Baits stolen

[Teri C.]

2 large trays of all my senko & worms were stolen out of my locked compartment last night. About $400 worth of stuff right before my tournament. Sucks! This is after I drove 3.5 hour drive to find out they forgot to put a part back on the motor after servicing & water was spewing out where u put a hose connection. i was able to rig something for the weekend & now, no baits. alabama sucks!

 

[Bob G.]

That sux!! Thieves suck too....and they aren't all in Alabama!!



You should always check your motor on the muffs with a hose at home after any service work. I personally don't trust anyone. Just cuz they said it's good to go doesn't mean that it is.



I'm not a big time tournament fisherman like you are, but I do keep all of my tackle in 2 of those yellow water resistant BPS tackle bags. I take them in and out of my boat if my boat isn't locked in a real garage. I can put lots of days worth of fishing stuff in those 2 bags. I keep extra baits and stuff in a plastic storage bin in my truck to replenish the bags as needed.



This what I use. I'm not sure which size I have.....I can get 6 plano boxes in one and all of my plastics in the other one.



Edit: Looks like the yellow Extreme bags from BPS are being discontinued. Now that SUX!!




http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...15895_100011010_100000000_100011000_100-11-10

 

[Mini]

Did they do damage to the boat?

 

[Jim in VA]

Teri - sorry to hear. That really stinks. Unfortunately, I fear we may hear more stories like this given the economy's status. Bad enough when you get stuff stolen in good times - with more folks going through tough times, more and more otherwise "honest" folks are going to face temptation. Not excusing it (there really is no excuse for theft!), just saying we should all be a bit more diligent. Clearly, locked boats aren't enough anymore. Makes me think its time to get one of those lok-R-bars . . .

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Ohhhhhh that sucks royal.....I guess that is the reason that most of the tournament folks take all of their gear and rods into the room with them at night. Did you have the cover on? Looks like there is a baby monitor in your future. Put it under the cover and the receiver right next to your pillow. Let me know what you need senko wise and I'll geet you re-stocked but not in time for the tournament I'm afraid.



TOXIC

 

[Dan J.]

Sorry to hear it happened to you, but it's been a common occurance around tourney sites for years. A baby monitor is a comfort (still, guys have been hit only to hear the squeel of tires going down the street before they can reach their rig), but removing your gear is the smartest habit you can develop when fishing a traveling tourney trail. I also leave my hatches unlocked with nothing to fret losing inside. Theives tend to target locked hatches thinking there must be something good to be locked. I never have to deal with frozen locks in winter, either. Cull your tackle down to what you are going to use and reload/rescript your choices at the hotel. I've seen more fishermen flounder in a T while going lure hopping every 5 minutes afraid that the next choice of a thousand baits handy is THE one. You'll find you can get really good at a few select tools of choice fast, instead of trying to keep them all wet. Worse than that is lugging around a bunch of dead weight when not in use. Sorry again it happened to you. You're not too far, so PM or holler if I can help. NOW STOP MOANING IN YOUR WHEATIES AND GO FISH!!!! :lol:

 

[Berry Lindley]

That really stinks, but you know there are crackheads everywhere. I fish in FL panhandle a lot, and don't even leave rods locked in the car in my aunt's driveway since there is so much theft there. AL is nowhere near as bad as FL, but it just takes 1 nutcase to ruin an experience. Actually I can't believe that is all they got. Thank goodness this is all out of the way this week and not next week.

 

[Teri C.]

I suppose it could have been worse but it still didn't feel too good. I did have a cover on the boat and they didn't damage anything. It's almost like they had a key. Are those compartment keys universal or just really easy to get in. I thought these locks were a bit better than ones I've seen but guess not.



Toxic, they didn't get most of what you sent because I hadn't had time to organize them. I lost all my 297's but that was it of the stash you sent. Buzz, they took all the ones you sent. So sorry. I DO NOT expect you all to send more. What you sent was plenty. I was just standing in the parking lot today waiting on someone and didn't know what to do or say so I just posted this.



It was definitely someone who knew the good stuff and was only after tackle because there was alot more stuff in that compartment.



Does this boat REALLY have bad mojo?:blink:



Hopefully, this week will be better.



Bob G., good to hear from you. Not sure why you think I am a big time tournament fisherman, just thought it would be something good to do to learn and fish other lakes. Not off to too good of a start.

 

[Rich Stern]

Argh! Sorry, Teri.



Take a deep breath. And then track those bastards down and torture them! :angry:

 

[Pierre Voisine]

Teri,



sometimes these tests will propell you to win.



I remember when we had a Nitro Owners Tournament on Champlain, organized by Mr Lamoy, we were all at the hotel hangning out and I was locking my boat, when someone walked over (I think it was Mac) and started unlocking every compartment of ever boat. Nitro keys are standard and so are most of the other boats as well.



pierre

 

[Bill McElroy]

Pierre,...I don't remember doing that,..BUT,...if it WAS me....I wasn't looking for baits...I was looking for your Bradours!!



