Doing your part

[Chris]

How many of us take the time to pick up used line, old soft plastics, or trash along the the waters edge?

[bquittem]

im in a boat so i dont usually get out and clean up shorelines

[Big_Bass_Rich]

I try when I'm fishing shoreline edges.. but sometimes it's impossible to clean up all the mess people have left behind. The best way to do your part is to not litter in the first place. It gives all fishermen a bad name.

[Trivib1]

I do not fish from the bank, but I use a trash bag for my used line.  You would not believe how much line my boat prop picks up on the lake. There is always someone choking used line in the water.  Not only is this not good for boat motors, but waterfowl alike.  This is a thorn in my side to see trash and debris scattered across a lake and on the shore.  Can you just imagine how many Coke cans and beer bottles are in the bottom of the lake?.

[Chris]

Im real bad about stripping off line and tossing it in the bottom of my boat and i usually have a pile of soft plastics on my front deck at the end of a fishing day. My storage box  is filled with soda cans but.. it all goes in the trash at the ramp

[DvlDocFisherMan]

I fish the banks and I have noticed a lot of used up line, lures and other tackle on the banks.  If I can get it and pick it up.  Usually you find some useable tackle in it.  I got a lure, some jig heads and hooks from retrieving my line a couple of times.  So let's keep the shorelines tidy.  Give a hoot, don't pollute!  ;D

[BassMaster_1]

When ever i have to re-tie, the line that i cut off i always stick in my pocket.  I dont know how many times i have gone out somewhere and have found line in my pockets.  Other then that if i see something floating while im out i grab it and toss it when i get back to shore.  Figure if more and more people do that then it wont be as big of a problem.

[Bassin101]

I fish an Arizona 36 acre lake in a housing development, by kayak.  Yesterday I picked up 7 tennis balls, 1 football, 2 plastic bags and a ton of line, but no partridge in a pear tree.  See my other posting Need tips on hard lures  

[AUTgrPilot]

I think my net has scooped up more trash than fish (that was sarcasm).  I do my best to pick up everything I see.  

I was once at a stoplight and saw a lady throw a McDonald's cup out her open window.  I got out of my truck, picked up the cup, walked up to her window, and threw the cup back in the car (ice and all).

I probably could have got into trouble but I sure felt better.

[L.D.]

Hey Bassin 101, your responce reminded me of an early trip I had first thing in the spring. Had a man and wife on board. She was a elementary school teacher. We saw a ball along the shore line and she wanted it. Then we saw another and another. In the course of a 15 mile river trip, she gathered up 17 balls of various styles and colors. They released all their fish that day, but they took home two bags full of balls.

Each year I collect many bags of trash along the river. Then along comes another flood and deposits a bunch more.

[Glenn]

Are you sure they weren't red and green "balls"?

... as in BUOYS!!     :o ;D

[Danarchy]

During late spring/early summer, when the Bass are spawning, I usually fish with ultralight gear for crappies and sunnies from shore on a lake in a local state park. I spend a lot of time watching the huge (female)bass patrolling, and sometimes I'm lucky enough to see a little male give a female a nip in the tail, trying to get her to deposit on his site. When I'm done drooling over the bass and bored with panfish, I walk around the lake, grabbing trash from everywhere, literally filling a garbage bag tied to my backpack. There's always empty line spools, stinky old nightcrawler cases, and hundreds of cans and other misc. crap. You can call this "doing your part", and it's nice to have clean lakeshores, but I think of it as treasure hunting. Last spring, I found a "Hook-out" hook disgourger, a teflon fillet glove, some husky jerks, spinnerbaits, about twenty bobbers, and tons of terminal tackle. It's a just reward for the good deeds. Anglers are always losing things and I am always finding them. I also know of many trees that wading out to will often pay off. I frequent these places about every two weeks, finding tons of tackle!

[L.D.]

Now Glenn, if you don't collect all those red and green balls first, you never get to collect all that neat tackle left in those half sunk boats :

[Glenn]

LOL!!   ;D

[jusjl]

I have found an easy way to pick up the wads of line, empty lure or bait containers, cups, etc.  when fishing from the bank.  I keep several of those plastic grocery bags in my truck, and have one tied to my beltloop when fishing.  They don't weigh anything and lay flat.  When I see a piece of trash I pick it up, smash it if necessary and put it in.  If the bag gets cumbersome and no trash can is available it gets tossed behind the seat and I get a new one.  Yes, the small space behind the seat looks pretty crappy right now, and I can't believe how much junk others leave behind.  But as a sportsman I know keeping things clean is just as important as catch-and release, fair chase, and clean kills.

[crankbait]

I try to leave the place cleaner than when I got there....I pickup stuff around the dock all the time....

[Aaron_S]

If I see trash I always pick it up and put it in my pocket.  

[Will]

Whenever possible I always grab the cups, string, and plastics I find laying around the bank. It isn't to bad at most lakes, but I was fising in a bank tournament at a little lake inside a big city and their were was trash along the whole lake. I found hundreds of bobbers good and broken. In one area their was a pile of 20 bobbers just laying on the bank.

[Stickling]

youve gotta be straight trash to be doing something like that  

[BassinCnR]

Some of the lakes up here in New England I will see crankbaits floating in the water and if I am shore fishing I will cast a topwater and pull them in. I feel that us as anglers we need to be as clean as possible. Some people do swim in these areas and I am sure they dont want a rusty hook in their foot.