I want to make the members here aware of a situation.... I wasn't going to mention anything about what I found or about a conversation I had as well as something I was already aware of....but I think it warrants mentioning.

I was going through our display cargo bag yesterday for the first time after the RISAA show in preparation for the season. Upon opening it, I realized that I had three plugs missing...:rolleyes: They were a BM 3 0z. darter in a special color, a discontinued Big "O" in trout pattern (very difficult to find even when in production) and a custom, limited run, slim pencil popper with extra weight to it. Someone cherry picked these.....Now, it's not so much which plugs they were, but that someone or some people actually stooped to that level to steal out of someones bag at a show that was a display! :mad: It was also mentioned to me in that conversation I mentioned above (by another manufacturer of soft baits) that they too "had a bunch of stuff lifted"... This is all on top of Nils getting his medium skinz bag filled with plugs stolen out of his display kayak on Saturday. He was crushed that someone would actually do this... What a sad state of affairs! :hs:

I say this, the persons who did these things are a low bunch that will get nothing but bad karma from their action. They should also know that as vendors, we go to great lengths & expense to show the patrons attending the show our products, share our knowledge and simply spend time with them. When this sort of unsavory situation becomes rampant, no one will want to attend the show as a vendor and many will suffer for the moral shortcomings of the few.

People should be aware of this and should stop it if they see it - this is simply the right thing to do.

Thanks for your time, tight lines and have a great season this year!

Kadir

Not much worse than a thief other than a pedophile.

I know exactly what its like to have what you've EARNED stolen.
Sickening.

As a carpenter/builder and fisherman anyone that steals either tools should rot in hell. Most of us I am sure appreiciated what the vendors do at these shows, but for someone to steal from them is inexcusible. Kadir I am still in awe of that bag and the amount of stuff that can be stored in there. Chin but for a few doesn't make the rest bad. I for one if in a position of catching someone I would have stopped the offending party. :nailem:

I don't think any vendor made it home without losing something this year. We've discovered several "unexplainable" inventory discrepencies as well.

You probably will see the SWE at the show next year but without any product or at least far less to sell on site (this isn't just due to theft, but more because our costs will be lower and can just pass a discount on to customers instead). We'll have several computers set up and approximately a 10% discount (you won't get hit by tax either if you live out of state) on anything you buy that day from our website at the show, and we'll ship it from the store as the order is placed and you'll have it as early as Monday. The store will be open during the show for a change and will also have a sale going on as well.

Shows are too expensive for vendors to be getting robbed at. As Kadir suggested, keep an eye out on others as you walk around the show. As vendors get discouraged (some already are just by the sheer cost of going) the quality of the shows inherently drops. Much like #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& I have several guys getting paid whose only job is to watch.

Sorry to hear you to got hit Kadir.

Wow that is disturbing. Have to lock everything up these days no matter what, shameful.
I even picked up that big O myself and admired it since I have never seen one before(I did put it back so don't worry)
Sad that it has come to this at a fishing show.
Trust no one.

real sorry to hear that Kadir -man that sucks :fury:

and Also to hear of NILS.C stuff stolen as well...

i wasn't fortunate enough to attend either event

this year, for many reasons...

but when i do (next time)

you can rest assured that i will be watching

at any and all vendors booth's for a similar crime

and i'll have no reservation about jumping on top of them.

i would hope that everyone at S-B feels exactly the same way.

everything will have to be sealed in locked glass cases- geesch !

If I had seen anyone doing such a thing, I am thinking his casting arm might have wound up broken somehow!:realmad:

I had heard all the "theft" stories having been involved with the MSBA show for a few years. So with my display I ran a table across the front to keep folks at bay, they were able to see the plugs we had to offer in the locked display cases and when they wanted something we simply removed it from the peg board behind us and completed the transaction. We also let a few folks at a time come into the booth to look so as not to have too many folks in there at one time. Its a shame because it would be nice to have that open feeling for folks to browse but I could not afford the cost of the theft and it was just my wife and myself there. It worked out great I thought. I know the Aquaskinz booth is a bit more "interactive" so maybe this is not an option....that is a shame Kadir. #^&#^&#^&#^&heads are everywhere!!

theives suck bigtime! hope they know that reel bad karma will fall on them!!!! i always have 3- 5 people at shows watching our stuff and am sure i "lost a few"...:af:

I volunteer my security services, ok maybe not volunteer. How about a plug an hour?

