An Ounce of Prevention Watch your gear !!

[JapanRon]

The tuna season is still on and, as happens every year, there is a need to do a reality check on oneself. Do you have all your fishing poles and reels marked for ID? I had this experience on a 3/4 day boat yesterday!

Upon bringing my poles on a boat, I put them in rocket launchers up on the sundeck that are usually visible from the stern, in consecutive order, and.... I have a bungie cord that I wrap around the rods I'm not using. Never learned how to fish two poles at at time.

Halfway through the day I go to get another pre-rigged rod and it's GONE yes GONE! I make a search of the boat once and nothing I make a second run and low and behold there it is! It's been used, the line kinda screwed up and tangled, the swimbait all beat to heck barely hanging on the leadhead and it's put near the bow of the boat, opposite the side of the stern I was on. It wasn't there the first round I made of the deck!

I was lucky to catch it when I did and also lucky that the gear wasn't the primo stuff someone would risk trying to get off the boat with. I guess I should be happy they didn't just throw it overboard.

Here's what I've done in the past to save me the heartache on the 1/2 and 3/4 day boats.
1) Get on the boat early enough to put your stuff in plain view.
2) Have your stuff marked with say the last four numbers of your drivers license. reelseats, buttcap of the rod, etc., etc.
3) Don't take stuff you really can't afford to lose on a strange boat or distant landing. Most of my stuff is scratched and scraped from party boat use.
4) Keep a casual eye on your stuff till the boat leaves the dock.
5) Have your tackle box all closed up and rods bundled ready to carry off the boat in one bunch in one visible place before you enter the harbor or near the landing!
6) Watch your fish! yes! people take fish on the party-boats. I never worry because I usually don't keep fish!
7) If you're in the jackpot, quietly mark your fish before putting it in the old gunny sack. And tell a buddy if you're fishing with someone.

I appoligize for making it sound like there are thieves at every turn but better safe than sorry.

I'm sure I've left out a lot but the above has served me well for many years. There's no need to tempt someone with a $600 or $$$$$$$ goodie.

Some of my tuna fishing buddies say that long-range boats are good (although cases of 150 pound tuna being stolen off the dock is not unheard of !!!) but some of the 1 or 1 1/2 day boats have problems with missing gear more often than one would think.

Have a happy trip and come back with everything you went out with!

JapanRon
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[DH_tubinjoe]

yes yes yes....this happens ALL the time. I have caught somebody trying to take a reel off of one of the regulars rod. it was a rather expensive reel too. i think it was a progear or something like that. but thats beside the point. fish gets stolen every day.

it is kind of frustrating. I suggest that you let it soak in a bait well for a little bit and then lay it next to your tackle box and then put something over it like a gunny sack. watch your rods!!!

if you can, take your reels off of your rods and put them in your tackle box or some place that they will not be dropped and someplace that nobody will be going through.



joe
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[fishfather]

The unfortunate fact is some real scumabgs fish. Fishing is the only thing in there life the the law or drug or alcohol can't take away.

I have met some really cool people fishing and made alot of friends through fishing then again I have been in fights on boats, had my gear stolen by a crewmember and some other un-sportsmen like conduct.

The best rule of all I feel is to fish with a group of friends. It's safer and funer. Whenever I go out on charters I also advise my friends a week or so in advance so two or three of us go out.
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