Garbage on the water after ice out

[82rude]

Up here on the st marys river a gang of scuba divers clean up around the canal area,you would be amazed what they bring up.People are pigs theres no other way to say it!

 

[briangcc]

Not an ice fisherman by any means, too darn cold for this guy, but I have read elsewhere the horror stories of the stuff left behind by ice fisherman during the season. Including human waste. Actually caused a few land owners to post their property and forbid foot traffic to the lake during winter to avoid the mess.

Unfortunately the problem isn't just ice fisherman as it extends during the season to shore fishermen as well. Beer bottles, empty worm containers, trash bags, etc. You can generally tell the spots used by the amount of trash sitting in the area. Some of that ends up in the lake as well.

And of course some of that is also from boaters. Chip bags, beer cans, etc make their way in during the season. Accidents happen where a bag goes overboard BUT it doesn't take much to circle around and clean up what went overboard. If I happen upon it I clean up what I can but it would certainly help if everyone would follow the carry-in - carry-out policy.


And beyond the waste, there's always floating logs, submerged docks, and other debris that can do some serious damage if you happen upon it. Generally best to wait a few weeks after ice out before attempting to launch...just to let the lake settle and clear some of the hazards naturally.

 

[frantically relaxing]

Most of the fires,if not all ,are from fisherman collecting deadwood on the shoreline,wood that would make it back into the lake in the spring. I have never seen guys dragging out logs that would bust up a lower unit,too much work for something that big and it takes forever to start on fire. Sounds like you have a hard on for fishermen, because all pleasure only boaters are as clean as hospital rooms, sarcasm intended. There are pigs in all walks of life , I guess you just deal with it the best you can. Personally I wouldn't come on a boating forum and single out all fisherman as pigs like you did.

What makes you think I'm not a fisherman? And it seems you missed where I said "around these parts...". Maybe the anglers in your neighborhood aren't pigs. Around my hangout, they are. I'll post pics as soon as the season starts if you want. And BTW it doesn't take big logs to trash an outdrive. What took out my drive was nothing more than a branch, that got wedged out back and punctured the boot on my starboard Chrysler (Volvo) 270. And anyone who knows these drives knows what happens when THAT happens: lube exits, water enters, and total destruction happens from the inside-out in short order.

 

[KnotConnected]

Man, yeah. Trash *everywhere* near or far from the water generally ends up in our lakes and eventually our oceans. Littering is terrible, and many people who don't intend to should be more cognisant about where and how they're disposing of their junk.

This post (and similar feelings lately) make me want to start an annual outing to go idle around the river and bay here in Green Bay to try scooping up and collecting floating junk. Maybe in the larson, maybe in the pontoon or the kayak. Thoughts?

 

[mr 88]

What makes you think I'm not a fisherman? And it seems you missed where I said "around these parts...". Maybe the anglers in your neighborhood aren't pigs. Around my hangout, they are. I'll post pics as soon as the season starts if you want. And BTW it doesn't take big logs to trash an outdrive. What took out my drive was nothing more than a branch, that got wedged out back and punctured the boot on my starboard Chrysler (Volvo) 270. And anyone who knows these drives knows what happens when THAT happens: lube exits, water enters, and total destruction happens from the inside-out in short order.

So now your blaming fishermen and " branches " for taking out your outdrive. Sounds like a POS outdrive if a branch takes it out, glad I don't have one. I have seen just as many pigs in pleasure boats as I have seen in fishing boats. Please post pictures of trash as I have never seen any before.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Man, yeah. Trash *everywhere* near or far from the water generally ends up in our lakes and eventually our oceans. Littering is terrible, and many people who don't intend to should be more cognisant about where and how they're disposing of their junk.

This post (and similar feelings lately) make me want to start an annual outing to go idle around the river and bay here in Green Bay to try scooping up and collecting floating junk. Maybe in the larson, maybe in the pontoon or the kayak. Thoughts?

A great idea but you may have to take more than a few trips to make a dent. Kids from the local High Schools as well as the Girl Guides and Scouts do clean up along the shoreline of the Grand River. Not Dead Heads though just truck loads of garbage, every year. I didn't dare venture out on the river last spring for big Cats. The water was covered with all manner of debris, not just wood.

 

[fishrdan]

It's not fishermen, or pleasure boaters, or_____, it's people in general who are pigs. Not all of them, but enough to make their presence known. I see all sorts of garbage floating around while fishing and even caught some.

Funny story: I was striper trolling at night a hooked into a big one, fought it up to the boat and the size of it's mouth scared the begezus out of me as I pulled it into view. Turned out to be a white shopping bag that got hooked "just right" to fill the bag up, and look like a fish mouth. Atleast it did in the dark... LOL!

 

[Chinewalker]

We carry a trash bag and a fishing net in our boat for the purposes of leaving the River cleaner than when we found it. My boys have eagle eyes for the soda and beer cans & bottles as any they spot they get to keep the return deposit!