Seriously, it's bound to happen. That big of a crowd, moving in all directions. Some vendors having one person to man the table. It's hard to watch each other backs when its that crowded and still give your customers your undivided attention.

Its a shame.

Several years back I was doing an odd job for a guy in the liquidation business, this was back before you had stores like Building 19 etc...

Basically he was buying merchandise from a housewares trade show show floor in Chicago at 25 cents on the wholesale dollar, then we would truck all the crap back to Iowa where he would sell it in his shop.

My job aside from driving one of the trucks was to keep the Teamsters from stealing everything before it could get loaded!

The amount of money you had to grease those guys to do anything was incredible.

-spence

know a vendor who had his trailer stolen at suffrin,ny show a few years back.

So many people with so much merchandise around. The friendly atmosphere, which is great for chatting with the manufactures, also keeps people occupied. Its a great idea to pay people to just watch, unfortunatly its the society we live in now. I know that i was being watched at many booths. I know its for the protection of the vendors. Its good that there is a presence of extra sets of eyes, im sure that it keeps the loss down. I liked Big Fishes display, saw one that looked good and asked to see it. But its not as shopper friendy as others where you can fondle all the pluggage you see.

You always assume that if anyone breaks into your vehicle for your gear when parked while fishing... it will be a junkie or illegal or bad kid or otherwise unrelated thief...


Scary thing about THIS story is I now must worry about other "serious" casters/ fishermen around me too! :yak5:


Besides really bad karma-- I'm warning these guys that they WILL get caught reselling guys' personal gear & plugs... because tweaks & mods. make stuff very recognizable in the reselling Marketplace... or even if they try to use the stuff themselves somewhere populated! :behead:

Sorry to hear this Kadir. Some people are real scum...

Did this happen one of the evenings? Not a prank?

Lowlife scum. Hopefully they get theirs in spades someday soon.

Sorry to hear that pal.
What is ever more appealing is that ,Aquaskinz is one of the most costumer friendly outfits in this whole sport.From their open boots to events sponsorships and donations to just about any cause they are ever asked to contribute ,Kadir certainly doesn't deserve to come home and find out his bag is a little "light"
Disgusting........

damn shame, and unfortunately it happens....
everywhere...
even heard of stuff gone missing at plug nights, and plugfest....
it is too damn bad, ya can't trust nobody, no more.
=========================================
i had a supposed friend steal my favorite shovel one day because he's a landscaper...

so i went to his place of residence and checked his truck and sure enough there it was ...so i reclaimed it

then the next week it was his birthday....so i went out and bought him a shovel just to teach him a lesson in humility

telling him...you never steal a mans shovel because he'll bury you with it....and i gave him a look in the eye like -> do it again
and thats what will happen to you.

then later that year he stole $200 dollars from me....

and if i see him again i'll hit him in the face rather than speak to him having already given him the benefit of the doubt once.

but i learned a two hundred dollar lesson .........and he lost a very good friend forever. someday it will come full circle as all things do
and then the joke will be on him...as karma rears it's ugly head.

100% GROSS-
Kadir call me tomorrow and I wil send you whatever I have to re-imburse your loss. Jeeezz-stick your neck out and someone is more than willing to ax it!! GROSS!

Talk to tomorrow bud!

If he did that then he was never your friend to loose.

I'll do anything for my friends, and if someone did that in return I'd make them hurt.

-spence

:smash:=========================================
i had a supposed friend steal my favorite shovel one day because he's a landscaper...

so i went to his place of residence and checked his truck and sure enough there it was ...so i reclaimed it

then the next week it was his birthday....so i went out and bought him a shovel just to teach him a lesson in humility

telling him...you never steal a mans shovel because he'll bury you with it....and i gave him a look in the eye like -> do it again
and thats what will happen to you.

then later that year he stole $200 dollars from me....

and if i see him again i'll hit him in the face rather than speak to him having already given him the benefit of the doubt once.

but i learned a two hundred dollar lesson .........and he lost a very good friend forever. someday it will come full circle as all things do
and then the joke will be on him...as karma rears it's ugly head.


