Found Fishing Tackle

[Will Ketchum]

People forget things including what they brought fishing with them. It could be left on the shoreline or next to where the car was parked.

 

What to do when you find something?. If it’s obvious who it belongs to you give it back. Otherwise, finders keepers?

 

[Cbump]

I’ve never seen a lost and found bin at the lake so I say yes. 

[Bass Rutten]

I never take what's not mine, someone may be back for it real soon.

[roadwarrior]

If there is a bench, table or fence I put stuff in plain sight. I have enough of my own stuff

and don't like picking things up that might have cotties.

 

[JackstrawIII]

2 hours ago, Bass Rutten said:

I never take what's not mine, someone may be back for it real soon.

If I find one stray lure on the ground, I'll grab it so nobody steps on it. But a bunch of tackle? Someone is likely to come back looking for it. 

[Cbump]

5 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

If I find one stray lure on the ground, I'll grab it so nobody steps on it. But a bunch of tackle? Someone is likely to come back looking for it. 

This is true. To clarify, this is what I had in my mind when I posted. I wasn’t thinking an entire tackle bag or nice rod and reel combo. 

[Bass Rutten]

40 minutes ago, Cbump said:

To clarify, this is what I had in my mind when I posted

Me as well, I've found many single lures lying about. Recently stumbled across a bps brand rod reel combo which looked brand new laying next to a picnic table. Thinking about it now if it was high end like an nrx I'm not sure what I'd do, I might take it to keep it from unscrupulous hands and list it on facebook to find the owner, perhaps leave a note there with contact info?

[Zippo Guy]

When my daughters were 7 and 10 we were water skiing with the 7 year old trying her best on new skies. A bass boat with two guys came roaring up behind us and obviously tried to throw a wake to knock her down, which they did. They then went off to do the same to another skier. After picking up our daughter I wanted to chase them, but my wife calmed me down. 

 

We watched them go around the the right channel in front of us and we followed at a distance as that was were our favorite beach was. As we made our turn there was a large tackle box floating in the water. We picked it up and it was full of tackle, most still new in the wrappers. Since they were the only ones that could have dropped it before it sunk, we knew it was theirs. No, we did not try to find them to return it. 

[king fisher]

     I don't know, because I have zero experience finding things.  I am an expert at loosing things.  Once I lost my wallet at a hotel in Puerto Vallarta.  I had $800 US, and another $4000 pesos cash in it.  I didn't notice it was gone for a whole day.  I went to the lost and found at the hotel, and they gave me my wallet.  All the cash was there.  I asked if they could find the person that turned it in so I could thank him.  They did and it was a man that did maintenance at the hotel.  I thanked him and tried to give him $200.  He wouldn't take the money, so I gave him some fresh tuna I had caught.

       I left a tackle box on the ground where my car was parked.  I went back a day later and it was still right where I left it.  I know many people must have seen it there and hoped  would come back for it.  I have been very lucky, and appreciate the good intentions of most people.

          I have lost thousands of lures on the bottom of lakes and rivers.  If anyone finds them, please keep them, for I am sure I have replaced them.  If you find a chart. white, with chart. blade 3/4 OZ spinnerbait hooked to a giant bass swimming in Presa Pocho Nayarit, keep the bait, and please do not tell me how big the bass was.

[Basser2021]

7 hours ago, Bass Rutten said:

I never take what's not mine, someone may be back for it real soon.

What he said

[GRiver]

I read something, on here I think, about somebody finding a couple of combos and some other gear.  He left a note or something, and the people got in touch with him.

They had to leave in a hurry because one of their group needed medical attention… seizure maybe…. I don’t know.
I shouldn’t be telling the story when I can’t remember all the details. 

Any who the people got their stuff back and all was good…

The End

[Bankbeater]

I tend to find a lot of tools around the parking lots.  Most of the water I fish has signage with creel and fish size limits on them. I'll put the tools next to the signs.

