PSA - Trash while on the water

[Smirak]

I try to be as diligent as I can when cutting line out on the water and ensuring it makes it back to the actual trash. I also try to clean up line when I’m in the kayak if I see it. I try to pick up trash whenever I can. If you need to know why you should be diligent as well, go watch Ocean Conservation Namibia on YouTube and see why…

 

Anyone else? I’ve been noticing lately at the ramps around here the PVC tube containers for waste fishing lines…

[Mobasser]

There will always be some low life's who trash the lakes, and it's a shame they do.this. Adopt a leave no trace attitude, and you know you've done your part.                                                           Leave no trace is basically leaving the area cleaner than you found it, and, is how we should all be when we go fishing.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

One of the biggest differences between first and third world nations is the quality of their watersheds.

 

Nothing is more striking than looking at pictures of rivers in India or China.    It's beyond sad, it's maddening and depressing.   

 

As the supreme intelligent being on the planet, it's our responsibility to protect the environment so that every other organism has the chance at a healthy life. 

 

I guess we're tree hugging friends now 🤣

[gim]

I generally do not pick up trash when I am recreating outdoors.  My policy is to pick up after myself in life because that's how I was raised.  That includes when I'm fishing or hunting.  Leave the land and water how you find it is generally how I operate.

 

However, I make an exception for discarded fishing line.  I don't find a lot of it, but balls of old fishing line can really foul things up and cause a lot of damage.  I have found it wrapped around my prop, both bow mount and outboard.  I've never seen it myself either, but obviously certain types of wildlife can suffer or die from it too including birds and fish.

 

I caught a tiger muskie (the only muskie I caught all season) in September that had a partially-rusted treble lodged in its mouth with about 2 feet of old fishing line attached.  I was astonished that fish could even feed or eat with that thing in there.  I properly removed it and then released that fish alive.

 

Ice fishing is in full swing here and certain amount of them are slobs.  The DNR and LEOs have really tried to crack down on this in recent years, but there's just not enough of them out there enforcing it.  People leave empty propane tanks, trash, beer cans, dead fish, and feces on the ice.  Its appalling.

 

 

[Alex from GA]

I have a story about a 3rd world country.  Years ago we were coming home, So Calif, from a week in Baja and asked a campground owner where we can dump our bags of trash.  He took one and threw it over a cliff.  We didn't give him the rest.  Took it back home and put it in our trash cans.  I saved a Great Blue Heron that was tangled in some fishing line and a young sandhill crane with a bunch of rope on it.  The parents weren't happy with me handling their baby. 

[Tackleholic]

I have found dead birds wrapped in fishing line, nowhere near any water.  When I discard line, be it mine or not, I always cut it into very small pieces before placing it in the trash.

[A-Jay]

I have one simple rule for the low life humans who littler on or near Lake Menderchuck.   Shoot to kill.

Really cuts down on repeat offenders.

OK, I'm not ventilating these losers,

but that doesn't mean I haven't considered it.  Litters represents The Lowest and most selfish portion of the population. 

A-Jay

[PourMyOwn]

I lost access to the pond down the road because a guy had a campfire on a boat ramp and left trash everywhere.  The landowner (who was well within his rights) put up a gate.

 

As for discarded line, I melt it into a cube using my heat gun then throw it away. 

[Smirak]

I’ve seen my fair share of third world waterways (Tigris and Euphrates being two). The org I spoke of above rescues cape fur seals off the coast of Namibia that are entangled in whatever… Really awesome conservation project…til you remember that cape fur seals are the great white shark’s seal of choice 😂😂

[MediumMouthBass]

I wouldnt touch anyone elses garbage, especially with all the drug addicts leaving trace amounts of fentanyl on things. And in PA theres alot of really interesting looking people walking past you on the bank trail on your way out right when the place closes for the day to go "fishing", interesting enough they never have any rods. Same guys usually are the ones setting fires all across the bank and leaving beer cans all over. This is my experience with fishing just 1 reservoir in particular. They had to close down access to the other side of this place years ago because these people were taking trucks and cars back and dumping garbage bags, mattresses, other junk. Now we are only allowed to fish a very small amount of this 100' deep clear reservoir. And its bank only, so 20% access is all thats left.