Shouldv'e hit him with the shovel instead. Of course, you can't really change people- just the shape of their skull. :fishslap:

Theives are the lowest form of life, aside from rapist and pedophiles. Although, I have to imagine they are thieves in a way as well.

This post is why I have to lock my car doors. One more thing to think about because trust is a rare thing.

Very sad to hear, yet not suprising as I think the number of "yahoos" is on the increase. Maybe next year, we can all have people we know and trust work "undercover" and keep an eye out for other's gear.

Very sad indeed:agree:

You got to sell a lot of chit to make it worth while and when you're done you feel like bag of chit.
I did ok last year on books and t-shirts but man, you freaking earn it -I had not felt that tired since my grave digging days. Decided to pass this year.

Was at RISSA and thought the cargo bag looked great with it loaded with all the lures. Sorry to hear someone would be so low to steal such great plugs.

Sorry to hear that pal.
What is ever more appealing is that ,Aquaskinz is one of the most costumer friendly outfits in this whole sport.From their open boots to events sponsorships and donations to just about any cause they are ever asked to contribute ,Kadir certainly doesn't deserve to come home and find out his bag is a little "light"
Disgusting........

A few plugs thats a drop in the bucket as the poor sob is getting ripped off big time..:cens:
I agree Kadir is one of the best.He's always been there when I shake hands with my palm facing up..For that he gets the utmost respect in my book and my dollars when it is time to spend.F- mr.simms,mr bronco or the other scum who have ripped him off.It's totally unbelieveable that some jo china company has totally ripped his entire line off.Never mind a few plugs.It's a %$%$%$%$ty world we live in.Honor and integrity mean nothing.Greed is king..We as the surfcasting community need to stick together and spend our dollars where they can give back.Kadir gives back..I can't stress this enough..Is it really important to save a few pennies here or there..Don't let me see ya with one of them ripp offs..:nailem:\
Tell me there is reason to keep the faith..I still have faith in my fellow man but it is losing ground quickly.
I would never consider fishing with stolen tackle.Nor would I have the gall to try such a feat..I would love to catch someone in the act..I recently watched a old time movie...Justice was served..tarred and feathered...That would work fo me..

your words go along way to help others keep the faith :love:

Seems the good guys are always getting F#(|(T and the scumbags are doubling in strength.Kadir I would seriously be looking into a laptop and a multi camera spy setup for shows.Even if you miss the grab the video can help put the face on the theif.Sad it has to come to that.Sorry you got robbed like that I hope they all get caught and end up in Jail doing hard time as someones bitch.People wonder why I hate people.

I used to haul some of my plug collection out for all to see at various functions, last August at Plugnight at the MSBA someone stole an original 3 hook squid Gibbs Pencil Popper 2-3/4oz (the earliest model of the Gibbs Pencil and very rare) and an old Murat swimmer.

Sucks.

Sorry to hear about that K.

Truly a sad state of affairs. :realmad:

NIB;;
I,ve been hit alot :;

But you asked for something good ;;

here goes >.i told Vic & scott the other night ;;

