Cleanin' & Mousin'

[Shupac]

My wife and I did the Gates' cleanup Saturday. We worked the stretch on the South Branch from Chase to Forest Rest, and each of us only collected about half a garbage bag. I did the same stretch 4 years ago and almost filled three. That's a trend I'd like to see continue.

Saturday night I did a little mousin' on the mainstream. Between about 9:10 and 9:45 I landed 4 12-15" browns and had about ten other swipes. Then the bite shut down, aside from one strike (from a fish that sounded like it probably couldn't get the hook in its mouth) around 10:30. Didn't tangle with any of the toads you hope for when you fish mammal patterns in the dark, but I still can't think of many better ways to pass a Saturday night in almost-mid-September.

[Troutlord1]

Shup great to hear you helped out with the clean up. Its good to see people care. I never have been able to get up there for it due to situations/etc. Great to see that people care. I try to help out Rusty as much as i can donating mint tins to his kids fly box program and such. your report was a plus to
hats off and kudo's to you shup

[WILDCATWICK]

Thanks for the report. Sure is fun to go mousin and having the anticipation of a bruiser splashing like a mad beaver in the dark of night!

I think the level of garbage shows how little traffic they had up there this year. We are there about everyother weekend throughout the summer and we seemed to have the river to ourselves almost all day. There are only a few weekends when it was a zoo....hex!

Hopefully there will be a day where we have less garbage on the river because of awareness and careing not becuase the economy has made it hard for many folks to get out and enjoy the splendor of our cold water rivers.;)

[caulfield]

I was there for the clean up too. Biggest turn out ever. I'd say at least 250 people. As for the trash, of the 5 of us that did Whirlpool to Thendara I saw about 8 bags at the take out plus a few that we left on log jams for the boats to pick up. Trash boats were full from Burtons to Gates. Didn't see any other of the trash collector boats.
Fished Lower TU to Wakeley on friday and noticed very little trash but I wasn't looking that hard. Got 4 browns all over 10", biggest at 14" lost a LOT of fish to bad hook sets or short strikes one of which was probably around 18". That one I at least got to see jump a few times before he said good bye.

[Shupac]

I think the level of garbage shows how little traffic they had up there this year. We are there about everyother weekend throughout the summer and we seemed to have the river to ourselves almost all day. There are only a few weekends when it was a zoo....hex!

Hopefully there will be a day where we have less garbage on the river because of awareness and careing not becuase the economy has made it hard for many folks to get out and enjoy the splendor of our cold water rivers.;)


I think both those scenarios explain what I saw. There were fewer people up there this year, but a livery operator I talked to said his impression was that people are being more careful of their trash, and that more of his renters were coming off the river with bags of trash they picked up themselves. We floated from Roscommon to Smith on Sunday, and on the way back we stopped at Chase to pick up another father and his very young son who had canoed down there from town. They got in the van with--yes, a bag of garbage. That awareness isn't where it needs to be, but it may be growing. My hat's off to the dad who set a fine example for his son while they were out for some afternoon fun.

[Troutlord1]

heres a reason why we have clean ups some stories on there are comical maddening and down right sad


http://www.northwoodscall.com/readstory.phtml?n=4