Found: Brook Trout Fishing Button

[PocketWater]

My buddy, who isn't a PAFF member, found a fishing button this weekend on a stream north of Pittsburgh. Name the stream to confirm it is yours and he said he would mail it out. Or provide the number on the button (not sure if the number on the button is the same as on your license or not). He said there was no rust on it so it may of been fairly recent.

 

[DanL]

Lost my fishing license at the Spring Jam and it never turned up. Good chance it just ended up somewhere that no-one could find it, and hoping someone didn't see and just ignore.

Nice that people like you and your buddy trying to return this to it's rightful owner. Thanks for being a good dude!

 

[rrt]

I once found a guy's license on Spring Creek and mailed it to him (in the days when addresses were on the license). Never even got a TY. Hope the guy appreciates your efforts if you get the button to him.

 

[Bamboozle]

PocketWater wrote:
My buddy, who isn't a PAFF member, found a fishing button this weekend on a stream north of Pittsburgh. Name the stream to confirm it is yours and he said he would mail it out. Or provide the number on the button (not sure if the number on the button is the same as on your license or not). He said there was no rust on it so it may of been fairly recent.

The CID # (Customer Identification Number) on the button is the same as the license and unique to the license holder, therefore the PFBC could tell you the owners name if they were so inclined.

There really should be a system like mailing back hotel keys for those buttons. If you bought the SOS version it's like losing $10.

If nothing else put your name & address on the back.

 

[wildtrout2]

Kind of a related story. Early in the season I lost my brook trout button on a small wild stream in the Poconos, I was bummed because I really liked it. So, I ordered another one and started wearing it. About 3 weeks later I was fishing that same stream when I came upon my lost button! l just picked it up and laughed.

 

[salmonoid]

Bamboozle wrote:

PocketWater wrote:
My buddy, who isn't a PAFF member, found a fishing button this weekend on a stream north of Pittsburgh. Name the stream to confirm it is yours and he said he would mail it out. Or provide the number on the button (not sure if the number on the button is the same as on your license or not). He said there was no rust on it so it may of been fairly recent.

The CID # (Customer Identification Number) on the button is the same as the license and unique to the license holder, therefore the PFBC could tell you the owners name if they were so inclined.

There really should be a system like mailing back hotel keys for those buttons. If you bought the SOS version it's like losing $10.

If nothing else put your name & address on the back.

I'm curious - who mails back hotel keys?? I can't remember the last time I've used a key in a hotel. They're all mag-swipe cards that are re-programmable and probably cost $0.03 a piece (maybe $0.07 with the hotel's logo on them, but that's offset by advertising by local businesses).

I think if you return the button to the PFBC, they could pass it onto the owner. There are some minor privacy concerns if a random stranger is able to extract an address from the PFBC under the guise of returning a license button. With a little Google-fu, you could figure out the owner's eye color!

 

[klingy]

True story: my dad and I were fishing several miles back in hammersley wild area on a trib. We camped for the night, got up the next morning, and my dad couldn't find his license. Had to stop in Coudy a couple days later for him to get a replacement. Fast forward several weeks - Swattie PMs me and tells me he has my dad's license, and mails it back to him. Classy dude.

As for the button, if you're close to a regional office, they could probably get it back to the owner.

 

[Swattie87]

Haha, yeah, that happened. I got a dozen very nice flies in the mail a week or two later. Totally not necessary, but very nice of your Dad!

Since then my girlfriend lost her license while we were fishing a small Class A Poconos stream. Didn't even know she lost it until it showed up in the mail a few days later. No return address on the label to send a thank you package to, but if it was someone on here, much appreciated.

 

[Bamboozle]

salmonoid wrote:

I'm curious - who mails back hotel keys?? I can't remember the last time I've used a key in a hotel. They're all mag-swipe cards that are re-programmable and probably cost $0.03 a piece (maybe $0.07 with the hotel's logo on them, but that's offset by advertising by local businesses).

Nobody, it is an old memory however the Allenberry still used keys and some opened multiple rooms!!

Back to the buttons...

...This bears repeating: the PFBC license button pin back is far from secure. I learned the easy way that taking a pair of pliers and smashing the loop portion around the pin after fastening is a good way to keep from losing my button.

 

[steveo27]

Yep. The "clasp" section of mine is all bent up to make it more secure. I also tied a piece of mono around the pin and around my pack underneath the pin to keep it from dissapearing even if it were to come unpinned

 

[PocketWater]

Good ideas on attaching the button. I had the pink one and it fell off somewhere in my travels, never to be seen again. Will have to utilize your ideas to keep this one in place.

 

[guppieguy]

PM sent! I think I have a lead.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Send it to Hillary and tell here to get well!

 

[joebamboo]

Lost my buttons two years in a row. The pin system has a lot to be desired. Would've thought I learned from the first time!

 

[PocketWater]

Shot you a message Guppieguy. Sorry, but the CID# doesn't line up.

 

[BrookieChaser]

My license button fell off my pack even after smashing the "loop". The buttons need a longer "needle" to prevent accidental removal.

 

[Bamboozle]

BrookieChaser wrote:
My license button fell off my pack even after smashing the "loop". The buttons need a longer "needle" to prevent accidental removal.

I should have added that when I smash down the clasp "hook", it is AFTER I bend the overall clip so the pin sits further into the hook.

I also make sure to crush the loop AROUND the pin so it can't get loose.

It seems like a lot to do so it doesn't get lost, but I can assure you it is a high quality button as buttons go.

FWIW - I have never had any pin back item including zingers and license holders NOT fall off of a garment at some point which is why I use screw post mount zingers these days and DON'T display my regular license, instead taking my chances and recently opting for the pins.

If you want the ultimate solution buy a 3/8" diameter neodymium magnet, screw it to your hat, rip out the pin on the button and stick the button to the magnet.

:-D

 

[franklin]

I once lost a license along a stream on opening day. This was in central PA where the towns are small and everyone knows everyone. I got back to my grandparents house and they said "here is your license". I never knew I lost if but it made it back to the house faster than I did as someone in town found it and delivered it to the house.