Okay, so we know that 100% Pure is unfortunately aspirational with so many factors affecting the health of our rivers, but can we make a difference? 100 percent!
As fishers, you walk where many don’t. Or maybe you’re off to a favourite swimming hole, or running the dogs. Along the way, you’re bound to see all manner of discarded goods – farm equipment and various other machinery, old bridge bits and bricks. I once was surprised to find a long-rusted but otherwise complete car upside down in the riverbed, sending shivers down my spine when I looked up to realise that the road was 15m or so above.
As individuals some things are hard to shift. But there are things we can do to protect our beloved waterways for everyone, and everything. And collectively, some simple, direct action will make a difference.
Level 1: Take out what you take in
Be a tidy Kiwi. That was the slogan back in the late 60’s, to galvanise social action to put rubbish where it belonged – which was certainly not thrown out the car window or down a riverbank. It still rings true when combined with another well-known outdoors version: “take only pictures, leave only footprints”. The basics are, well, basic – take out what you take in.
But, you say – this is normal for us outdoorsy hunter gatherer types! Only, there is a dirty little secret – monofilament, tippet, tag ends… Do I have your attention? We also need to clean up our act, so to speak.
Fishing line is a massive problem in our oceans, and the resulting impact on aquatic and bird life is something we must avoid replicating in freshwater environs. Yes, the amounts are small in comparison, but consider the damage of a lifetime of dropping tippet on the edges. So next time you’re adjusting your line, be conscious of properly stowing offcuts to take out. If you don’t have a specific tool, wind it around a small stick and ‘stick’ it in your pocket.
One more thing is to always attempt to retrieve line snagged in trees. (Though sometimes the risk is not worth it in swift water under willows.) I’ve also fetched other people’s line noticed while untangling my own. Clearly some trees have a specific hunger for monofilament!
Genius level: take out MORE than you take in
No, not souvenirs from the river, or even trout or salmon for tonight’s dinner. We’re talking rubbish, trash, waste, refuse, litter… Whatever you call it, once you started noticing it, you’ll notice more.
It is an easy thing to do to pick up a few pieces on your way back down river at the end of a day. Tony has been doing this for years – it is so easy to do.
It is of course an international issue. In Denmark, angler Nikolaj Korsholm was so bothered by the plastic on his local beaches that he started the #PlasticInTheBasket movement – challenging lake and saltwater anglers to fill their stripping baskets with plastic on the way home, then share the results.
On the river, a small bag with a carabiner hooked to a belt or fishing vest might be just the thing for this detritus. Otherwise, whatever you can fit in your pockets or easily carry is perfect.
You may not be able to clear the river of all its flotsam and jetsam, but every step counts.
Spent line tools
Smith Creek Spent Line Wrangler
Inspiration from afar
Closer to home
Tiaki Promise – Tourism New Zealand
Riversmiths NZ 