We're takin' a beating.
From the crap on the Skok to the Puyallup pink pugilists, the media is not out to do us any favors...

We need to be acutely aware of our image and Be Careful Out There!

We've got a lot to protect and a lot to fight for.

Fairly or un-fairly, The actions of a few make us all look bad at times.

Take a minute to point someone in the right direction. Be a coach, be a leader... If they tell you to take a hike, walk away and let them think...

As long as humans have this "It's MY fish" attitude, we'll continue to see fighting.

I've never seen a reporter where I fish.

Nicely done Tom.

TJ -
An on point topic though IMHO it is not the media who is the villian here; rather it is us the recreational fishing community. We have allowed our fishing ethics to slip so far that for many of our anglers it is now a " right to instance success and limit catches" by any means. Our ethic is no longer "fish first".

Tight lines
Curt

I agree with Curt...don't blame the media for reporting on something that any one of us can go out to the river and see with our own eyes...the lack of ethics shown by a lot of folks in our own community is appalling, and those with the most appalling behavior are the first to whine about commercial fishing, tribal fishing, sea lions, etc...

Fish on...

Todd

Like they say, it only takes a few rotten apples.

But the problem always seems to be, it's the 80% of the slobs out there that make the remaining 20% look bad. Hard to overcome a negative image with those kinds of odds.

Sg

Lets send Parker out with his Zombie guns to "clean up"!

In the glass half empty society we live in, the negative PR always overshadows the good. Be a part of the solution, not the problem.

I was on the Puyallup a couple weeks and a picked up trash as it floated by me. We left with one silver in the catch bag and handful of beer cans and debris stuffed in my pockets and waders. Can't say that the surrounding combat anglers joined in, but I'd like to think that I made a few think twice as to what they did with the trash. Just saying...

The drunken and fighting people on the rivers is too much for the press to ignore.

The taking of too many fish of the wrong species is also a red flag. It's tough to preach conservation when there are so many that don't have a clue or don't give a damn.

In addition to all of that, there's the image of the scrody fisherman with dirty clothes, smelling of bait and reeking of beer.

I suggest we get out on the river with a Top Hat, creased waders, four-in-hand tie, maybe even spats over our boots.

Champagne,caviar..... show 'em we have some class.....

Hankster, fishing ethics isn't the issue here. It's the tons of garbage they are leaving along the banks of the Poopyallup that is of concern. What a bunch of F'n slobs. But, it's like that almost everywhere.

Take a vacation to some remote Bahamian Island where there are very few humans around. The amount of garbage being dumped off the cruise ships and washed on shore is appaling. Every big storm just washes more garbage in the seas to be deposited on some other beach somewhere. Everything we let blow out of our boats and don't retrieve ends up somewhere.


Really it's ok though, someone else will pick it up.......:(

In their eyes we are all "Billy Bob".

Hell, in the eyes of many fellow fishers I am Billy Bob, been noticing more of a separation between classes of fishermen and intend to do what I can to resolve that..i.e. I won't pick on flyfishermen anymore we all need to hang together or we will surely.....

you know the rest.

Same acts as those on the Sky tossing carcasses into the parking lot instead of walking for 2 seconds and putting in the river where they belong.

Calling these "people" fisher is an oxy moron.

Douchebags is way more appropriate.

Sure ya won't ralphy................sure ya won't.

Probably not a better time to lead by example and sponsor a river cleanup and show the public we are not all d-bags.

I would guess that most of the people that participate in these discussions are going to carry with them some semblance of tact and ethics where ever they go. Of course there is that small faction that will disregard all else and feel that they alone are entitled to do as they wish and act accordingly.

Actions speak louder than words, I hope we all act accordingly.

Fsihy

I don't mean to come off blaming the media.

We're doing a pretty good job of shooting ourselves in the foot.

I mean, here we are in the midst of one of the better salmon seasons in nearly a decade and we celebrate by trashing the rivers and fighting over the resource.

I know that I'm preaching to the choir and I agree that most if not all on this board are not the problem.

So, we need to be the solution.

Educate the public.
Inform the new angler.
Advocate for the resource.

I think I just heard my soapbox crack... time to get off it...

Maybe I'm just bummed that today's Hawg Quest tuna trip got rough-water canceled....

Sure ya' won't. You stop picking on fly fishing and we'll all know that you been out in the back yard practicing your backcast and double haul.

Sg

Stam,
Head south this winter, I'll let you borrow a fly stick.

Nelly, Too bad about the tuna trip. We all have a right to complain as most of us that really fish have taken it upon ourselves to learn about the resource.How to take care of it and through that we have learned the intricacies of what is expected of us and how hard we fight for our resource. So it galls us all when we have a huge run of fish, only to have people come out of the woodwork and act like complete slobs.

Your right we need to;

Educate the public.
Inform the new angler.
Advocate for the resource.


Fishy