"Litter"

[Guest Steve Randles]

To all, Apart from the obvious "take it home" statement, what plausible suggestions do you have to solve the ever increasing litter problem that seems to clog up the banks of our fisheries?

 

Regards & Tight Lines

 

Steve Randles

[Guest dave k]

The only solution i am afraid is to put it in a bag and take it home.

When any water introduces litter bins you only encourege the lazy anglers to leave there litter at the fisherie.

This is ok if the bins are emptied daily.

I always carry an extra carrier bag with me for any rubish, and i know most responsable anglers do the same.

I have had members of our club ask for bins to be provided on the river, and have always refused for the reasons stated earier.

On the free sections of the river Cam the anglers are always getting blamed for the litter.

I think i can state with all honesty that the main culprits are the picnicers.

The angler is the one who ends up clearing the mess up though.

I dont think you will get many replies to this post as the problem is always going to be with us and the only solution is to take the litter home. Education is the only answer.

[Guest Steve Burke]

Spot on, Dave, about carrier bags, bins and picnicers. The worst the latter have left (twice!) is a disposable nappy! Ugh!

 

The only litter my anglers have ever left is fag ends. They don't seem to realize that these are litter too.

 

Many waters, including mine, have a rule stating that the angler has to clear any litter in the swim, regardless of who's left it, before and after they start fishing. However it's important to enforce the rule otherwise it's not worth having.

 

The worst water I've seen for litter is Johnson's. I hope that the litter problem and thefts from cars are sorted out now that Mid Kent have taken the venue on.

[Guest dave k]

I must hold my hand up and addmit to ocasionaly leaving fag ends in my swim.

I am parinoid about leaving tackle by the water, so usally I pack up and move my tackle out of the swim, and then go back to check if I have left any rubbish behind.

most of the club waters near me are very good on litter, mainly because they are behind closed gates and the public have not got any acsess to the water.

the worst areas are were there are public footpaths and daytrippers.

[Guest BUDGIE]

Every thing I would have said on litter has allready been said the point about bins being self defeating is very true.So instead I will relate the method I found best when I ran a local,syndicate water.

Around dawn(oh all right then it was closer to 11.00!)I was just getting of the bed chair and contemplating a fry up when I noticed a black BMW towing a jet ski on a trailer( yes WE unfortunatly had to share with these water abusers)pull up on the lake behind me.It was accompanied by another two cars.Before the Jet skis were launched they proceded to set up a bar-b-q and get the food on for the gang.I retired into my camper(I kept this parked close to my swim so I could carry on the syndicates business whilst I was at the lake.As some of you allready may have read I used to spend all season on the water.) Just after dark that night one of the members came to see me asking if I had seen the rubbish that the Jet ski guys had left.On walking over to investigate I found a sight that in all of my years fishing I had never seen before.Every where I looked was Sh1T! Paper,half eaten food, empty food containers,broken bottles and the wonderfull used babies nappy!I quickly went and got several bin bags and picked it all up.Due to the contents I did not put these bags into the camper!instead (so animals couldnt rip them open I hung them of the side of the vehicle.Due to this I forgot all about them.Untill the following Sunday that is!when much to my delight I saw the same black BMW crossing the field.When I saw this chap again I had intended to give him an impromptu lecture on the dangers of Weils disease to people who are in as much contact with water as jet skiers are and the obvious attraction left over food and rubbish has for rats.But me being me I couldnt resist it "Oi Matey" I yelled"were you down here last week with some of your mates" "Yes whys that then" he replied "You left some thing behind fella" I told him "Oh cheers mate bring it over will you?"Iwill never forget the look on his face as I poured the first bag through his car window but the best was the second bag as the soiled nappy stuck to his leather upholstery!Not being an uncharitable chap I also left him with several spare bin bags.He or for that matter no other jet skier ever left rubbish in front of me again.

[Guest Steve Randles]

Nice one Budgie, I'll have to take you off my menu for that one! It is the truth that a lot of rubbish left at the waterside is NOT anglers as most are careing enough to take it home with them, in a "carrier bag" or similar. I also use an old "Tic-Tac" box to store old line,weights and hooks as this is the litter most attributable to anglers and I have on a number of occasions triumphantly shown this to people who have accused ME of littering.

 

Reagards & Tight Lines

 

Steve Randles

[Guest Jonty]

Originally posted by BUDGIE:

Iwill never forget the look on his face as I poured the first bag through his car window but the best was the second bag as the soiled nappy stuck to his leather upholstery!Not being an uncharitable chap I also left him with several spare bin bags.He or for that matter no other jet skier ever left rubbish in front of me again.

 

Budgie - just how big a brick-sh**house are you built like then??? - either you are one big fella, or you have one hell of a lot of bottle - or both. Well done, though, absolutely spot-on action.

 

Jonty