Sharing a lake with hunters may require additional tolerance and nerves of steel at times. Periodic shotgun blasts that send me diving to the ground are always fun but the shells left behind annoy me after a while. As part of my “Adopt a lake” philosophy I do my best to remove these shells on a somewhat annual basis. Due to this lake’s size it would be difficult to cover the entire shoreline in one day (while working in a few casts). Typically I pick one side or the other and that area gets a good scrubbing every other year or so. Each haul is about the same nearly filling a grocery bag with spent shells. This effort may seem tedious and unnecessary but in my view the cleanup is an ounce of prevention as much as it is cosmetic.
Sports-folks of all types can help serve each other by removing some of the visible blight we may leave behind. A little bit goes a long ways and helps keep our sporting rights in place. Hunting and other funds associated to non-fishing endeavors directly or indirectly help protect fish habitat thus creating a symbiotic relationship. If this lake lost funds from duck hunting others and myself might lose the privilege to fish here. Picking up a few shells now and again is my way of giving back. Breaking the cleanup into smaller sections keeps the chore from being a real back breaker. A lot of people ask what fishing can do for them. I would like more people to ask what they can do for fishing.
My name is Matt and I’m a fishaholic.
