im new here but i stumbled on this post and felt the need to comment......please note that i am NOT related to any of the two groups im talking about. I feel the original posters sense of loss and frustration as well....i have been there too...hell, you need some gear, feel free to message me and i will try to help out.
there are two groups of eastern European anglers down at the Sasamat floating bridge....Serbians and Croatians,....... i have fished alongside both, and have experienced nothing but fun times with both groups. There has been beer sharing (oops, not supposed to drink there i know...but just one on a fine summers night fishing......
) there has been good (sometimes heated) political discussion and good fishing discussion. None of the two groups down there strike me as gear thieves....i have personally witnessed them noticing that people have forgotten gear and they (the Eastern Bloc crowd) have put down their rods and beer, and jogged up the trail to try and catch the owners of said gear before they drive off.
in their respective countries, theft is not taken lightly......it is highly frowned upon...no one likes thieves....
i cannot comment on the original posters situation, obviously, having not been a firsthand witness....but before swords of assumption are swung at certain groups, maybe take a minute to assess the full situ. <<<(Speaking as a former LPO (Loss Prevention Officer)>>>>, those docks get CROWDED, its takes less than a second or two to pick up and walk away with gear. A fishing rod looks like a fishing rod looks like a fishing rod...........we are busy chucking our lines into the water, our concentration and situational awareness is not 100% at that time.....not blaming the OP, just saying sometimes we glance away from our stuff in the heat of a fishstrike....or perhaps a lesser experienced angler picked up the wrong gear
best thing to do is keep your gear right at your feet or with a friend.......
dont let the Eastern Bloc fellow anglers rough exterior and gruffness get to you....say hi, fish alongside of them, chat fishing, girls, sports etc......they are no different than you or I. When you get to know the people that FREQUENT the local fishing holes, you can network......best way to prevent gear theft and recover gear.
hell of a second post for me....
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Topic: My gear stolen from the dock at Sasamat lake. (Read 14426 times)