Weather is always a factor when it comes to my relentless pursuit of fish. But weather also plays havoc on my clean up trips. In recent years I have had a period of warm\dry weather at the end of January or even into February that has allowed me to do a good scrub at places I fish. This year I am playing catch up and just getting started. Better late than never.
(Above: Yours truly “mean mugging” it up with a fist full of trash. This was a quick trash grab on the creek after work. A little bit goes a long ways and I am just getting started. Better late than never.)
For whatever reason 2011 has been met with lots of cold, heavy wind, some more wind and then the wind really kicks up. The ground has been frozen or otherwise muddy making the trash pickup scene a lot less pleasurable. Seeing the newly hatched goslings I realized the trash removal is severely tardy for 2011. Wind or no wind…I was going to have to dig in.
Wind is one of the largest culprits when it comes to refuse on the shoreline of Front Range ponds. All it takes is one open dumpster, a tipped trashcan or even a spilled backpack to spray leaflets of pain all across the landscape. Rather than picking up the homework, little Timmy will simply take the “F”. A stiff breeze comes along and all of this refuse will end up at the one spot I plan to fish that day. The wind is so bad this year that I am finding license plates and other oddments from as far off as Nevada or even California.
One of the things that have brought me good fortune in regards to my fishing is trash pickup at places on a semi-annual basis. When people ask me, “Matt what is your secret for your fishing success?” I will often refer to the trash pickups and adopting a handful of urban lakes that fish better as a result of this practice. Or at least it seems that way.
Good luck and good fishing.
8 comments:
The fish, lakes and streams thank you.
It's is awesome that you give back! May the fish gods bless you for your hard work!
That's a great secret! People always wonder and make jokes about me having a box of garbage bags in my car. I let em know it's for fishing and then wait for the blank stare.
Good job Matt! One benefit to picking up trash is you are walking with your head down. You can find some amazing/useful things while you are doing this. Sounds like an idea for a future post.
@BBT: No problem. I’m out there anyway. Some places are treated better than others and I really do think it makes the fishing better. Glad you stopped by.
@Sweetiepea: Eggzaktlee. They have been smiting me something fierce as of late with the “ho-hum” trips. These trash picks are hopefully viewed as some sort of homage. At the very least I don’t have to keep stepping over the trash.
@The Sowbug: Nice! One time I used about 5 of those grocery bags left for dog walker-poop picker-uppers.
@Cofisher: You are so right. I get a completely different view of a lake, stream or pond while doing trash removal. Maybe it’s something like spotting a salamander or taking a second look at the color pattern of a frog. Then there are those times when you find half a riding lawnmower in Boulder Creek.
Hey Matt, over the past year or so that I have been following your blog, I have read admirably about your efforts to do shoreline cleanup. Kudo's my friend! Keep up the great work. We cannot afford to lose sight of this need.
@Mel: Thank you so much for the kind words. Trash pickup will always be a priority in my fishing game. Just falling a bit behind this year. There are those that complain and there are those that do.
It's really sad to see how trash accumulates in our city parks. Glad you are helping out!
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