One evening this week I stopped @ Ocean state job lot to get bird seed /I got a 50# & two 20#,s ...no doubt I needed a carriage . I paid by check so I had to show my ID >. I went to the truck & loaded the seed in the back ... I drown down the road a few miles & stopped at the store I get my dog food .. got it /but realized I didn,t have my wallet ;;
I pulled over looked all over the back /inder the seats ,etc >WTF I left it in the carriage ............ I drove back to OSJL >>>>>> the carriage was empty .I followed my path out /in case I had left it on the bumper ;; NOPE >>>>>> so I puuled near the entrance & went in & asked the girl register if anyone turn in a wallet ... she said yes . A nic eyoung boy .. I asked if was still there ,she said no but the manager was in the office trying to contact me from my business card . he came out gave me my wallet & I asked about the boy >>>>>>>> He has his name & number Alfonzo Resendies .. I talked him from the truck & identified myself ;; we talked & I asked were he lived ,he told me & I said I,ll be there in a couple of minutes ..
I went to the door & rang the bell after a short wait . a large man opened the door , I asked if I could speak to Alfonzo ?/ He said my son ,, yes sir >. the boy came /& gave a great handshake & said it was great to know there were good kids still around :: the father was beamimg & I told him he has to be a proud father .. his mother was in the kitchen & I yelled to her also ;;
Nice kid >I gave him all the money I had //$28 .. he didn,t want to take it & looked at his dad ;; [OK] I also said I did alot of fishing & it would be my pleasure to take them out fishing or if the didn,t care to fish ..I,d bring them fish ;;
I gave him my business card & said in about 3 weeks we,ll start to fill your freezer .. As I was leaving the mother yelled to me that they would be taking me up on that >>>>>> That ,s for sure .,. went I came home I put the paper in a safe place & they will be going fishing & they will fill their freezer ;;
I hope this helps somewhat >>.It made my night >>
MIKE:fishin:

About 2 months ago,I dropped a $20 on the floor at a gas station.A cute little girl gave me the "excuse me Mr,"So I offered it to her and her brother.They didn't wanna take it,their dad didn't want them to take it at first,but I talked them into it.It felt good.Sorry about your gear Kadir.

Great story Mike! There are some great people in this world...but you have to wade through the crap to find them!

I cant believe this! I am so naive. I have seen the "watchers" and more than once have started to get annoyed that they were watching me, thinking "what did I do?" I had NO IDEA that people had to deal with theft in a roomful of fishermen.

Yup! Its true! Very sad!

I can't believe the things I just read.
It turns my stomach.
I like to think that we all have some kind of bond as fishermen.
Most of us hold great respect for our resources, mother nature, the fish etc.
I would like to believe that that respect carried over to each other.
It's like stealing from family.
SCUMBAGS.:splat:
I hope I do not know or ever meet the kind of people who would steal from anyone, never mind from the hard working people at the shows who give us deals, save special items and donate to all of us non profit organizations.
I am sorry this happened to you guys.
I must be really naive to be as shocked as I am about this.
Even with this happening most of you STILL donated to our club.
Than you for that.
I will never be able to go to another show without thinking about this now.
I will pay more attention and keep my eyes open.

Ah........'scuse me Lucy but it appears I labored in the Salty booth under false pretenses. My understanding was that Big Cat was the Rent a Cop and I was there to attract female plug chuckers into the booth and "push" the pink needles and the powder blue one eyed.......Jakes!!!!!!

Now the truth comes out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NIB;;
I,ve been hit alot :;

But you asked for something good ;;

here goes >.i told Vic & scott the other night ;;

One evening this week I stopped @ Ocean state job lot to get bird seed /I got a 50# & two 20#,s ...no doubt I needed a carriage . I paid by check so I had to show my ID >. I went to the truck & loaded the seed in the back ... I drown down the road a few miles & stopped at the store I get my dog food .. got it /but realized I didn,t have my wallet ;;
I pulled over looked all over the back /inder the seats ,etc >WTF I left it in the carriage ............ I drove back to OSJL >>>>>> the carriage was empty .I followed my path out /in case I had left it on the bumper ;; NOPE >>>>>> so I puuled near the entrance & went in & asked the girl register if anyone turn in a wallet ... she said yes . A nic eyoung boy .. I asked if was still there ,she said no but the manager was in the office trying to contact me from my business card . he came out gave me my wallet & I asked about the boy >>>>>>>> He has his name & number Alfonzo Resendies .. I talked him from the truck & identified myself ;; we talked & I asked were he lived ,he told me & I said I,ll be there in a couple of minutes ..
I went to the door & rang the bell after a short wait . a large man opened the door , I asked if I could speak to Alfonzo ?/ He said my son ,, yes sir >. the boy came /& gave a great handshake & said it was great to know there were good kids still around :: the father was beamimg & I told him he has to be a proud father .. his mother was in the kitchen & I yelled to her also ;;
Nice kid >I gave him all the money I had //$28 .. he didn,t want to take it & looked at his dad ;; [OK] I also said I did alot of fishing & it would be my pleasure to take them out fishing or if the didn,t care to fish ..I,d bring them fish ;;
I gave him my business card & said in about 3 weeks we,ll start to fill your freezer .. As I was leaving the mother yelled to me that they would be taking me up on that >>>>>> That ,s for sure .,. went I came home I put the paper in a safe place & they will be going fishing & they will fill their freezer ;;
I hope this helps somewhat >>.It made my night >>
MIKE:fishin:



