Cleaned Up At the River.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Went on down to the Edisto River today, my usual haunt and hangout. I havent been out there in awhile, and so I was interested in seeing what had changed.

As is normal with rivers of any size, something is ALWAYS different. Familiar brush piles had washed away, while new snags have cropped up else where. The water is always at work. But one thing never seems to change along the banks - this:

TRASH!

In several spots, I found the remains of former "fish camps." People sit along the banks fishing, often late into the night. They build fires, cook out and get liquored up while catfishing.  As far as Im concerned, that is part of the fun of fishing.

Sadly, they sometimes leave their junk behind, scattered around the banks. I did have a trash bag handy, and I filled both it and cardboard beer box with this sort of crap. It grates my stones to see this, but I know some people are just slobs. On the plus side - most are not.

Oh, by the way... I didnt even get a nibble from the fish.

[chris kowaleski]

Man, pretty much anywhere i fish in my area, all you see is trash. It really is a damn shame that people can't pick up after themselves.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Yeah, it sure is Chris. I sometimes feel like a kindergarten teacher, coming behind grown ass people and cleaning up after.

But, hey - it still beats sittin' on the couch.

[Greg McWilliams]

I have traveled to the Smokies, the Rockies, THE mighty Mississippi, The Galitan River, the Big Blackfoot, Kaw Lake, Pawhuska Lake and so many others, more than I can name!!!!! No matter where you go they all have one thing in common!!!!! An empty Beer can!!!!

TWO THUMBS UP, DAVID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dick tabbert]

Chris it really is a sad situation when you walk in a place and you can tell humans were there. Some people just don't get it or just don't care. You can tell a true sportsman he always leaves the place cleaner than he found it. It's so pitiful to come into a junk ridden place and literally turns my stomach and I think somewhere in the equation somebody wasn't taught that proper etiquette. Maybe Dad didn't camp or fish so there was no guidance for what ever the reason it could close a place down and nobody would be able to share in the resources.  I know if I walked out to my pond and found it a mess the individuals responsible would no longer be allowed. I run into the same thing on the water. I'll find bait containers, beer can and pop cans on the bottom of the lake. If my net can reach it I will retrieve it. I always come back with more than I left with. I'm sorry for going on and on but this is a button that needs not be pressed. Thank you Chris for caring. Chris take care and GOOD FISHIN.. 

[chris]

That is one of the things that really burns me.

 Trash and used fishing line.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I forgot to mention spent fishing line - there is always some of that, too.

[Leo Nguyen]

This is why our resources are tainted. Irresponsible bodies only care about themselves, and expect everyone else around them to take care of all their needs and messes. I get boiled to the point of screaming at the ones I see tossing trash onto the ground without a care in the world. Of course, I gave them all a nice lecture with warnings. If they don't take care of their messes, the warnings become immediate reports for fines by local law officials without remorse. I truly am humbled by your dedication to restore the natural surrounding back to its former states. I tried to do the same as long as my safety is secured as I am on the water. On land, it's a given.

[Greg McWilliams]

That is why it is hard to get permission on private ponds!!!!! Several years ago I took my daughter and he girlfriend out to a pond!!!! When we got there we had to cleanup beer cans and trash from around it!!!!! We picked up 2 - 24 packs, a minnow bucket and a fishing rod. While we were doing that the cowboy that takes care of the pasture rode up to see what we were doing!!!!! I gave him the rod, and it opened up a lot of new areas we could go fishing on!!!!!

I had permission to be there but I got permission to ponds on him, the GOOD ONES!!!!!

[dick tabbert]

Sometimes it works in our favor if the landowner sees that we respect the place we fish and clean up it may open up different avenues for us, that's why I say and practice to leave the site cleaner that when I got there. It just makes good sense.

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

 In the summertime we frequent a gravel bar thats the local swimming hole for a lot of people. Some people think it ok to just rip a diaper off their baby and fling it anywhere they want to, this sends me into a level of  p--- off that I dont like to be at , so now we take photos of these crackheads and their garbage and tell them take it with you or I'm turning over these photos to the sheriff. They get mad but I'm mad too , I dont want to see dirty dipers where we take the canoes out. Crackheads dont like the Sheriff looking for them and they sure dont want to mess with the friends of the river , they are outnumbered, outsized, and outgunned. The only other thing that makes me madder is the people that dump dogs off there . The worlds too small to put up with this type of ignorance, these people dont respect themselfs let alone others, and I'm tired of cleaning up after them.         LOFR

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Nice rant, L! I love it.

Today I picked up both diapers AND the remains of an nasty adult's "woodland" potty business. Yeah, its not bad enough that they toss their kiddies' poop bags to the side - but they leave their own excrement, too.
While I was tossing out this round of crap, the local crime watch captain came on the scene. He was stoked to see someone else picking up garbage and we became fast friends. He told me where the hot spots in that section of the river are and gave me a good recipe for venison.

[dick tabbert]

David your a hell of a man it's ashame we have to go out and clean up after a bunch of juveniles because all they want to do is party also some adults fit in that category.  We have to do what we have to do to make it possible for us to use our waterways day after day,. a little sacrifice's  today may insure our spots for tomorrow especially on private land. GOOD FISHIN..