Cleaning house

[wade]

Was hanging out with a buddy @ one of his hidden treasures he so kindly shared with me.
First day of prefish, we didn't bring the yaks, only poles.:reel:
After noticing a poor small snapping turtle that most likely was killed to careless discarded tackle..I came back to clean house..
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8676/0kma.jpg

Tules lined the perimeter with only a couple openings to pitch from. Submerged brush and limbs provided plenty of structure to target, but upon every cast I become ensnarled in a minefield of every color and line class of spectra & monofilament strictly due to careless anglers compounding the problem upon every trip..
So...after losing about sixty dollars in tackle, I decided to call it quits for the day.
Upon packing it up & being half the weight I originally entered with, I returned bright and early the very next day with a large metal rake with a long fiberglass handle to clean up. I found a ton of tackle too at the other end of the snag-city of lines..Countless creatures and craw-trailers, senkos, rapalas, roostertails, buzz baits, spinner baits, grubs and more...
All for the low low price of nothing..
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/7586/x5n2.jpg

the place is remote and has deep recessed pockets to say the least.. Launching my loaded PA into the lake wasn't much of an issue. I simply held the stern handle and dropped it down a vertical drop into the water. Getting it out would be more than difficult I soon learned the hard way, but I knew this from the beginning..After many failed attempts barely able to get the bow 2 feet out of the muck, I enlisted the help of my Dakota to winch my plastic hog out of the drop. Had I not had two extra long tie-downs, the submerged 'on site bass boat' would have had a new friend..Got a little over a bakers dozen for my janitorial services.
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dragonfly caught in the frame
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http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/1442/z1os.jpg

[makobob]

Taking the time to come back and clean up is AWESOME, if we all did a little our environment would be much better. Thank you for your fine example, may we all follow in your steps!

[CKallday71]

Curious as to the location of this pond/lake. Snappers are not native to California at all so it was either released or it's possibly an introduced population which isn't a great thing for the habitat.

The only native species of aquatic fresh water turtle in California is the Pacific Pond turtle which are endangered.

[CKallday71]

Great job cleaning up after the people that aren't nearly as hospitable.

[GregAndrew]

WTG Wade all around. I try to remember to leave each place I fish a little cleaner than I found it.

[kobra]

Kudos to you buddy. :you_rock:

[RobFish]

Well done Wade! My hat is off to you and your efforts.
I was always taught as a young boy to take only pictures, leave only footprints.

[blitzburgh]

Nice work Wade! :you_rock: I try to p/u trash and other items on the water everytime I go out. It seems like I see way more yakers cleaning up than powerboaters.

[taggermike]

Thanks Wade, good fishing and a good deed done. There are some little ponds here in Chula Vista that just get trashed. I can not understand the need to ruin beautiful places. I always end up walking out with a few bags of trash. Mike

[taggermike]

Forgot to share this. There's a tree that over hangs one of the pond down here that has enough spinner baits hanging in it that it sounds like a wind chime on breezy days. Haven't been brave enough to climb bit. Mike