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Patrick, in all the years I've spent in the woods, streams, lakes, and beaches, I have seen a billion bait containers and enough fishing line to stretch to the sun and back 50 times. Who do you suppose put it there?
If I was a waterfront owner, it wouldn't take much trash or too many beer blasts for me to want everyone the hell off my land. I think everyone should ask themselves if they would want people walking through their yard at midnight, wherever you live... what's the difference? Your property is your property... Just because its on the ocean, would that mean that all of us would be OK with folks on our land. Where one's land is located has no bearing on the argument. Would you or would you not be ok with people on your property at 2am? A man's home is his castle and his land is his kingdom.
Two years ago I would have probably been on the other side of the fence, but since I bought my own home, my perspective has changed. 3 or 4 times I've had people on my property late at night. Kids, town maintenance workers... the dog starts howling, you see someone in your yard. I'm ready shoot someone. I don't know what those people are doing. Does that change if I have the ocean in my backyard?
As much as we want access, we must be able to see the other side of the argument. We have to see that we may be disruptive and intrusive no matter how good our intentions are.
I don't think that we can expect landowners to distinguish between good, clean fisherpeople like ourselves and slobs who see the world as a big garbage can.
Like others have said, it only takes a few to ruin things for everyone. But that few isn't really just a few, is it? I am often disgusted by what I see out there. Everytime I go fishing I see trash and crap everywhere. You almost become immune to it, there's so much...
Oh man, I just went off, didn't I?
Sorry, I'll step down from my soapbox now. I just don't think that we should expect more from waterfront property owners, than we would be prepared to grant on are own land.
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