However the same guys keep coming back, dump there trash all along the bank. between that and the 2 guys who died ice fishing there last year when there was barely even any ice (which is not allowed) there have been talks about this whole place getting shut down😌

 

Then the other smaller lake across from it a half mile is another story, this area of PA gets a lot of "visitors" from our neighboring states. Well there was a group from each state here, chucking there small dog into the water over and over again, not tossing, full on throwing that thing out there like it was a sport, then they started breaking branches off a tree and tried to start a fire on the boat launch. Yes on the boat launch. After an hour they started fighting and they threatened to shoot each other. They left a bunch of garbage from both cars at the boat launch too.

 

Now the guys that fish bass and panfish around here usually pretty good at cleaning up there garbage (except the stocked trout guys, you can expect Powerbait bottles all along the bank during the spring). However most of these guys feel the need to cut 100' of line off anytime they get stuck.

I take all my garbage home to throw away, except the pickerel. I throw that back in the water!

 

[Bankbeater]

Every time I go fishing I try will pick up trash.  A lot of it is old beer cans/bottles and torn packages that baits have came in.  Years ago we saw a great egret hanging in a tangle of fishing line about 25 or 30 feet off of the ground.  I don't know how it got up that high with fishing line around it, but it was very sad to see.

[Big Hands]

Sometimes we just go for a ride and collect trash, especially when the lake level is way down. We find all kinds of stuff. Most of it is discarded refuse, but I have pilled up about half a dozen expensive anchors. But mostly just trash.

[Swamp Girl]

Thanks to all of you who lug trash home. I wish that there were lakes set aside for litterbugs. They'd be free to dump all the trash they wanted, but never free to go to any of the trash-free lakes reserved for the rest of us. 

[TOXIC]

Jobbie Nooner happens every year on St Clair.  You can only imagine.  

[Skunkmaster-k]

I usually clean up after the mouth breathers. 

[GreenPig]

  I'm not a trash hunter, but if I come across trash, I pick it up. Sadly every trip to public lakes I'm packing somebody else's trash out. 

[papajoe222]

I put my line waste in a container I keep in the boat.

It's the same place I put all the line my trolling motor picks up during the course of a day.

I understand that shore anglers break off on snags and can leave some long sections of line out there, but I pick up more line from spots only boaters can be responsible for. That really gets my BP up 😠, even more so than the amount of trash I pickup floating. There is no excuse for leaving 30+yrds. of line out there when you get hung up. Don't want to ruin a spot (common excuse)? Sorry dude, you ruined it jerking on that snag for the last five min.

[T-Billy]

@Big Hands, I'd have left those old tires. I've caught a bunch of LM off of them over the years. For some reason, they really seem to like them. If the bottom substrate is right they'll spawn in them.

[Big Hands]

16 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

@Big Hands, I'd have left those old tires. I've caught a bunch of LM off of them over the years. For some reason, they really seem to like them. If the bottom substrate is right they'll spawn in them.

 

I considered that. This particular area wasn't exactly in need of spawning habitat. I asked the lake staff if they wanted me to leave them or to get them out, and they definitely wanted to get them out.

[TnRiver46]

These people are great 

https://www.keeptnriverbeautiful.org

[Susky River Rat]

I will pick up fishing line that I reel in. Like @MediumMouthBass way too many tweakers and weirdos to go around picking up their garbage. I’ve seen people passed out in their vehicles in the boat ramp parking lots. I don’t know if it’s like this everywhere but, a lot of trashy people hang out around our boat ramps. 

[Jar11591]

I fish a couple urban lakes where if I started picking up trash I would never have time to launch my boat. I’ll always pick up fishing line and worm containers when I see them though. 
 

Most of my fishing is up in the mountains and when I see trash at the launches at these lakes I pick it up. These mountains are some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and a ton of resources go into protecting them and keeping them pristine, so I like to do my part.
 

Litter saddens me and so do the losers who perpetrate it.

[Jig Man]

I guess I am fortunate in where I fish.  The parking lots and ramps are never littered. 

[A-Jay]

49 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I guess I am fortunate in where I fish.  The parking lots and ramps are never littered. 

Me too.

A-Jay

[Lottabass]

Visited many remote Montagnard villages in VietNam in 1969.  Lots of people but no trash, no landfills.