I ship it UPS to A-Jay so it can be properly disposed of. 

The front pocket of my tackle backpack is my designated trash pocket. Anything I use get put in that pocket until I leave the bank and I either empty in a nearby trash can or take it home to dump it out. 
 

Recently, there’s been a lot of construction debris in the ponds I fish (styrofoam for some reason, weather cover tarps for houses being built, concrete bags etc) and I ended up “harassing” the building company so much they finally got someone to get it out and plan to clean it up better in the future. I’m talking 15-20 bags of concrete and 8x10 foot sections of tarp just sitting in the water. 

I usually take along a plastic garbage bag. And, yes, after loading my yak up I sometimes have to walk around the launch area and pick up all the garbage tossed around by nasty people who could care less. I'm tired, I'm hot, I just fished all night...but I cannot stand to see piles of crap, empty bottles and cans tossed around. Shaking my head  

Throw it in the lake of course!!

Out of sight....out of mind.

 

 

 

Kidding...kidding...don't get your A-rigs all tangled.

Any trash, line clippings etc.....go in my pocket. Torn baits go in my cup holder and into the trash when I get home.

On 8/2/2022 at 4:54 PM, MickD said:

what about pieces of line,

I'm really diligent with line snips as it is mostly flouro so takes forever to degrade.

I'll be honest and say I stopped picking up other peoples' trash for the most part. I used to carry an extra bag for it. There's just too much. I gave up with it here in the Bay Area. In fact I rarely fish here at all now anyways.

 

Diapers, beer bottles, corn cans, bass bait packaging too. Diapers are a biohazard, not touching that.

 

However, if I'm hiking/backpacking somewhere and I see something I grab it. Why? Because I rarely see any even on popular day-hike trails. Two pieces of "trash" in 6 months, one a trail map, the other was a tiny piece of blue tape from nearby trail maintenance. It doesn't feel like a lost cause.

 

I think the environment and nature is more central to the hiking community (tree huggers oh no!) because I rarely see trash on trails, even ones that are right next to lakes I fish (Calero Res for example). Shore is littered, trails 100 yards away are pristine.

 

Why? I think more dirtbags fish than hike, short answer.

 

I think people here on the forum, since we are into fishing enough to actually BE on a forum, perhaps we are less prone to littering and more prone to following the laws and giving a dang? We discuss this stuff here at least. A litterer may join the forum, read all the complaints about it and quietly stop doing it. Maybe, I dunno  Not many dirtbags here.

 

California is filthy anyways so it ain't fishing that's the problem (not even close don't get me wrong). Just saying I don't see it on the trails even miles out.

8 minutes ago, schplurg said:

I'll be honest and say I stopped picking up other peoples' trash for the most part. I used to carry an extra bag for it. There's just too much. I gave up with it here in the Bay Area. In fact I rarely fish here at all now anyways.

 

Diapers, beer bottles, corn cans, bass bait packaging too. Diapers are a biohazard, not touching that.

 

However, if I'm hiking/backpacking somewhere and I see something I grab it. Why? Because I rarely see any even on popular day-hike trails. Two pieces of "trash" in 6 months, one a trail map, the other was a tiny piece of blue tape from nearby trail maintenance. It doesn't feel like a lost cause.

 

I think the environment and nature is more central to the hiking community (tree huggers oh no!) because I rarely see trash on trails, even ones that are right next to lakes I fish (Calero Res for example). Shore is littered, trails 100 yards away are pristine.

 

Why? I think more dirtbags fish than hike, short answer.

 

I think people here on the forum, since we are into fishing enough to actually BE on a forum, perhaps we are less prone to littering and more prone to following the laws and giving a dang? We discuss this stuff here at least. A litterer may join the forum, read all the complaints about it and quietly stop doing it. Maybe, I dunno  Not many dirtbags here.

 

California is filthy anyways so it ain't fishing that's the problem (not even close don't get me wrong). Just saying I don't see it on the trails even miles out.

Trash washes into the water when it rains. Also it’s hard to hike a big load of trash miles onto a trail, but easy to drive it right to a boat ramp 

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Trash washes into the water when it rains 

 

Rain? What is that?  I'm in Cali man, we need YOUR rain!

 

Well some of it.

Just now, schplurg said:

 

Rain? What is that?  I'm in Cali man, we need YOUR rain!

Hahaha it’s free for the taking, I’ve thought about selling it out west

 

littering scum bags aren’t going to drag stuff way out into nowhere, they are lazy. They dump it near a road 

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

Hahaha it’s free for the taking, I’ve thought about selling it out west

 

littering scum bags aren’t going to drag stuff way out into nowhere, they are lazy. They dump it near a road 

 

True to some extent. But I can hike a mile along a rocky creek here to fish and find garbage in a spot I thought I'd just "discovered".

 

I've hiked 2 miles around a lake and see fishing trash all over. It's terrible here. One lake has no nearby parking but it has garbage.

 

However, hikers carry 10 - 40 pounds in a backpack, but they carry the garbage out, including things you wouldn't really want to carry - used toilet paper, or worse. Banana peels. You prepare for that.

 

In fact it would be easier to get away with littering miles out but nobody seems to. It's part of the "sport" maybe. Knowledge of the environment, leaving no trace. It's a big part of it. 

 

I have other theories I will keep to myself.

25 minutes ago, schplurg said:

I'll be honest and say I stopped picking up other peoples' trash for the most part.

I never really picked up trash to begin with, ever. I didn’t put it there, and I don’t feel like it’s my job to clean it up. The one exception I make to that is when I see balls of discarded fishing line. I always pick those up because they foul props and tangle up wildlife.

 

I was always taught to clean up after myself. Apparently not everyone was raised that way.

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I never really picked up trash to begin with, ever. I didn’t put it there, and I don’t feel like it’s my job to clean it up. The one exception I make to that is when I see balls of discarded fishing line. I always pick those up because they foul props and tangle up wildlife.

 

I was always taught to clean up after myself. Apparently not everyone was raised that way.

Just cause you know better doesn’t mean you do better

 

We did a river cleanup this spring, all

the boats maxed out real quick . 

We had a heck of a crew, it was none of our jobs to clean anything up. 
 

there’s another organization that has a massive boat that cleans serious tonnage out of the Tennessee river. 
 

 

back left pocket followed by the trashcan, 

9 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Just cause you know better doesn’t mean you do better

 

We did a river cleanup this spring, all

the boats maxed out real quick . 

That's such a nice service.  Really shows that you guys care about the environment you try to enjoy.

 

A lot of lake associations here also have an annual spring clean up.  Most of the trash and waste from ice anglers washes ashore after the ice melts.  If everyone just picked up after themselves, we wouldn't have this problem.  This is why I like my dog better than most people.

Put it in the crate in the rear well of my kayak and throw it away when I get home. I'm a minimalist. I don't carry a cooler full of snacks, lunch, beer or drinks. I take one bottle of water, two if it's really hot or I'll be out a long time.

Always pack it out, cut up the line in small pieces before trashing it.  Make sure empty water bottles are not left to fly out of the boat while traveling.  Pick up any fishing trash I see.  Leave the lake cleaner then when I got there.

I keep a flat rate shipping box in one of my compartments. When it's filled, I sell it as a mystery box containing fishing related items with a value I estimate of around $100 with FREE SHIPPING!      Buyer Beware