Unusual Things found when fishing.

or however that dang word is written! : ) Use this forum to discuss those things that are related to, directly, or indirectly, fly fishing, i.e., tackle, catalogs, single malt scotch, cigar preferences, pipes, camera gear, etc. This is sort of an off topic area but one related to bamboo and fly fishing.

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CDCdun
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#21

Post by CDCdun »

Several nets, a nice reel, some pocket knives. My son found the bottom section of a high end Sage fly rod. The owner had taped their name and number on the rod just above the grip. He took a spill and lost the rod. The reel was no longer attached to the reel seat and was nowhere to be found. We were able to send it to the owner who then had sage replace the rod. I've never thought to put my name and number on a fly rod, but it worked out for this guy.

Jake

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FreestoneVintage
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#22

Post by FreestoneVintage »

This is an awesome thread. I'm a treasure hunter by nature, it's cool to see everyone's finds.

I found an unusual looking fold-a-net in a brushy bank of a no-tell-em creek in MT a few years ago. I was excited as it was a nice upgrade from the ancient net that I had been carrying around for the last decade or so. I told a buddy about my spectacular find and he informed me that it belonged to a certain unnamed rod maker who had lost it there months prior. Needless to say it was returned.

I floated the Sluice Boxes State Park on Belt Creek in MT this past spring & "found" the ghost town of Albright which is tucked along the river above the canyon. At one point it was a decent sized mining camp and had train service to Great Falls. As a result there is rusty detritus galore, including old bed frames, pumps, narrow gauge railroad parts, and we found the body of an old model A in the bushes.
Imagepic host

We made camp just above the slot canyon and found this old wheelbarrow on the side of the river. Open fires aren't allowed so we used the barrow as a fire pan that night:
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This calcite cluster was also a nice score. It caught my eye on the side of a steep bank, now it's in my garden:
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Nate

bluesjay
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#23

Post by bluesjay »

Hi Guys, Boo Radley/Jem/Scout find 'unusual things.' FF to 6:16.........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTrWsqYTfgI

Jay Edwards

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ttroutt
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Location: Woodstock, VT

Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#24

Post by ttroutt »

Fishing the Cimarron in NM with Doc Thompson and he says to me, look what you just stepped over. Would loved to have brought it back to VT, it's still in NM, at his place.


Image
Last edited by ttroutt on 11/24/20 16:58, edited 2 times in total.

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Dustnstuff
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#25

Post by Dustnstuff »

Found a 38 hand gun in a river just south of a bridge in central N.H.
Little rust but could be cleaned up. Took it to the State police and turned it in.
Never found out how or why it got there.
Dustnstuff

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tiptop
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#26

Post by tiptop »

In the last 20 years I've found:
3 landing nets
a functional folding wading staff
a tip section to a Sage rod
a stainless flask full of bourbon
a tippet holder with tippet
forceps
sunglasses
a walkie talkie
a newborn fawn
various rattlesnakes
a 24" hellbender
a large grist wheel

dublhaul
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#27

Post by dublhaul »

Was walking along a stream in western NC probably 35-40 years ago, saw the well-rusted end of a cross-cut saw blade sticking out from under some leaves. Dug it out and carried it home. When I was a kid, my Granddad had a couple of functioning (i.e., well-maintained and well-sharpened) crosscut saws, that he used pretty regularly since no one in the immediate family had a chain saw. Would that I could have ended up with one of them. Alas . . .

Image

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Fcs
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#28

Post by Fcs »

I found a graphite rod busted into four pieces, reel still attached, stuffed into a trash barrel at the DNR parking lot. Somebody had a bad day.
"Wherever the fish are, that's where we go."
Richard Wagner

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jhuskey
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#29

Post by jhuskey »

or maybe their bamboo epiphany :pipe

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Marterius
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#30

Post by Marterius »

When fishing for sea trout in the archipelago, I have come across a lot of debris. A large plastic barrel with faded labels looked sinister and I alerted the Coast Guard who took care of it. I never heard anything about the content. Perhaps it was whisky but I took no chance. A massive towing cable has its final resting place in a crevice on a skerry not far from here. A number of floating boat cushions etc. A decent spinning rod. A number of dead seals over the years, which delimits the fishing opportunities on that particular shore since you want to stay upwind from them. Also half a dead porbeagle - that was 45 years ago when they were not as rare as today. And a rather cool seal skull, now resting on a shelf in my boathouse to the delight of the grandchildren.

