the owner. If not I might ask around if anyone lost ‘something’. Otherwise, after 48 hours, I claim it as mine.
Allan
This got me thinking. Not all my stuff is marked and what is is not very water resistant.
I have Dymo “Letra Tag” lable maker and out door tape for it. This one does not emboss the tape so it’s flat and I can get 2 lines of print on the tape.
Guess what I’ll be doing in the off season?
No, I can’t say I do. But I do record serial numbers, make and models and take photo’s for insurance purposes.
I’m on the water more than most I suspect and have a tendency to find things, all manner of things fairly often. That’s probably a mechanism of passing through areas where large numbers of other recreationists gather. While I do find something almost everyday ( often garbage that needs to hauled out ), fly gear makes up a very small portion of what turns up.
With most items I tend to post the find on stationary bulletin boards found within the jurisdiction where the item was found. Where that’s not available I’ll drop it by a local law enforcement or rangers office. Things of lesser value I tend to just place in obvious areas where those traversing the area are likely to find them.
Like for instance last Tuesday, I was walking the banks of a large western lake I frequent which is well into it’s annual draw down. I found right at waters edge a new Danforth anchor with it’s price tag still affixed and all new rigging in place. Being an optimist I started toting away on the anchor line which led off into the depths ~ a hundred feet of anchor line later, no boat…
I did haul the anchor back to launch ramp. I doubt the original owner found it or even came looking for it, hopefully the new owner will secure the line to the boat, before trying to set anchor.
Best, Dave
David, Jack, maybe you could let the rest of us know where you got the label maker and what it cost…Thanks…
mantis,
Good post. I heve NEVER marked my gear, but you’ve opened my eyes & I will definitely mark flyboxes, wallets, chestpack, etc. Just this year I lost a flywallet with ALL my ant patterns…& I am a FREAK for ants…I was distraut!
As far as finding things, nothing fishing related, but plenty of golf clubs…often expensive ones. In EVERY instance, I took leave of my group, searched out, & found the owners.
Mike
This site’s about sharing!
My wallet fell out of my pants pocket once when i got dumped in the lake by my uncle on the boat, it was funny till i discovered my wallet was gone.
80 bucks my id and SIN nubmer, and some bank reciepts. well some lady found it however my id and Social sercurity number gone just the cash and bank reciepts, she brought the wallet to my bank and my bank called me. That was something.
Howdy Gang,
Back in '86 I was fishing the Gibbon in YNP.
I was changing flies and lost my ballance.
Dropping my fly box of Yellowstone type flies. At that time I only had one box of flies of the Yellowstone area. Come to think of it I only had one box of flies with me.
There it went faster than I could run.
I tried to follow it but the bank was too rough to traverse. Oh well back to camp
That night I was camping in Canyon Camp Ground. I was standing in the drive way teaching my grandson to cast. This older man came up and asked if I was from Texas?. I said Yes. He asked if my Name was Allen Something. I again said yes. He then asked if I had lost a fly box? Yes I again responed. He had found them late that day about two miles down from were I had lost mine. On the box was what was left of my name and address. He could make out Texas and my first name. Then seeing some one fly casting and being from Texas, Not that 100s of other were not from Texas. I was lucky. I have over the years forgotten his name but not the warm feelings I have for him.
Thanks Friend is all I can say
ol Al
Back a few years ago my wife insisted i put my name on my fly box …"ya never know ya might drop it " welll i did while i was fishing the salmon river .The guy that found it lived a few miles from my house and dropped it off on his way home … my fly box beat me home.I now take the adress lables i get from Trout unlimited and Ducks unlimited and put them on my boxes and cover them with clear tape .
The more time I spend around people the more I like my dog.
Mike
[This message has been edited by ny angler (edited 03 November 2005).]
Mantis;
I got my “Dymo Letra Tag” at Meijers. $19.95 but the tape is 5 or 6 bucks.
I like the Address Labels and clear tape idea also
Thanks Jack…Guess that is kind of a Walmarts…We don’t have them back here but I copied down the tag maker name and will keep my open for it…Bob
If you get your boxes from Royce Merritt. They will be marked well. Great boxes. I’ve had a lot of possitive feed back on mine.
I’ve not come across anything of note, although once I “caught” a soft-sided tackle bag containing various boxes, etc. I assumed someone had capsized their canoe and lost the bag during heavy flows on the river.
My dad tells me of finding a bamboo rod and reel on a pond dam, once, many years ago. He said he picked it up and looked it over, then just placed it back where he found it and went on…figuring someone would return for it.
I don’t like the idea of placing my address on things, simply because it’s marred when and if I move. But I usually place my business card on or in my bags. Many of my rods are personalized, as well.
My dad was a carpenter. On nearly all his old tools, he inscribed his SSN. I think this is a neat, effective and unobtrusive way to “personalize” them. Of course, this was done in the days before identity theft was a concern.
Fred
I put my name and address inside my hats but thats about all. That way if I take a bath and loose it, it has a better chance of getting back to me.
On rods I assembled, I’d put my name in india ink on a piece of vellum and roll it up and insert it into the blank at the reel seat. It would also contain blank maker and model, guide spacing and other data.
Ol’ Bill
1932
I have marked most everything with my name & phone number. Even have it on my vest. This way, those I meet on stream can call me by name & if I ever experience “the big one” while fishing it will make identifying my body much easier.
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care
my gear is so cheap i’m embarrassed to…
as the immortal rodney dangerfield once said"
my car is so crappy that when i park it in a bad neighborhood the punks put hubcaps ON my car…
cover it with all info. Ranger caught a guy with a box of mine that fell out of my vest. He watched the guy pick it up after I moved away and he went the opposite. Ranger asked him if he was going to give it back. He actually said no. Ranger mailed my box to me when he couldn’t find me.