Two good people crossed paths that day Clammer. That story put a smile on my face.!

Kadir,

Sorry to hear this man just read it been out trout fishing all weekend. PM and address and scotty and I will try and get something out to you before your season starts. I cant do the big o in trout but I can do chrome and I think blue mullet :rotf2:

really sorry to hear about this, scumbags is right. ya know I saw the "watcher" guys around Salty's and the SWE booth and I thought that was a good idea, it just gets so damn crowded in there at times, I'm surprised more booths don't do that. If anybody needs any "watches" for next year, I'd be happy to do it free of charge for a few hours.

I had a run in with one such jerk at RISAA.
While talking to a plug builder/seller who has already chimed in on this thread, a guy over hears me ask the seller if he has a particular plug in his locked display case. Seller is over heard by the jerk as he says, "yes-I'll hold it in the back for you." 30 seconds later the jerk asks for the plug being held for me. In shock, and knowing I can get another one from the builder at a later date, I say in disgust- "TAKE IT!" That was Friday of RISAA. Monday that plug is for sale, at a mark up, on SOL. Turns out the guy is also flipping stuff from local shops on SOL and even on ebay. :realmad:

And I thought we were all in this sport to help each other enjoy our resource... :love:

Woody

of the thieves taking stuff really dredges up old bad memories like the one i posted...


so here's a big thank you to the Clammah Wizard for makin my day
with his good story...and yes it helps allot

Thanks folks for your thoughtfulness and overall concern, I know I appreciate it as do all the vendors that do these shows. If 10,000 people attend a show, chances are 9,900 are honest, morally correct and overall good people. That 1% however can leave a lot of people with a sour feeling and in some cases even disappointed in mankind (as Nils was). I lost a couple of plugs, no big deal...it's the action that is more troubling than the loss itself. What's next? My wallet or a purchase in a shopping bag under the table or behind the curtain??? Really messed up.

A year or two ago, at Suffern, NY, a large reel manufacturer got clipped for a bunch of high end reels and rods over the course of 4 days...now they have 10 people there...5 for the floor and 5 to watch from outside...another reel company rep. had to chase a guy through the isle to get his display reel back...and the show promoter got pissed at the rep. for making a scene :confused:when he caught the guy. All these things add to the bottom line for the ethical consumer in the overall cost of something. It could be the experience at the show itself, it could be availability of man. reps at shows or even the actual cost of the items the next season.

All in all we make our displays available to patrons and do not want to create a "lock-down" atmosphere but I can tell you guys, a lot of manufacturers are pissed that they keep coming back short from these shows. It is costing them way to much with man power, travel expenses, show expenses etc. and then to have stuff stolen...it's kinda like the straw that breaks the back. Again, I personally lost a couple of plugs...not a big deal but when you take into account all vendors and all the "lifting" that seems to take place from us all....it adds up to a lot of bucks.

Thank you once again for your gestures and offers, I personally appreciate it. Replacement plugs are great (but not necessary) and I thank those that offered them but what is even more valuable is to make sure that we watch out for one another...remember, even the vendors that are there are fisherman...and love the sport....otherwise they would be doing something else.... as this is one tough industry to make a living out of.

I ranted too much....sorry. Season is here,:jump: so have an awesome one, see some of you soon hopefully and tight lines to all!

Kadir