[hawkguy]

O.K let me start out with I'm a fisherman and I know this does not pertain to all but I wanted to get your attention.
I went fishing today at the Kankakee River in Wilmington, Over the last two weeks I've notice more people fishing ( which is great I've met new friends) BUT I notice the amount of garbage piling up in these spots is disqusting and why are people throwing their empty beer cans in the fires they are burning while fishing?? this is not a garbage nor does the flame get hot enough to melt the can! When I started fishing a long time ago ( 1970's ) Illinois was not the fishery it is now due alot to pollution- corporate, and public. Please take it with you for your own benefit, for your kids benefit !!! I have family who moved from Illinois to northern Wisconsin In the late 70'S and to this day when I tell them I'm going fishing they say for what Carp in the Canal. growing up I lived in Lockport and I remember garbage, sewer, dead animals, etc floating down the sanitary ship canal, Today you can catch cat, bluegill, Bass, Pike,
in these same waters. Please leave only footprints and give your buddies sh-t if they leave anything..

Thank You

 

[axis_roll]

unfortunately, I think you're preaching to the choir!


If you carry it in, you should carry it out.

 

[aekhoff]

There is definitely a difference between someone who fishes and a fisherman or an outdoorsman. Or maybe like this site we should refer to the respectable people who fish as ANGLERS.

I hate the trash monkeys who take the fish and leave their shiit behind.

 

[Cluricaun]

This site is dedicated to Anglers with Ethics, which sadly rules out many of the people that we may encounter on the water or at least their remants. I make a point of leaving with more than I came with, be it fish or more often garbage that I collect and take out with me. I'm a smoker and I even truck out my butts, but we've all seen plenty of styrofoam worm cups and beer cans left behind by our more misguided brethren. Axis Roll is right, you're preaching to the choir here, but it's a good point that can't be made too often. Leave only footprints, but take some trash back with you too.

 

[FishinMatt]

Its sad that many of us have to pick up after others, but that is just the way it is. If many of us on here just do a small part and pick up a few things each time out, it will make a difference. Unfortunately that really is about the only impact we can have. It is truly is amazing to see a bank littered with trash and a half empty trash can 10 feet away :-?

 

[fishead]

Want to have a little fun ; make a sign saying there is a game cam in the area, and people who leave trash will be prosicuted. I did this last year where I take my grand kids cat fishing, and beleive it or not it stayed cleaner for a few weeks.

 

[fishslayer]

....this annoys me to no end as well. my 'honeyhole'...ya know the little pond you have that is like money for a big bass when you dont really feel like putting in the effort.......well word got out and it was like everyone and their brother came to it with nightcrawlers and kept all the bass. and this place had HUGE bass, but its just a community retention pond, so its not being restocked. they would literally keep the bass and leave the broken pole and bucket they caught it on!!!!!! I got into a confrontation with one of the gusy but he only spoke some type of eastern european dialect. I would normally finish every saturday morning excursion there mainly so i could pick up after all the scums that left their coffee cups, donut wrappers, etc from the early morning there. The fish are all gone and its too depressing to even go there. so i bought a boat.

 

[RonG]

Just because the litter is by a fishing spot, doesn't mean it's from fishermen. I'd venture to guess that most of the litter you see is NOT from fishermen.

 

[Cluricaun]

I don't know about that. Sure, some of the garbage is just from jerks passing by the water, but I see a whole lot of fishing related trash in a lot of different spots. The two biggest offenders seem to be birds nests of 80lb mono piled up on shore from oeople who think they're going to hook into a whale or something and those styrofoam or plastic worm containers that you buy from the fridge at Wally Mart. If I had a dollar for every one of those damned things I've picked up from either the shore or from the edge of the water I'd have my own fishing retreat in Canada by now. :evil:

 

[bassboat]

garbage

I think a good deal of the garbage is fisherman, I see tons of styrofoam worm containers on the Kankakee river and it drives me nuts. One easy solution is to sell these in paper containers. I know they don't keep them cool like styrofoam, but who cares, there just bait. Also I find a ton of old tires and rims on the bottom of the river, obviously it is not just fisherman that pollute. I just try to counter the litterers by picking up garbage that floats by, I have taught my kids to carry a plastic bag with them when they camp, fish or hike.

 

[Seabass05]

Litter at the Wilminton dam, old news ! every year its the same and Ive been fishing that stretch for at least 14 years . If you look and see the brand of beer cans and bottles you will know who's doing the littering . I just say there having a " Fiesta "

 

[Chuck]

Litter at the Wilminton dam, old news ! every year its the same and Ive been fishing that stretch for at least 14 years . If you look and see the brand of beer cans and bottles you will know who's doing the littering . I just say there having a " Fiesta "

Seabass05: You said it all with your hidden message. Of course they don't mess up a 100 percent, but they do mess up more than others.

 

[FISHING&FORDS]

I think they should stop selling live bait but thats just me. or get a discount on your next dozen worms if you bring the cups back rather then throw them on shore. most bass fisherman carry a tackle bag and fish an d move and don't usually use live bait. its the guys who sits on his bucket with a 6 pack and 3 bait cups and a snack, then leaves it there plus some old line for good measure. most ponds/rivers need more garbage cans and then have them acually emptied more then twice a year.

 

[Bubbalouie]

[i]"Just because the litter is by a fishing spot, doesn't mean it's from fishermen. I'd venture to guess that most of the litter you see is NOT from fishermen."[/i]

Some 25 years ago I went on a fly-in trip to Canada with a bunch of guys we didn't know that well. The one fellow we did know was a pretty good guy and vouched for all the rest.

We were the first ones into the area that spring and on the third day my buddy and I decided to cross the main lake and portage into a different lake. When we got there, there were beer cans and litter all over the place- left by our own group of "decent fishermen".

'nuff said-

 

[butchnbob]

Add to your list of unwanted fisherman - the guy with the smallest boat trailer in the crowded LaSalle lot yesterday who parked in the middle of two parking spots and the the SUV without trailer who parked in a trailer spot.

 

[oldstyleken]

look just clean a little it wont kill ya.but went out to b-wood today there was more crap laying around then i could understand.when the garbage can is ten feet away.i would love too see these peoples houses.pick up the trash and please the mono.the critters will thankyou