 

[Old Ironmaker]

It's March break here for the students. Just yesterday I saw groups of supervised kids walking the riverside collecting trash and throwing them into piles where the County workers threw them into their trucks. It warmed my heart to see that and made me sad at the same time. Hopefully none of those kids will litter in the future.

 

[theBrownskull]

It is sad but some people litter no matter what the recreational sport. I am still looking for money laying around on the bottom but never find any...wonder why?

 

[211libwtfo]

It is sad but some people litter no matter what the recreational sport. I am still looking for money laying around on the bottom but never find any...wonder why?

In Iowa there’s money ALL over the place in the form of aluminum cans each worth a nickel...that’s why I buy my beer in Illinois that way I can throw my cans out for free....haha lol just kidding

 

[frantically relaxing]

So now your blaming fishermen and " branches " for taking out your outdrive. Sounds like a POS outdrive if a branch takes it out, glad I don't have one. I have seen just as many pigs in pleasure boats as I have seen in fishing boats. Please post pictures of trash as I have never seen any before.

Geez, who pissed in your Wheaties?
Point out where I blamed fishermen for taking out my outdrive? I blamed a branch...and if you'd actually read what I wrote before bashing me for bashing fishermen, you'll find I said "humans" not "fishermen". And let me explain a little about that POS outdrive- a branch got caught behind the transom, don't know how or when... Somewhere between getting caught and getting free, it poked a pinky size hole in the starboard boot. The boot then took on water, which eventually changed places with the drive gear oil. The lack of oil caused the shifter shoe and clutch sleeve to wear each other down very quickly, to the point where they were severely compromised. And at one point when coming off plane and shifting to neutral, the shoe failed to hold the clutch sleeve in place, and with the engine and drive still running about 2000 rpm, the clutch sleeve engaged the reverse gears, which shot the vertical shaft right thru the top of the drive housing. That so-called POS drive probably pushed the boat over 100 miles with watered down lube before we even knew about it. The only POS in this scenario was the branch...
But what do I know?

 

[southkogs]

Easy does it, y'all. :mod:

 

[jimmbo]

Now that we are getting a little closer to boating season. Is there anyone else who gets ticked off with the amount of stuff floating on the water . Every year there seems to be more debris on the water that was left on the ice by fisherman. I've seen propane bottles , beer containers , plastic crap not to mention left over firewood. Really got to keep an eye open the first few trips of the season.

I worry about plastic bags and any Saran Wrap on the water, great way to block the water inlets on the gearcase. When I was a teen, about a 1/2 century ago, I used to enjoy watching docks and boat lifts that were left in the water the previous fall, getting mangled when the ice was pushed ashore

 

[jimmbo]

Very nice city to visit. But I did notice the garbage when I was there , such a shame. In regards to it all ending up in the St Lawrence , Montreal needs to stop dumping millions of raw sewage into it once or twice a year. That is disgusting and so wrong.

My best Memory of Downtown Montreal in March 2009, on Avenue du President Kennedy. and Rue City Councillor(that's what Google Earth calls the streets). There were bikes littering the sidewalks everywhere

 

[redneck joe]

In Iowa there’s money ALL over the place in the form of aluminum cans each worth a nickel...that’s why I buy my beer in Illinois that way I can throw my cans out for free....haha lol just kidding

When I was a kid we live d on a lake in OR and every winter they dropped the level like 10 ft and our money was from walking the shorelines and collecting. Nickels went a lot farther in the early 70s...

 

[211libwtfo]

When I was a kid we live d on a lake in OR and every winter they dropped the level like 10 ft and our money was from walking the shorelines and collecting. Nickels went a lot farther in the early 70s...

Thats how we paid our way into the roller rink. Every weekend. The good ole days!!!! Now I’ve got 3k in bills a month.

 

[redneck joe]

yup movie theater for me - was about a 4 mile ride on bikes. And candy...

 

[fishrdan]

When I was a kid we live d on a lake in OR and every winter they dropped the level like 10 ft and our money was from walking the shorelines and collecting. Nickels went a lot farther in the early 70s...

I froze my butt off in Wisconsin delivering papers, when I was 7-8 years old. Good ol' days!

Our Cub Scout pack raised funds by getting aluminum cans from the local bars. I even went down to a couple of times to pick up garbage bags full of empties from their back door (pack leader and a couple of us kids), then we would all crush up the cans. Nothing like stale beer smell and a bunch of kids stomping on cans. Can you imagine something like that happening in this day and age... LOL!

 

[JASinIL2006]

I froze my butt off in Wisconsin delivering papers, when I was 7-8 years old. Good ol' days!

Our Cub Scout pack raised funds by getting aluminum cans from the local bars. I even went down to a couple of times to pick up garbage bags full of empties from their back door (pack leader and a couple of us kids), then we would all crush up the cans. Nothing like stale beer smell and a bunch of kids stomping on cans. Can you imagine something like that happening in this day and age... LOL!

Sure I can. Our kids did exactly the same thing just a couple of years ago as a fundraiser for their elementary school. They even patrolled the local university's tailgating parking lot before home football games. (Not THAT was an education! It was pretty crazy sometimes...)