Teri,..that SUCKS bigtime!! Go down there for the tournament...kick THEIR asses and take THEIR money!! (Then,..we'll sendya more chit!!,...wait'll you come up in May..we'll send you home with a good stash!:wub: )

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Dammit! I hate thieves!:angry:

Let us know if you find out who and the Mafia and I will be right down to save the day

 

[Mini]

Good there was no damage. I was broken into on Okeechobee about 10 years ago. Lost $5700 worth of stuff out of my truck. They even stole my underwear and toothbrush. I was camping at the lake and drove around to another launch (South Bay)

 

[Buzz Bouvier]

Teri, when you get a chance call me on my work #

Buzz

 

[Greg Meyer]

Let me be the first with the hot poker to bare flesh... Catch them and they are mine... They will find out that there are no rules... No catch and release here... Fillet and cook to perfection...

 

[Brian Ingersoll]

Boy, that sucks. I always take my rods in my hotel room and lock and cover my boat. Another big thing is a prop lock, a few of the venues around here have had incidents of thieves going through a parking lot and helping themselves to a bunch of shiny stainless props. I've never taken tackle into my room, especially soft plastics, because I never thought they would be worth stealing. Might have to start thinking about that.

 

[Teri C.]

If you think about it, a large tackle tray can hold alot of plastics, especially if you are a crammer like me. 15 packs of Senkos on each side, 30 x 6 = $180 in free baits. I had them ultra stuffed so someone got a "steal". Some of the senko stuff was from very generous people on this board. I am more sick about losing those than the ones I paid for. The Berkley tray I lost was all "out of pocket" money. Worms, lizards, shakey's, etc. All my favorite stuff is gone.



I will be going to Dick's tonight because it's close to pick up a few things. I stopped at Academy Sports who is sponsoring the WBT and bought about $50 worth of stuff there. I am fortunate enough to be able to spend $50 right now.

 

[Dan J.]

Another thing to check....lock your compartments, then apply steady unlocking pressure on the locked hatch. I bet 90% of the folks that try this upon receipt of their boat will be flabbergasted! (My big word for the day. ) Most boats straight from the factory with Perko and Attwood 2" locking hatches will unscrew from the hatch while locked. It's a compression fit through carpet and sometimes hatch lining. They zip 'em on from the mfg. and when the foam cells collapse and carpet fibers mat, the big nut on the back has little to no resistance. Everybody should go out to their boat with a set of channel locks and tighten those lock rings as snug as possible. I hash a few threads closest to the nut to slow the backing of it, but not destroy it. Also, if your hatch locks lock via a plastic swing arm off the lock shaft, don't bother. A quick jolt upward will snap the arm. (Don't ask me how I know that! ) Replacing with a metal one and installing like above is the only cure. All it does is slow 'em down to make them look for an easier target. Dealers replace a ton of locks due to theft. Just ask 'em.



Most importantly, don't sweat the small stuff. Kharma will swing the offending turd's way. You can count on it!

 

[Mini]

true words once again Dan!

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Darn Teri, I'm sorry! I hate a darn thief as much as anything.:angry: With all of the bad luck you've been having girl, it's time for something really big, nice, and chocked full of good luck to happen for you!! Just don't let it get you down. You've got a lot of support here and a bunch of good wishes being sent your way!



Uncle Billy

 

[Donnie Matney]

Teri my fishing partner has a steel rod that lays on his deck to lock all compartments. I think it's called a lock-r-bar or something. He has a Ranger, not sure which model, but it will lay across all his doors. He also has one for the rear compartment to protect his batteries. Sorry that someone ripped you off, just focus and win!!



Hope this helps.



Donnie

 

[TritonGlenn]

Teri,

So sorry to hear about the theft and your loss. If I can do anything to help, please give me a shout. I'd be happy to send some stuff your way.



Donnie,

I've known people with those too. Some ingenious (read that as "biggest jerk ever") theif a few years ago figured something out though - we have a tool on our trailers that works for them. They took the winch strap, flipped it over the bar and locked it back on itself. Then they used the boat trailer winch to bend and break the bar out of the fiberglass. Tore up the boat pretty bad. The guy still got his stuff stolen, but even worse, they tore up his boat in the process - and to add insult to injury - did it with something that he "supplied" them with. That really sucked.



I think the best course of action now-adays is to remove everything from your boat every night that you are away from it. I took my bow unit out of the flush mount it was in and put it on a Ram mount so that I could take it off when I want to. I need to figure out something for my dash mounted unit as well.



Can anyone recommend a good boat alarm system as well? I know about the baby monitor thing... but I want something permanant.



All the best,

Glenn