[fin]

State parks sometimes have lost and founds. I turned in a rod and reel once. A couple weeks later I went back and asked about it, nobody had claimed it, so I got it. I kept the rod and gave the reel to the guy working there.

 

You might be surprised how many people just leave stuff intentionally. It's usually junk, even if it is brand new. People who have never fished before will buy a cheap combo, fish for a while, and then just leave it. It's not like they're ever going to use it again. Same goes for chairs, tables, grills, etc. Maybe they live in apartments and have no space for the stuff.

 

[Big Rick]

10 hours ago, GRiver said:

I shouldn’t be telling the story when I can’t remember all the details. 

Why not? Our media and our President have made a living doing that!!

[Will Ketchum]

I once found a rod and reel in a trash can at a state park. They were Walmart specials. The rod was broken but I took the reel thinking it might have some use. It looked like some part was missing concerning the drag by the way it didn't work.

 

I found another rod and reel laying in the brush. The the two pieces of the rod were taped together with old masking tape and it all looked like it was just purposely tossed.

[BustedSwimbait]

I've found plenty of lures in trees and on the shore which I will always take, but If I found poles or something of value I would leave a note with contact information where I found it. may be the cynicism in me, but I don't feel like others would leave info and just take it for themselves. What's that old saying "finders keepers, losers suck"? Something along those lines.

[Bass Junke]

This just happened Friday morning. Arrived at the pond around 7:30am, leaning against the fence at the ramp were 3 spinning combos. This is a small ramp with only 4 or 5 parking spots. No one else is here so they were left there. I scoped them out, nothing special. I left them where I found them and went fishing. Got back to the ramp after fishing the morning, rods were still there. Was not sure what to do. While I was loading up, A pickup drove in looking for his combos. He was quite relieved that he recovered them. We had a nice chat, exchanged numbers, and hopefully we go fishing together soon. 

[Bluebasser86]

I found a pretty nice rod sticking out of the trash can by the boat ramp a couple weeks ago. It was missing about 4" from the tip but looked like it had hardly been used. I took it home, put a new tip top guide on it, and gave it to my friend who is a bit on the cheap side that was looking for a new spinnerbait rod. It was originally a 6' 9" M/F, around a 6' 5" rod now, should be a pretty decent spinnerbait rod for him that someone else was just throwing away. 

[fin]

26 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

It was originally a 6' 9" M/F, around a 6' 5" rod now

 

So now it's a MH/XF? ?

[thomas15]

At my home lake there is stuff left there all the time, I just leave it.

 

When I was in college in rural West Virginia back in the summer of 1980 a friend invited me to go fishing at a farm pond, he knew the farmer and had permission for both of us to fish it. I found in the weeds a tackle box, it had a few things in it a few spoons mainly. I asked to farmer if it was his, he said no and that we were the only people that he allowed to fish there in the past 5 years so whoever left it there was trespassing so he said take it which I did. I still have that box 42 years later, used it a lot when my kids were little it became my catfish tackle box and I have used it this year even.

 

Another time I was fishing a small pond in town in NJ about 25 years ago. Spotted a broken fishing pole in the trash can, the pole was toast splintered one end to the other but the reel was a Shimano 2000 series. It was still there two days later, I still have that reel and also still use it.

[Big Rick]

3 hours ago, thomas15 said:

I still have that box 42 years later,

 

3 hours ago, thomas15 said:

I still have that reel and also still use it.

The bait monkey is VERY disappointed in you. 

[fishhugger]

i take out fishing line. if there's a lure attached to it - that is my salary.

if i see something lying around, and see a person who may have lost it, i'll probably ask them.

people in my city often leave stuff for others to paw over (this is in neighborhoods). i'll check things out --- i've gotten my current tackle bag, two coleman camp stoves (a 425 and 413, both two burners). i fixed them up, they work great.  books, (i got hardcover hemingway editions),. 

other people just leave garbage. i sometimes toss it in my garbage can.