Becoming a trashman

[Mobasser]

I fish with my grandson much of the time now, at least once a week.  When we finish fishing, we make a quick sweep of the lot and pick up trash. We sometimes bank fish a small lake, and as we walk back we pick up what we can, and throw it away.I know there are others on this site who do this too. I carry a small roll of trashbags in my boat. Before we go to a new spot,  we make a quick scan of the boat to make sure nothing blows out once we are moving.Do others do this too? If you saw someone intentionally being careless with trash would you confront them or report them? I don't like people who trash the lakes. We don't spend a lot of time on this, but every little bit can help. At some point the wind will blow these things onto the surface of the water, eventually going into the water. Some lakes are worse than others, but it doesn't matter how big or small. If you do this - that's great. Good fisherman respect the waters they fish, and want to keep them in good shape. Would you rather pitch your jig into good water, or onto a pile of floating debris?

[islandbass]

I am like you, but I am sad to say that we who do this, are in the minority.  It got so bad at the dock that they not only added a large trash bin, but also installed receptacles to dispose of line.  Garbage still finds its way to the dock floor and sometimes even the water. The line bins are also load with garbage such as soda cans, fast food to go things yet there is a freakin' trash can strategically and conveniently placed for everyone.  It's more the stupid adults than the kids too! I'm too sick and tired of being a goodie two-shoes nerd to politely talk to them anymore. Tempers are short on people these days.  I'd hate for any of them to pull out a knife or gun on me too, because they might regret it. Forget sleepless, they're clueless in Seattle.

 

 

[Arcs&sparks]

I pick up trash when I am out.  

 

But it let’s face it,  you and I do our own part to pollute the lake,  oil from the motor, soft plastics get shaken off, and hard baits caught on the bottom. I hardly use real senkos anymore,  I hate seeing them fly off the hook. 

[Jar11591]

I love to read things like this. It’s great seeing others care enough to pick up someone else’s garbage. Any trash I see on the boat launches or in the water and I can reach it with the net, I will dispose of.

 

Won’t always confront people, because that can create bad situations, but sometimes I literally can not help myself. At the very least I will report a litterbug. In my opinion, littering is one of the most selfish, ignorant, scummy things a human can do. What really makes my blood boil is seeing trash strewn across my favorite lake’s boat launch and park, when there is a huge garbage can right there. How can someone not feel guilty or embarrassed about leaving their trash to clutter up a public place, or for someone else to clean up. I can not comprehend that mindset. 

[jbmaine]

Always carry a trash bag in the boat, pick up anything we see.

[Oregon Native]

My grandson loves to grab trash while the boat is moving slow down the lake.  As we go from spot to spot we'll see the floaters and do a fly by.  Thank you to those that care.

[kenmitch]

I just want to say thanks to those who do have the option of picking up the trash they see in the lakes and along the shoreline. As summer rolls on I'd imagine you guys will be busy! I don't really understand why some people think it's ok to just leave their trash and go on their merry old way.

 

I kayak fish out of a Slayer 10 so I don't really have the option of picking up what I see as I don't have the storage space for it. The inner me wants to pick it up, but the outer me doesn't have the option. I guess I do my part by leaving a zero/tiny impact on the lake. If I have a smoke it stays in the yak, if I tear a plastic beyond use it stays in the yak, if I cut or strip out some line it stays in the yak. If I snag a lure which I do a lot I go and retrieve it if at all possible. Once in a while I'll loose a lure, once in a while I'll find another's lost lure so maybe it balances out?

 

I once did a catch and release on a bird. I was lipless crankbait fishing and had made a long cast and my lure spooked a group of birds. Really bad timing on his/her part as it swam the wrong way. My lure snagged it on the webbing of it's foot which I guess was the best place to snag a bird in the end. It panicked and started weaving thru bushes and trees to get away. I use 30lb braid so it had zero chance and was hooked good. I didn't have the heart to leave it tangled in my line to die a slow death or drown in it's struggle. After thinking it over and trying to get it back thru the brush  I decided the only way was to let some line out and let it swim away. Once it was clear of brush I slowly got close enough to use my net to snag the lure. It looked at me and made  one cry for help as I unhooked it with my pliers. It made me feel good inside knowing that I undid what I had done although not intentionally.

[NYWayfarer]

I bring a bag with me when I am fishing for the express purpose of picking up trash I find.

 

My favorite spot is littered with plastic worm cups and chicken liver containers. That's fishermen trash and that's the most depressing part of seeing it strewn about. Fisherman should know better.

