Hi everyone. I found a Sage fly rod in the Madison River yesterday. The tip is broken off, and the reel is pretty banged up but still functional. I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to track down the owner? It may not be worth it, but the reel has a marking on it that makes me think it may have some sentimental value to the owner. I’d like to get it back to whoever lost it if at all possible.
Get hold of either Blue Ribbon Flies (Craig Mathews) in West Yellowstone or Slide Inn (Kelly Galloup). Both can be Googled for contact info. They may have some info.
Hat’s off to you for letting folks know what you found and where. Good luck in your search.
Kelly
I believe Sage maintains a record of their rods by serial number and original purchaser.
If you can find the serial number on the rod, Sage might be able to help out.
The serial numbers can be a bit difficult to make out - on my Fli it’s just above the hook keeper and just below the Sage logo and rod information.
I recently read the novel “Blood Atonement: A Dahlgren Wallace Mystery” by Jim Tenuto. A murder mystery that takes place on a river in Montana during a guided fishing trip. From now on if I find lost tackle I’m calling the cops. Jim
I have no input except to say that you deserve a pat on the back for your honesty.
Mike
If you contact the nearest fly shops, they probably will have heard about someone losing the rod and likely have the contact info. Of course, if you found it in the lower, it is a long way to a shop…
Luckily, the major items I have lost have all come back to me, and the ones I have found have, whenever I could find the owners, gone back home as well.
I found a Sage rod case with the serial number logo on it a couple years ago on a Kodiak stream. Sage got it back to the owner for me and all were delighted…
Definitely just call around to fly shops first. Ask if they had anyone drop a fly setup. Troutfitters and Greater yellowstone would be my first bets, then rivers edge. The problem with calling sage and finding the original owner is maybe the rod had been sold again… Odds are good that some local shop will know who it belongs to.
I was able to return a Sage rod to it’s
owner by posting a regional fly fishing
board. Good on you for making the effort
mtangler.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Thanks for the help everyone. I called a few shops without any luck and emailed Sage the number I found on the rod. Hopefully the owner will turn up. If not, it looks like I’ll be in the market for a new rod tip…