I am glad no one here has come across a body. Two of my friends has unfortunately done so (different occasions). I once thought I had found a body in a very bad state in three feet of water in a lake where I fish, but it was part of the rib-cage of a roe dear. I saw the skull with the antlers in time, before I called the police.
headwaters wrote:
11/23/20 10:05
Pat--

Sounds to me like someone was communing regularly with a lost and sadly missed fishing buddy . . . maybe at a favorite lunch site!
That is a beautiful interpretation.

snorider
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#31

Post by snorider »

mlarocco wrote:
11/23/20 09:10
Not even a Thank You....
But think of the good Karma! Kudos for doing the right thing!

Years ago on an exploratory adventure up a little spring creek I came across an old shack, and behind it in the creek I found at least 10 pairs of old tennis shoes in various states of decay, and 1000's of empty grain belt cans. I filled two large garbage bags with trash and floated them back to the truck behind me. The Rancher who I met on the way back said 'his ranch hand Tom had lived there and passed a couple years back. He looked sad but thanked me for cleaning up.

In another tiny little spring creek I found a 8' fiberglass boat rod, extremely stout big game style, with a reel and a buzzbait still tied to the line. The biggest fish I have yet turned up there was a 12" rainbow, but I like to imagine the fish that took that rod out of its owners hand? :eek :skoal
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. T.R.

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Brooks
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#32

Post by Brooks »

Image
Came upon this creepy horror-film worthy baby doll on the Salmon R.
And my wife caught a steelhead right here......at “creepy baby hole”.

alberta al
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#33

Post by alberta al »

I was eight at the time. I found two T-shirts, two bikini tops, and a cooler with some beer in it. My Dad with a big grin on his face had me give the clothes and cooler back to the two girls that had flipped their canoe. Was on the South Branch of the Ausable in Michigan.

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Flykuni3
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#34

Post by Flykuni3 »

I was fishing up a canyon stream, all alone, a kind of remote place that has a mountain road about 100' above. It's a winding road young guys like to roar around. Something odd caught my eye, and my blood chilled in a second. There was a Nissan truck, red, small model. It looked pristine, it was puzzling. I stood there for minutes staring at it. All windows were intact, I couldn't see any body damage, which was weird because it had to have come down the steep and rocky hillside. It was sitting upright. Tell you, I was spooked. I had to go check it out...maybe someone needed help., Maybe I'd peer in and see a sight I don't want to see. I fitted my fly to the holder, and began to walk towards the truck.

There was nobody inside, alive or dead. I just sort of stood there for several minutes taking it all in. How did it arrive at this spot, upright, with no damage I could see? I went back to my fishing. Maybe a month or two later I went back. The damn thing was gone.

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TimM
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#35

Post by TimM »

I've found all sorts of fun and perplexing things. My favorite has been a fist-sized Lake Superior agate. I've also found some cool iron ore (botryoidal hematite) stuck to my net magnet and some nice Petoskey stones.

This one one of my more perplexing finds. Found these in the back 40 and felt bad for someone. I call this photo "Nerds of the Manistee".
Image

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Rockthief
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#36

Post by Rockthief »

There in the bushes were two ornate boxes which I examined and found them to contain the ashes of a man and a woman. Despite their names being inscribed on the boxes no one was able to find any relatives of these cremated people. I buried them in some flowers in my yard. At least they were buried well and properly.

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Peales
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#37

Post by Peales »

Dead Blujay attached to a Horner fly and piece of leader. Took it down (wasn't that hard) and gave the poor bird a proper burial. I can't imagine the suffering struggle after he hooked himself thinking of an easy meal. Kept the fly. Retrieve your lost flies if possible! This shot is really old (film scan) Prairie River near Merrill WI.......
Desiccated Brown Bat attached to a large hook and piece of heavy monofilament, dangling from an overhanging branch. Took it down (wasn't that hard) and gave the poor bat a proper burial. I can't imagine the suffering struggle after he hooked himself thinking of an easy meal. Destroyed the hook. This preventable little tragedy took place about 24” above a small trout stream near Black Hammer MN.......

PYochim
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#38

Post by PYochim »

I found two golf balls while fishing the headwaters of the Little Bighorn. The closest golf course is about 50 miles as the crow flies. I left them so that the next guy to see them will be as confused as I was.

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fisherman911
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#39

Post by fisherman911 »

A #1 long spring trap that was placed between two roots of a river side tree many years ago, probably as a ambush set for mink. I came across it in around 1976 and at that point it was 1/3 incapsulated in the roots. Today it's still there, mostly rusted away but small bits are still visible if you know were to look.
When I see it it always brings me back to think of better days but also as a reminder that some thing remain the same.

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eotr
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Re: Unusual Things found when fishing.

#40

Post by eotr »

A fuselage window section from an ill-fated Soviet era MI-8 - Uur River, Mongolia

Image
Brent

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