 

I don't ever confront anyone over littering. The most I have done is pickup a can immediately after someone dropped it and deposited it into a trash can less than 5 feet away. The litterbug looked at me like I had 2 heads. Confrontations can go south real quick nowadays and who needs that aggravation anyway? I fish to relax.

 

Oh and be careful picking up others trash. Use grippers or thick gloves as to not get injured.

[BassNJake]

I take out a bag of trash with me everytime I leave the lake.

The fact I can fill a bag each time is sad.

 

[TOXIC]

Fishing the Potomac it is a frustrating situation.  There are so many tributaries that flow into the river that every time it rains there are tons of trash that get picked up and deposited in the river.  We always ****** what we can when on the water, especially large pieces of plastic like grocery bags, ice bags, etc., because those are lower unit killers.  With DC and other large metro areas on the banks, there's some pretty nasty stuff that I won't touch like condoms and syringes that are pretty common floaters.  

 

When I used to wade fish the North Fork of the Shenandoah river, a lot of the access points were shut down due to people completely trashing the areas and I mean everything from a to z left behind, clothing, beer cans, bait containers, dirty diapers, paper plates, fish carcasses and damage from campfires just to name a few.  As a result landowners just shut down access.  I was fishing a spot with a friend and we collected 4 bags of trash before we started.  Unknown to me it was private property and it wasn't long before the Sheriff showed up.  Because of the litters, there is a -0- tolerance for trespassing and just as he was getting ready to write me a ticket, he noticed the bags stacked up next to my jeep.  He asked what they were and I told him.  Instead of writing me the ticket, he thanked me and was going to the landowner to tell him what we did and to make sure that we could get access anytime by letting him know who we were.  

[NYWayfarer]

3 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

When I used to wade fish the North Fork of the Shenandoah river, a lot of the access points were shut down due to people completely trashing the areas and I mean everything from a to z left behind, clothing, beer cans, bait containers, dirty diapers, paper plates, fish carcasses and damage from campfires just to name a few. 

On my last fishing trip to the Hudson River I found a dirty diaper. Looks like someone changed their baby on a rock and left the diaper behind...

[new2BC4bass]

I often practice and try out new gear at a local river.  Hard to pick up plastic bottles and foam cups floating by when you are a shore fisherman.  I often pick up garbage left on shore.  Especially any line I find laying around.  Any I cut off tying on a new lure goes in my pocket.  If at my car, it goes in the trunk.

 

Lots of people are slobs.  A bowl of mac and cheese on the ground 6-8 inches from a garbage can.  Pull up in a parking lot and people have dumped their ash tray or fast food bags with containers and left over food on the ground....with a trash receptacle a short distance away.  And I thought I was lazy. 

[rtwvumtneer6]

I've been raising the issue for years for my local County Park lake to put trash bins near the water, and to install line disposal stations.  The push back that I'm gettting is, "We've had trash cans in the past, but people throw them into the water." It drives me crazy they won't even enterain the idea of chaining them down.  There is literally one dumpster that serves the entire area, and it's a little over a mile to walk the lakes perimeter. 

 

I hate to litter no matter where I am, but that's not true for everyone. But, maybe if they had the option of a trash can, some might use them.  There are a lot of pets and wildlife in the area, also.  There have been several occasions that I know of where they have been hurt by fishing line. The park staff does clean up, but it's too large of an area for just a few dedicated folks to handle, along with their normal maintenance responsibility.

 

Sorry, more of a rant than anything but at least I know with you guys it's not falling on deaf ears and you can appreciate my frustrations and concern. If anyone has any suggestions or success stories to help make a change, please let me know!

 

Enjoy the weekend.  

[BrackishBassin]

I’m a bank beater by trade, and I always carry a grocery bag with me to my local spots. It’s usually filled by the time I leave and very little of it is mine. I’m doing my part, but as an added bonus, I often find lures looking for trash. So, it all ends up even in the end. I try to focus on fishing line. It’s downright deadly for anything that gets tangled up in it. You wouldn’t believe how many yards of braid I’ve collected in the past year. 

[Catt]

Being Ole School, we were taught as Fisherman, Hunters, Sportsman, or Outdoorsman ya bring back more than you brought.

[greentrout]

12 hours ago, BrackishBassin said:

 I try to focus on fishing line. It’s downright deadly for anything that gets tangled up in it. You wouldn’t believe how many yards of braid I’ve collected in the past year. 

ditto...my back left pocket is usually full of discarded line on the bank...some real low-lifes out there...

 

good fishing...