Spin guys: you are the problem

Now before you get all hot and bothered, let me explain my title. I decided on that title for two reasons. One was that it is controversial and will ruffle feathers and that's the way to get people's attention. I apologize for lowering myself to such low levels, but what's a blogger to do? The second reason was a number of experiences I have had on the rivers since moving to Oregon. And in Oregon there are zillions more spin guys than there were in Colorado.

Now the disclaimer. No, I don't think all spin guys are the problem. That would be unfair. Plus, I am sometimes one of you and I am not the problem. Even though I'm sure I occasionally drop something and leave it behind, I make a point to always pick up some riverside trash and take it home with me. That way even though I'm sure I sometimes accidentally litter, my net affect is to the good.

But I have noticed over the past 2 years how much trash there is here on Oregon rivers and what kind of trash it is. You might say "no, you can't say it's all the spin guys," but I'm fairly sure it is. Firstly, I can't remember the last time I picked up an empty tippet spool or any other sort of packing for fly gear. Secondly, sure, there are always beer cans which could come from anywhere. But I very often find things like bait containers, hook packaging, other random spin gear packaging, and worst of all gobs of tangled line. All spin gear, never fly gear.

After seeing all this trash I have come to the conclusion: spin guys are the problem.

Not all spin guys!!  So please don't go crazy on me. I'm sure most of the spin gear fishermen are just fine, tidy, and clean. But why is it that ALL of the trash I find is either beer cans (neutral origin) or spin gear packaging and line? Just last weekend I picked up what seemed like an entire rig of bright green line that someone had made a mess of and decided to leave right on the bank. It was not the sort of thing that maybe someone had in their pocket that snagged on a bush and was accidentally left behind. It was largely in a pile on the rocky bank and a lot of it had been cut into small pieces. And this weekend I picked up a couple of empty containers for some sort of tasty goo to coat bait with.

The moral of the story is not to say spin guys suck. Although they do! (joking)  And I hope I don't sound too pretentious in this post. I have no problem with spin guys because they're spin guys. I have a problem with anglers who dirty up the beautiful places we all share to enjoy our hobby/sport/pastime.

The other moral is that I should move back to Colorado because rivers are way cleaner there.

I am genuinely curious why it is that spin guys generate all the litter. I suspect it has something to do with the type of people that are attracted to spin fishing rather than fly. It's a little simpler than fly fishing (although really not much).  It's a little easier. And apparently it's dirtier.

There is a real moral to this post, though. I'm just not sure what it is.  I guess that's what the comment section is for.

I am leaving the comment section open for the enjoyment of all! But I will be deleting anything deemed too unruly or stupid.