As luck would have it, I was able to return the rod and reel to its rightful owner today. The owner saw the sign I left on the tree and gave me a call. Turns out I was driving back to the office and was only a couple of minutes from his house. The best part was this was someone that's been a family friend for at least 25-30 years.

He said he forgot his rod next to his truck after he put his fish in the truck and put away most of his fishing gear. He's been a hardcore fisherman for as long as I can remember, so I had to razz him about "buck fever"