What a Bunch of Dix...

[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...