I took a drive down to the river today to check out how fast it was running, since I’m waiting for the level to lower.
And, to my amazment, there was garbage/trash everywhere. Cans, bottles, wrappers etc. So I went down and starting picking everything up and bagging it to toss it out when I got home.
So as I was picking up the last of it, two men walk down with a cooler. I nod my head and ask how it’s going. They grinned, then asked if I picked up THIER garbage!!! So my response was “yes I did, next time you should try it”. The one man said “Like hell”. So after the two men were beligerent etc. We exchanged some words, and they ticked me off to the point where they decided to shut up.
But, my point is this. I’ve been fishing a lot of the water ways within 15 mins from my home and I usually bring a bag with me and keep where I fish tidy and garbage/trash free. But, we don’t really end up doing much picking up, maybe the odd chip bag here and there. Then today, I filled a WHOLE bag (Shopping bag). What is wrong with people nowadays. They want to fish there, and eat, and drink, but they don’t want to keep it clean…
Guess I’m just posting to rant. Thanks for listening.
Shane
A snake inserted through the gap they left when they rolled their window down a bit works well. Smelly Jelly down the defroster is definitely worth the risk of being seen buying it and labeled a baitfisher. The list is endless…
Hey OD,
I’ve given up “teaching” litterers the error of their ways. I’ve come to conclude it can’t be done. To them, it’s like shoplifting , and they would probably do that too. They get away with something for nothing.The only hope is that there will be those like you and I and others who continue doing our small part to pick up after them.
Shane, I like you like to keep the fishing area’s clean. The other day I was down to the Clinch River in my favorite spot. When I got there I saw, Worm containers, corn cans, Salmon Egg Jars, Cigarette Butts , soda bottles and cans and various other trash laying around and lots of pieces of monofiliment line. There were several people there, as I started picking it up, a couple of the folks asked what I was doing. I told them I hate to fish with all the trash around, they said it did not mater as sooner or later someone would pick it up. I said yea someone like me that doesn’t like it. They just got up and left. Down side, I spent some of my fishing time picking up trash. Up side, I ended up with a nice clean area to fish and all the slobs gone, leaving me a nice quiet area. It is a shame there are folks that just don’t care. John
I see it all the time and I gave up being someone else’s mother. I saw a kid chuck a water bottle out of a car window the other day and I threw it back at him.
It always amazes me that we are supposed to save the planet for some folks who don’t care themselves. My attitude now is…
About a year ago I was out on a local stream and came across a spot where someone had camped and left their garbage all over the place. They had left a couple magazines with their address on them. I bagged the garbage and during the night went to their house and dumped it in their yard. I left them a note to pack it out next time. Two years earlier I had found a dump spot out in the mountains and someone had thrown a bunch of their mail away with the rest of their trash. I got the name and address from a few of the magazines and letters and gave them to the Sheriffs office. They informed me that there was nothing they could do about it unless they actually seen the person dumping it, or I had seen them dumping it. So this last time I decided to take matters into my own hands. It may not have been the right thing to do but it sure made me feel good.
elkhunter-
that is a great idea! im sure they were surprised when the woke to that. when i fish over near the spillway it seems like i wade through trash to get there. the cars in the parking lot are full off junk too. i wonder if their houses are pig pens too?
Turn them in. Next time bring your cell phone and the deparment of natural resources number (or whatever is the agency in your state). There are juicy fines for littering that apply to the situation you described. I bet you that the pocket hurts more than alll the words you can tell them.
I really wanted to just throw the two guys a beating. I thought of things to do, such as throwing the garbage all over thier shiny truck, but then it would be all over the road when they left etc. Was going to slash thier tires, especially since they were low pro’s and 22’s. But, they’d just call me in and I’d be arrested.
I thought about calling the police, but it’s something I normally don’t do, and they never seem to do much around here. So I just took the garbage home with me and threw it in the bin. I’m heading back down today or tomorrow. I really hope I don’t see any more garbage. Like I said it’s usually pretty decent everywhere I fish. But all it takes is a couple of…We’ll call them people. To find a new spot that don’t care about the environment or the nature in it. I’ll do what I need to convince these guys to find a new place to fish.
It made me irate:(
Shane
P.S. Kudos for tossing the trash on thier lawns!! I wished I could have:)
We live out in the sticks and people love to throw their trash away on our property. Full trash bags. My Dad and brother caught a boy I went to high school with trying to dump an old carpet from the place he worked. They actually chased him up and down the road until he finally pulled over where he dumped it and picked it back up. The backwoods may be a convenient trash can, but it’s also convenient for other things. Muahahahaha!!!
Shane,
I applaud you for caring enough to pick up other people’s trash. You will make a difference by doing that. In my opinion, you should not waste your words on people who don’t care.
Doug
When I and my brothers were little kids dad taught us all about leaving things cleaner than we found it. We have camped in the eastern part of the state for over 40 years in the same spot and when we leave camp you won’t find even a toothpick laying on the ground. When dad was still alive he would wait until we were all packed up and then he would walk the area to make sure that even the bread ties were picked up.
it seems like i wade through trash to get there. the cars in the parking lot are full off junk too. i wonder if their houses are pig pens too?–mnklagoon
in a word, yes. there is a lack of affordable housing around the USA, and one reason is that small landlords cannot handle the trash left by many departing tenants. you can laugh at “middle class sensibilities” (heaven knows we did in the 60s!), but it is those standards, imposed by parents, that bring tidy neighborhoods and create the stewardship mentality that keeps the woods and streams clean.
mnklagoon, there are firms that sneak a peek at your car in the parking lot before they will offer you a job!
My first trip out this year was similar…trash all over, and I actually had to douse two open campfires that had been left burning. I always carry a bag for the first two weeks of trout season for just this reason, but it ticks me off to need to do it.