Beautiful Scenery on the James, NOT!!!!

[jim murphy]

This is one of the numerous logjams in the 12 mile stretch, I floated on Sunday. Yes, I know this was washed into the river after the flooding rains over the last couple of weeks, and I am sure most of it was not discarded by anglers, for those of you who want to go off on that or just read between the lines, as usual. And just think, some of you Ozarkanglers.com readers wondered why I went off earlier in a white bass info posting about freely discarded trash.

Could scenes like this be the reason for poor fishing at times? maybe. Limited public access to area waterways? possibly. Private property owners not allowing access through their property? Definitly.

It is great that there are over 3000 Stream Teams, as well as many others who pick up trash along our waterways and highways, but when we come across something like this is all of our clean up efforts worth it?

[Ham]

While the plastic bottles and soda cans are certainly ugly, they are all but inert and don't pose a great danger to the river itself. CHemical run off and siltation are a lot worse.

Having said that, I pick up a sack full of garbage everytime I head down a stream. Ihate to see debris like that every bit as much as you do.

I would definitely have hit the log jam with a tube or a topwater.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Enforcement isn't cheap and even if it was you need the cooperation of the county judge.

I suppose to know if the stream teams are wort it you have to stop there operations for a year or too. I wouldn't want to see that, but it would answer your question. There is only one realistic option, in my opinion, and thats a commercial clean up operation funded by a surtax on floating.

There are probably thousands of retired law enforcement in Missouri who would work part time for a reasonable wage without beni's to enforce laws relating to outdoor activities, but the people that can initiate it don't care.

[vonreed]

That's pretty sad. It seems like every access looks about like that also. I was at Marble Grounds last week and it was covered in broken glass and trash. What stretch of river was the logjam on?

[Tightline]

Jim you are correct in saying that most of that was washed in during the last rain.It (the trash) came from Springfield,Nixa and Ozark,their parking lots and ditchs.Just ask the county road crews,they have been cleaning out culverts and ditchs clogged with trash and debris for 2 weeks now.

Modot uses prisoners to clean up our highways why can't the DNR use them to clean our streams.If they start paying people to clean up that would just encourage more littering in my opinion.

We all need to do what we can,take a trash bag along when floating,educate and condem.I picked up beer cans at the second little parking lot east of the hatchery on Taney 3 times last summer and you can bet if I catch em they'll get an ear full!

[RSBreth]

Most, if not all of that was not from "anglers", it was from bank napping, bait fishing drunks, party floaters, and the rest was just plain crap washed in from wherever.

Someone else wisely noted it is also litter, not toxic waste. Although unsightly, it is not the same as the overflowing septic tanks, golf course lawn chemical overdose, etc.

Your lawn fanatic neighbor, and mine, is the enemy of clean streams.

And they wonder why I flip them off as they "weed and feed"?!