Anglers beware

[Pighunter]

How do people protect their gear? Locks and alarms are all well and good but does anyone use such stuff as Smart Water or some other security marker?
Just been thinking about if you find a rod somewhere you think could be your stolen rod (shop etc) how would you actually prove it was yours in the first place?

That one of the questions I asked the police last night, they said if I see it I have to prove 100% that the gear is mine to get it back, so basicly no chance. What I would do in future is right all the serial numbers of your gear down on paper.

 

[g-force]

Sorry to hear about your loss - it does seem to be a regular occurrence these days with sheds & garages getting done over. I don't know if it's opportunists (I know I was in my garage once, tending to my bait, when I heard someone try the handle on the garage door, then the back gate, then the neighbours, so obviously someone looking for an easy score) - or is it people who've maybe seen you putting gear away or getting it out and marked you for a future "hit".

Certainly it's worth keeping a record of serials numbers of your reels etc, just as you would with cameras, laptops etc. Rods are a bit more difficult; most anglers could probably recognise their own gear from an array of identical rods - especially if they've been customised with extra grip-tape, reel-seats and coloured whippings etc. but like you say, it's a case of being able to prove it. Perhaps the answer would be to mark the blank with your house number & post code with a security marker or the like - then have this covered by the reel seat or shrink tube etc. If your gear was then recovered or you spotted it up for sale you could prove it was yours by alerting the authorities to your markings.

Gary

 

[FISHERMAN]

Sorry to hear this psl... good idea would be to right your names on the rod with thoses pens that only show up under uv light would help to know it was yours or the dna spray stuff you can get. Just makes it easier to identify if you do get the chance to prove it. Hope you get it back!

 

[broon shoe]

sorry to hear about your gear getting stolen m8 hope they catch the scum bag who did it m8

 

[Jeffrob445]

With rods, I take the but cap off and put my name and address written in UV ink on a piece of plastic cut to be a tight fit inside the blank.

 

[Brashy]

Scumbags mate I always keep my gear in the house now (well the rods and my mags n main stuff) just to many scum bags out there. Hope you find them mate!

 

[Besty68]

This sort of thing boils my p**s, i had all my tools took from the shed a while back, i was shocked at how much it all came to when i was putting a claim in, it's not so much the gear going as i'm sure you'll get it replaced, it's the thought of some smack head being in your property...hope you get it sorted.

 

[stephie1]

Sorry to hear this psl... good idea would be to right your names on the rod with thoses pens that only show up under uv light would help to know it was yours or the dna spray stuff you can get. Just makes it easier to identify if you do get the chance to prove it. Hope you get it back!

That wouldn't work as phils name would be one every bodies rod in the norf as he's owned them all at one point

 

[coppola]

Just a thought but its worth checking all the local Cash Converters. those places take fishing gear in and if the punter des not return in the given time to buy back the sell it. Many of thesse oppertunists are using them as a kind of fence (for want of a better discription)

 

[Scrubbs]

photographs take seconds to take on today's mobiles especially particularly scratched or wear patterns which are unique to the rod or reel and can be shown to the police or pawnbroker in seconds to prove a point of ownership. especially if the photo is date stamped.