What a Bunch of Dix...

[AJM]

Went to see what was going on at The Dix River above herrington yesturday and left very frustrated. Obviously high water and a later spring has affected the success of catching fish in the run, but what was more upsetting than anything was the condition the fisherman before me left the area in.

In the parking area, trash everywhere and dead fish, dead fish?. Get down to the water and its the same. Packages of tackle, and live bait containers line the banks. Dead fish bellied up in shallows. Minnows dumped out on pathways.

There is no reason why people can not take with them the stuff that they brought. I don't understand how people can enjoy going to a beautiful area to fish, just to leave their trash behind when they leave?

I practice catch and release, even on whites, but have no problem with people catching thier limit to eat. But why leave dead fish? Why even put them on your stringer if you arn't going to take them? Why carry them back to your car just to throw them in the grass where you parked?

I know a lot of us on here feel the same way. I just wish that it wasn't getting worse. I took some other trash with me when I left, but its not enough, or will it ever be. Sorry for the rant, hopefully it will open up some eyes to the people who just don't 'get it' yet.

[Cobra190]

No appoligies for a rant with such a good point. This is the very reason you can't get permission to fish in farm ponds and property owners along streams don't want you ther either.

[CTFSHWHISKER]

exactly part of the reason why you can't fish in all the lakes at bernheim and jim beam distillery.Farmer i used to work for let people hunt fish and camp all time,same people.got tired of picking up beer cans and trash when they left,then they decided to go 4 wheeling through his hay fields..here at sympson they leave the courtesy dock loaded with garbage and there is a can 15 feet away

[biggw]

I know what you mean man Cedar Creek is getting trashed up pretty bad too. I sure hate to see it- that lake is such a nice lake too..Some people grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Bonefish]

I have been fishing the Rankin Bottom area since 1955, except for the past five years because of the abuse in that area. Even as a kid I could not believe how people threw their trash out in that area. My parents taught me to respect other people's land and perivilege to fish if you had to cross others people's land. The land owners down there have been unpset in years past and have tried to stop people from crossing their land. Six years ago, I picked 38 bags of trash off the road leading down to the lake, and there was still trash left.

This disrespect to others leaves me speechless, because I can't come up with words as to why people would be so thoughtless. Have we as a people of this nation dipped so low that we can't see, feel or know what is like it is like to respect ourselves, other people or our country. What does this say about us as a nation. Change starts with me and you, and we must not be afraid to voice our opinions against this disrespect. No matter what happens in our lives, we can have pride in ourselves as to do the right things for mankind. Am I disheartened with the unjust things of this world? Yes! But I also must do my part to control my conscience. Maybe that is the problem...people have lost their conscience as what is right or wrong. If that is true, then may God help them.

[bevo]

People in general now are disrespectful so why should we expect any different when it concerns their waste.

The only way to combat this is to impose considerable fines and then have the law enforce the fines. I would say that running an ad campaign to curb litter might help, but there are at least two separate ones with commercials that I recall and clearly they haven't helped (enough).

[MrSplitshot]

Most of the people meat-hogging and trashing up the joint don't give a rat's about an ad campaign...they come from all walks of life, rich and poor and everywhere in between...and some of them don't speaky-speaky the English language. (That's not singling out any one ethnic group, because all are guilty, but we've seen groups of the hispanic folks cooking short fish right along the creek banks...seriously...and I doubt they clean up their mess real well, just speculating.) My personal opinion, but that money would be better spent on more conservation officers to enforce the law. Ignorance of the law, whoever it is, is no excuse.

It starts with responsible sportsmen and women who obey the laws and respect the resources...then those same folks must be vocal. If I see somebody out there throwing out crap or keeping too many fish or keeping short fish, you bet I'm going to say something to them and call 800.252.5378 (it's saved in my cell phone)...might snap a picture...might get a license plate. The KDFWR needs our help folks, seriously.

[Chubminnow]

I feel your pain there buddy...in the fall when I wade the Cumberland River I always try to remember to take a plastic trash bag with me, because it never fails, I ALWAYS seem to encounter someone else's trash, beer cans, plastic coke bottles, you name it. I just pick it up and go on...

[RoadToad]

I was taught by my dad when I was a kid, and later on in Boy Scouts, "Always leave your campsite (fishing area, picnic site, whatever) cleaner than you found it." It's a shame how easy this is to do...