Fishermen pick up your garbage!!

While trout fishing this past weekend I was so disgusted with all the styrofoam cups,plastic bottles,cans,paper,fishhline and last but not least cigarrette butts scattered all over the banks and in the streams. I know other people litter also but we need to all get together and help clean up . Land owners will shut us down if we show little respect for there land . A fishing run can be a litter pickup trip on your way back. Lets stick together and respect private property and mother nature. Show others that you care. Oh and almost forgot, fish guts…..they dont belong in the water or on the banks either.

I agree! However you are giving them more credit than they deserve by calling them fishermen!!!

I ususally have a little extra room in my vest, but unfortunately, that fills up to fast!!!

Jim W

There isn’t a quicker way to lose fishing privileges–or respect–on private land than by being a slob angler. And AMEN about slob smokers. Take a walk along a body of water some day and try to count the hundreds of nonbiodegradable cigarette butts you’ll find. The vast majority of smokers have no respect whatsoever when it comes to disposing of their butts. They just flick them out of their boats and throw them in the water, thinking they’ll just sink and go away. Wrong. They end up on beaches and shorelines and take years and years to degrade. Ditto when you’re driving down the road–what the hell do you think ashtrays are for? A great solution would be to put a deposit on all cigarettes–to be refunded upon return of the butts. Maybe smokers would think twice if THEY were the ones who had to pick them up and dispose of them. Nuff said.

Catfish,

I’m glad you used the word majority since I smoke!! WHen on the stream they are put out, then deposited into my vest pockets!!! Or they are field stripped!!

I understand how important landowner relations is, but like you said it doesn’t stop there!

Jim W

Jim.I’ve read your posts for a long while now and you seem to be a man of integrity so,I believe you when you say you pocket your butts.Do you know what a rare thing that is?I mean, I’ll bet you could count the guys on one hand(probably with a few fingers missing)statewide that do that.My hats off to you and everyone that picks up after the pigs.It’s my pet peeve!How does one go to a place of beauty and peace and leave their sh*# there?God help me or the person that I catch in the act…there WILL be a confrontation.I have to go calm myself now.Mike

TROUTMAN,

Thanks for the kind words, my next goal is quitting, then I don’t have to worry about burning my fingers, putting the suckers out when I get a strike!!HEHEHEHE!

Ummmm, I think I will wait a while, after I catch that 24 +er this season!!!

Take your frustration out on your rod, letting it bend to the weight of a mean fighting browner!!!!

Jim W

AMEN! Thanks Jim W, Catfish John and Troutman for your support. Hopefully people seeing us picking up trash will give others the message. Jim W, I hope when you said your vest fills up fast you dont mean 20inchers!! LOL Wish I could make it to Forestville on the 27th but I’ll be chasing a tirdy pounder(turkey that is). Troutman, I hope your not packing heat in your vest!! And Catfish John I hear you on the butt stuff. This posting just reminded me about one time long ago I was fishing Trout Run and I thought it was legal to walk IN the stream on designated streams. My buddy and I C@R many nice fish and had our fannys full of garbage and along came the landowner and chewed our *%#* off for tresspassing. We didnt see signs,we apoligized,he saw all the garbage we picked up and said nothing. When we got back to the truck,the sherriff was there and gave us a talkin too. The landowner probably got his attitude from slobs and is not taken any more [censored] from people. We asked later that year to fish and he showed us the door. All they can say is no, right.

Jim W. and others, this is a sore subject for me as well. Unfortunately, us SPORTSMAN have to clean up after others in alot of ways. Some people use the resources and never put a thing back. In fact, they leave a mess or don’t otherwise contribute to the good of the resource. We have all bought trout stamps, habitat stamps, licenses, joined clubs, etc. Yet others go out there and use the resource and don’t give a rip. In fact they throw their cans and cups into the resourse, have never invested a penny into the resource, and go about their way.

I put a couple of plastic grocery bags into my vest when ever I go to a stream or out to hunt a public area. I know there will be garbage left there by someone who has less respect. I pick up cups and junk and put them into the bags. When they are full I tie them to the back of a belt loop or my vest and usually the weight doesn’t bother me. They are disposed of when get home.

My point is that this helps me deal with the frustration of this problem. Sure, I don’t think that I should have to clean up others messes. Still, I feel like I am doing something to help by using action. If we all chip in maybe we can keep up with the slobs because, unfortunately, we are not going to change them.

This weekend I picked up two worm containers(one still full of half decayed nighties) and a half bottle of mountain dew, all in the same spot. To whom ever left that, your lucky I didn’t catch up to you. I wasn’t happy!

Fishing : I had the best day EVER trout fishing. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you the size and numbers of large fish I caught! I’ll leave it at that.

Jim W