Hey, Keith here. Bank anglers often have to park in some strange places, like a road shoulder or a gravel pull-off by a bridge.

Very few of our best spots come with a parking lot.

Every time we walk away from the truck, we're trusting it will be there when we get back.

Years ago, a friend taught me a 30-second habit that takes a lot of that worry away, and I haven't parked to fish without it since.

Today, I'm sharing the story behind what I write on my truck every time I leave it on the side of the road.

The first time I saw this trick was back in the early 2000s.

My friend John and I were headed out crawfishing along Interstate 10 near the Mississippi line, where the East Pearl River overflows into the woods.

It's a popular spot where anglers park every spring. John pulled onto the shoulder and got as far off the road as he could, right up against the tree line.

We unloaded the pirogue, the bait, and the crawfish nets and started down a narrow trail other folks had beaten back to the water.

Halfway there, John stopped. "Hang on, I forgot to write a note," he said, and he turned around and walked back to the truck.

When he caught back up, I asked him what that was about. He told me that anytime he leaves his truck somewhere that might cause a problem, he leaves a note under the windshield wiper. 

The note had his phone number and a simple message: "If there is a problem with me parking here, please call."

I'll admit, I thought it was a waste of time. Half the guys in the area parked in that same spot every spring.

But John explained that a note can solve most problems before they start, just by opening the door to communication.

He had also written down exactly where we'd be fishing that day, in case of an emergency. At the bottom, he added one more line: "Be back in a minute."

That one was for anybody thinking about messing with the truck.

Nobody ever called that number, but the idea stuck with me. Today, I leave a note on my windshield every time I park to fish somewhere that isn't a marked lot.

To a landowner, an empty truck parked near their property looks a lot like a trespasser or a poacher.

A note changes that picture fast; now it belongs to someone who wants to be reachable, not someone trying to hide.

The same goes for tickets and towing.

I've noticed that most people would rather make a quick phone call than call a wrecker, as long as you give them the option.

And if you ever get hurt out there, searchers start with your vehicle. A note that says where you went can narrow that search in a hurry.

Keep it short and easy to read. For me, a good note has four elements:

Here's what mine usually looks like:

Never put a return time on your note. Hikers have learned the hard way over the years that a note saying "Back Sunday at 3 p.m." tells a thief exactly how long a vehicle will sit unattended.

You'll want to skip your full name and address, too, since a stranger reading your windshield doesn't need either one to give you a call.

And no matter how good your note is, keep your valuables out of sight. A note can buy you some goodwill, but it won't stop someone who spots a wallet or a rod case sitting on the seat.

The easiest way to make this a habit is to never have to think about it. Here's how I keep it simple.