If you find a rod hidden in the woods....

? On #2 steal it why would someone just come up on a rod laying in the woods and no one’s around be stealing it. I can understand if they see you doing it and know it’s yours would be stealing it but if no one’s there to claim it how would you know.
 
“I was just holding it for a friend.”
 
discomidge said:
What do you do?

1 - leave it
2 - steal it
3 - fish it

There I was, happily catching fish in the dark, when I saw 3 guys all shining their lights on the spot where I left my nymph rod hidden in the woods. It was maybe 20-30' off the trail. Because they were from Tennessee, they didn't know where they were going and were trying to bushwhack back to a trail and stumbled upon it. I hustled out of the stream, leaving fish biting which kinda made me mad, and went and got it back from them. They said they had grabbed my rod because they were gonna return it to the lot, which might be true (I actually kind of believe them FWIW), but why? Seems to me that if someone intentionally left a rod hidden in the woods, they'd be back for it. And that returning it to the lot would make it less likely for the owner to find and more likely for it to be stolen. And this was over a mile away from a road. They claimed they didn't see me fishing 100' from it, which was total BS. I watched them all evening, hoping they didn't decide to to move to where the fish were. And headlamps are pretty obvious at 10pm.

I guess the lesson I learned is that I have to do a better job hiding my nymph rod, but that even if I do, it's not safe from bushwhacking aliens.
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depends on how nice the rod is ;p
 
Solitariolupo said:
? On #2 steal it why would someone just come up on a rod laying in the woods and no one’s around be stealing it. I can understand if they see you doing it and know it’s yours would be stealing it but if no one’s there to claim it how would you know.
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This is like a zen koan
 
6xAdams(Jones) said:
If it's obviously hidden, I'll leave it alone. If it looks like it was dropped or discarded (as in broken and not rigged/ready), I'd still look around for anyone to ask about it and take it with me if there's nobody nearby.
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That's what I'd do too. Then I'd post about it in the lost and found forum here.
 
Bamboozle said:
Maybe in Mary-land but not in PA:

6abc.com

18-year-old shot while trying to steal car; stray bullet hits nearby home in Tacony

Police say the would-be car thief was shot four times after he was confronted by the owner of the vehicle.
6abc.com 6abc.com

If you need more examples.. let me know.
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To be clear, I am of the opinion that it is absolutely ridiculous that any firearm would be used to protect property. I am not opposed to using deadly force to protect one’s home (assuming doing so prevents harm to family, etc.). But there is no justification for use of deadly force to protect property.
 
I would realize how I'd feel if I came back for it and it wasn't there, then leave it alone.

I've often thought about leaving gear behind and returning for it later. I never do though. I would react very poorly to people walking off with my rod.
 
bdhoover77 said:
To be clear, I am of the opinion that it is absolutely ridiculous that any firearm would be used to protect property. I am not opposed to using deadly force to protect one’s home (assuming doing so prevents harm to family, etc.). But there is no justification for use of deadly force to protect property.
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Really don't want to hijack the thread but the facts of the story that is linked does not represent the statement made(both men had weapons). Here is link to some stand your ground state laws, Pennsylvania has a special exception away from your car or home. Perhaps if people wish to discuss more someone could start a new thread.Here
 
Before becoming a member of this forum I always would have left it. Now, after reading about all the rods left behind I would give a thought of taking it to a fly shop. I do keep pen and paper in my pack so would leave a note if I did. Some of this depends on the situation and stream. For example if on the yough I would leave it without giving it a second thought. Interesting situation though.
 
I didn't know that people left fly rods lying around intentionally. And I didn't know that people carried more than one rod out on the stream. So, I learned something new today.
 
I often carry two rods when I expect to be switching back and forth frequently, say nymphs and streamers.

Keeping track of the rod you set down and remembering to pick it up before moving too far is only slightly less of a pain in the butt than re-rigging over and over.

However, I get the benefit of having my best nymph rod and best streamer rod rather than trying to make one rod do it all okay-ish.

Still a pain in the butt though.
 
PennKev said:
I often carry two rods when I expect to be switching back and forth frequently, say nymphs and streamers.

Keeping track of the rod you set down and remembering to pick it up before moving too far is only slightly less of a pain in the butt than re-rigging over and over.

However, I get the benefit of having my best nymph rod and best streamer rod rather than trying to make one rod do it all okay-ish.

Still a pain in the butt though.
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I don't think there's an option that isn't a pain in the butt, but I'm with you - being able to switch styles by grabbing the other rod is great, and to be able to have the right rod for that style is pretty sweet too. Oh a fish is rising near the bank on the run I'm nymphing, I do believe I'll feed it a dry and then get back to nymphing. Yeah yeah yeah a 10' all-arounder will do both. And it will! But you still gotta re-rig and it's a compromise at the edges.

To each their own tho, I really don't care how someone decides to fish, unless they're catching more fish than me.
 
After further review...
1) When you park the vehicle, pull the rod out of the tube and rig it up AFTER everything else and hold in your free hand away from the vehicle BEFORE shutting any doors or hatches.
2) When you return to the vehicle, the rod is broken down, tubed, and stowed FIRST.
3) I take an extra rod (and a really cheap reel) in case of breakage or loss. The penalty for allowing the need to use the extra rig is the walk to/from the vehicle. Nothing wrong with having two reels (or spools) on your person - one rigged for dries and the other rigged for wets.
4) NOTHING on the roof of the vehicle (unless you're too cool to not have rocket launchers up there).
 
Anytime I've taken more than one rod, I've always found myself regretting it. It's typically a streamer rod in the fall - but I always tend to fish one tactic on those days anyway. Have done it out west when there are three guys and enough people to keep track of a streamer rod that we can all use. Typically no more than two of us fishing at a given time. My friends tend to overindulge on the sour mash and need a short sleep.
 
Circling back...

Ever have a car door slam shut on a windy day?

I had an SUV with a rear hatch door that opened sideways versus UP. The door could get blown closed on a windy day or it wouldn't stay open if the vehicle wasn't on level ground.

I USED to lay my mounted reel in the back of that SUV to string up my rod so I didn't beat the reel all to heck by lying it on the ground. After seeing that rear door slam a few times I stopped that practice and made a special rod holder that mount to the side of my SUV.
 
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blitzinstripes said:
I ran into a guy up in the gorge on the Little J back in March that was carrying 5 fully rigged rods!!!
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That's just nuts. I own many fly rods. When I head out for the day of fishing I take one rod. No way I'd carry two.

When I go on a trip I'll take a few rods to choose from but only select one to fish the the desired water body.
 
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