Let’s help this youn man out

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, Mitch f said:

This is the new breed of creek and river destroyers. A kid that young doesn’t realize the potential consequences of this. The kid is surely a nice kid and the videos are great but it’s not going to be good for our streams in the long run.

I only saw him fishing T rock.  Sorry.  

[Mitch f]

3 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I only saw him fishing T rock.  Sorry.  

No biggie, I’ve got nothing against the kid. I know Randy has a big YouTube following and I enjoy Randy’s videos. I’m sure he taught the kid the ropes. There a couple of new kids in Missouri making videos catching smallmouth on streams and posting them on YouTube. One stream is small and very vulnerable. He’s getting a lot of heat for it. The Yak angler guy from up North is another guy who’s unwittingly causing a stir. 

[Al Agnew]

Social media is going to be the death of a lot of sweet little fisheries.  Seems like so many of these younger guys want to be Youtube rock stars by videoing their adventures on small, vulnerable creeks.  They are showing a LOT of people how good the fishing in these small streams can be, but how long will the good fishing last when they are attracting more and more people to them?  And it isn't just the fishery itself.  The one young guy has already been run off three or four creeks by irate landowners, and the more these small creeks are publicized, the more people flocking to them, and the more people flocking to them, the more the landowners are going to be shutting them down.  I've lost access to a couple of great creeks in the last few years, and every time I go to one of my favorite creeks, I'm always afraid that I'll find new purple paint and no trespassing signs.  Yeah, I try to get to know the landowners and hopefully they'll trust that I'll not only treat the creek as a privileged guest to it, but also that I won't tell or bring a bunch of other people to it.  But some landowners I know are just fed up with 20 people a week parking at the edge of their land and roaming their creek; they used to be okay with one or two anglers a week and a couple families swimming at the bridge crossing.

Go on any of the fishing or paddling groups on Facebook, and several times a week, somebody will ask something like, "What are some of the little known fishing spots (or kayaking stretches) near St. Louis (or some other city)."  And...people actually respond, proudly telling everybody their favorite spots.  How is there this basic disconnect, not thinking that broadcasting your best fishing creek absolutely guarantees that soon there will be five other guys fishing it when you get there and the fishing will be going downhill fast?

 

[SpoonDog]

12 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Go on any of the fishing or paddling groups on Facebook, and several times a week, somebody will ask something like, "What are some of the little known fishing spots (or kayaking stretches) near St. Louis (or some other city)." 

 Usually if someone asks I'll point them to a book, a map, a website where they can look up landowner parcels and get contact information.  I'll give them the tools to find the answer.  If they're not willing to spend a couple hours doing the legwork, that's on them.

I think it's a sort of feedback loop- the folks who want to be given the answer also think there's an unlimited number of great spots.   If great spots were a dime a dozen, no one would ever need to ask.  I wish folks were as careful naming streams online as they are handing out their bank information.

I like most of the streamside landowners I've met, and I think they're genuinely interested in protecting their resources, but I often get a kick out of the way they view things.  We'll let the cattle poop in the stream all summer, let the kids tear up bed and banks with ATVs, we'll hay within inches of the eroding cutbank, and we'll give the county road department a high five for hauling ten tons of gravel out of the creek.  But if too many kids are down there, having fun...I think if folks took better care of the resource, we wouldn't have to guard a few spots so jealously. 

I'm not interested in dumping on a kid who's excited about the sport.  I watched a couple videos, I winced a couple times, but that's alright- fish porn's never really been my bag.  I'd love to see a little more attention to conservation/stewardship, but that's me, and I know it isn't what sells.  If he's enjoying what he's doing, I hope he keeps doing it.  I hope he keeps learning, and developing those skills.  I also think it's okay to do something just for fun, without having to monetize it. 

 

[netboy]

17 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I only saw him fishing T rock.  Sorry.  

Yeah, I just watched the 2 videos on Taney. I doubt he gave away any super secret spots at the outlet. 😁  

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 minute ago, netboy said:

Yeah, I just watched the 2 videos on Taney. I doubt he gave away any super secret spots at the outlet. 😁  

I think they are referring to his river and creek smallie videos...

[netboy]

19 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I think they are referring to his river and creek smallie videos...

Gotcha

[fishinwrench]

3 hours ago, SpoonDog said:

but I often get a kick out of the way they view things.  We'll let the cattle poop in the stream all summer, let the kids tear up bed and banks with ATVs, we'll hay within inches of the eroding cutbank, and we'll give the county road department a high five for hauling ten tons of gravel out of the creek.  But if too many kids are down there, having fun...

This is exactly the situation I see around the places I haunt.   The REAL reason most property owners don't want anyone around is because they themselves are doing wrong, and they know it.     It isn't because of litter, or party's, or any of the other "reasons" they give for not wanting people there. 

Plus 9 times out of 10 the person that shows up to convince you to leave.... isn't even the deed-holding property owner, and has no authority to tell you to "get out" in the first place.    Our county deputy's will show up and tell you to leave....even though the rightful owner never called or complained.    And that's BS!   

The best thing for our watersheds is to NOT allow private ownership of streams, or even sections of streams. Unless the owner wants to be 100% liable for the condition of the water as it leaves his/her property.

[BilletHead]

               

26 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

This is exactly the situation I see around the places I haunt.   The REAL reason most property owners don't want anyone around is because they themselves are doing wrong, and they know it.     It isn't because of litter, or party's, or any of the other "reasons" they give for not wanting people there. 

Plus 9 times out of 10 the person that shows up to convince you to leave.... isn't even the deed-holding property owner, and has no authority to tell you to "get out" in the first place.    Our county deputy's will show up and tell you to leave....even though the rightful owner never called or complained.    And that's BS!   

The best thing for our watersheds is to NOT allow private ownership of streams, or even sections of streams. Unless the owner wants to be 100% liable for the condition of the water as it leaves his/her property.

                     Here is the way I see it. Totally opposite. Anyplace I have been either public or private walk in places there is beer and pop cans, bottles too. Bait containers, lure packages, wads of fishing line, tobacco containers of each kind, self made fire pits with burned trash and stuff that will not burn, etc. Places with vehicle access you find tires, appliances, and junk furniture. Both places hypodermic needles. I have hauled out items from private places I have had access to. People have ruined it for themselves. So maybe not I causing this problem but other ones have. On public places seen pit toilets vandalized. On two accesses one corps and one MDC those toilets have been removed which leads to trash and crap in parking lot and in the brush/ timber surrounding the area. 

    I do not blame the landowner on bit for shutting down access on their property. Do I like it? No but I would feel the same.

   

[snagged in outlet 3]

22 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

               

                     Here is the way I see it. Totally opposite. Anyplace I have been either public or private walk in places there is beer and pop cans, bottles too. Bait containers, lure packages, wads of fishing line, tobacco containers of each kind, self made fire pits with burned trash and stuff that will not burn, etc. Places with vehicle access you find tires, appliances, and junk furniture. Both places hypodermic needles. I have hauled out items from private places I have had access to. People have ruined it for themselves. So maybe not I causing this problem but other ones have. On public places seen pit toilets vandalized. On two accesses one corps and one MDC those toilets have been removed which leads to trash and crap in parking lot and in the brush/ timber surrounding the area. 

    I do not blame the landowner on bit for shutting down access on their property. Do I like it? No but I would feel the same.

   

That’s my experience at public access. Trash and crap everywhere.  How do you walk away and leave all your trash??!!