IT must be summertime because...

[chipwood]

there's trash all over the rocks in Newport. I fished last night for the first time in a week due to vacation plans. Before I left, the rocks were somewhat clean. I hit a few spots and boy was it disgusting. Boxes of wine, beer cans, scup rigs, squid boxes, worm boxes, and not to mention a vast amount of plastic bags. It just disgusts me to think that these people actually leave these things after they fish. Not only do we get to drive 10mph behind a New York rubbernecker, but now we get to look at all the trash the Massholios leave behind. I wonder why we don't see any Maine, NH or VT plates here in Newport. I know why because Newport just attracts people who do'nt care about their environment. I hope responsible NYers and Massholios don't take offense.

[Nebe]

dont forget the plates from Patheticut!

[likwid]

Originally posted by chipwood
but now we get to look at all the trash the Massholios leave behind.

I'll bet just as many Rhode Island people are guilty of this as are people from MA, NY, CT, etc.

Be a little more... eloquent... in how you word things next time.

[chipwood]

If you fish Newport almost everyday like I do or most of my friends do, the spots that are the most filthy usually have Mass plates at the parking areas. The majority of Rhody plates I see, I know who they are. Yeah sure there are probably some people who drive down from Northern Rhody and litter, but the majority of plates from Mass are at the spots that end up with the most trash. From now until the school year starts, you'll see the majority of people fishing the accessible areas are from Mass. The people who find fault with this really don't know what they're talking about. I'm sure the majority of Mass fisherman are responsible but there are a few who are just dogging the fishing areas in Newport.

[BigFish]

Jeez Chipwood.....did they have fireworks in Newport over the weekend? I am sure they did, and if so, do you honestly believe that the only people who went to see them and left all their crap on the rocks were out of staters???? Get your head out of your bass! I really love you people....."oh, it was all of the out-of-staters and the tourists"! When you go out of state to visit, should I automatically assume that you litter and leave your crap everywhere? B#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&s like that come from all walks of life and all different places, even from right where the littering takes place! I am growing increasingly tired of folks like yourself throwing that general "blanket" of blame on the out-of-towners!

[chipwood]

Eben you guys probably see more Conn plates than we do, but I've being seeing my share often. One story about litter. I used to live off the nightmare called Lower Thames aka the Yachting Village or that's what the yuppies who move to Newport call it. My wife and I were walking down the street when we saw a women with an ice cream cone attending to her 4 or so year old in her big Dodge Ram. My wife says she is going to toss that cone. Next thing you know she just throws the cone and napkins right down on the ground. We let her know it was not appreciated that she come to Newport and throw her trash on the ground. She looked at us like we were crazy, got in her truck and drove off. If they litter during the day on the street then what's gonna keep them from littering on the rocks at night. Oh and guess where they were from. Yes Massachusetts. Come on down you can be the next contestant on Let's trash Newport.

[bart]

Go yourself chipwood

[BigFish]

One must, judged on the way folks like Chipwood think, believe that when Chipwood visits Massachusetts, that he leaves his trash everywhere also....because he is from OUT-OF-STATE!

[beachwalker]

everyone is a slob.

doesn't matter where you from

[chipwood]

Big fish, yeah I watched the fireworks and the spots I'm talking about you could'nt even see the fireworks. So there goes your theory of the people watching the fireworks did some littering, which I'm sure they did. I guess you don't come down this way too often. When you fish a spot for years and notice out of state plates there all the time and next thing you know the place is trashed you tend to put 2 and 2 together. Let's see Newport is a tourist town and let's see Newport is trashed during the tourist season so that must mean the tourists are doing the trashing. I don't know how touristy Abbington is? Do you guys have a lot of Rhode Islanders going up there to party or to fish?

[tlapinski]

looks like someone has a good case of headupassitus. we have all been there at some time or another.

[chipwood]

See that's what I'm talking about I get people giving me a hard time and they don't even know what they're talking about. How many times does a guy like BigFish come to Newport and actually see what the problem is. If he does come down he probably goes downtown, pays $25 to sip canned beer at Christies, maybe take a charter, then watches the fireworks at 40 steps , oh wait a minute the fireworks were in the harbor. Then he goes back to his home and says what a beautiful place it was. What is chipwood talking about, litter, beer cans, scup rigs it must've been all the people watching the fireworks. Don't get mad I'm just trying to figure out how you try to figure out why I get mad at the tourists.

[BigFish]

Chipwood....do you know many fisherman who bring boxes of wine with them when they are casting from rocky areas such as you describe? No I don't fish Rhody as much as I would like (in fact not at all) I do most of my littering...... I mean fishing, down the Cape! Maybe you should grow some brass ones and actually confront some of these people instead of cryin' about it!

For the record....I do confront the morons that I see doing such things....anyone who knows me will tell you as many have seen me do it! I won't stand for it! I also pick up my share of other peoples trash when I am out and about! It is like bangin' your head against the wall though, you can't teach these morons to behave in a place where they go to enjoy themselves and keep it clean for others who come after them! I share your frustrations Chipwood, it is the blanket you cast over everyone else that I don't like......must be fisherman and they must be from Mass because Rhode Island fisherman would never do such a thing! You keep on believeing that Chipwood.......boy the world you live in must be a beautiful place, imagine if you could keep all those Mass fisherman out?

[CAL]

Originally posted by chipwood
I don't know how touristy Abbington is?

Abington is the Newport of Boston's south shore

[bart]

i've never been to the cape before so i don't know what tourism is

[BigFish]

Chipwood....too bad you don't know me....the image you try to paint of me of me could not be more opposite of who I am! As I said I share your frustrations as I see them too.....the only solution is to confront the people who you physically see do these things and set thier a$$ straight.....or cut their sidewall. Your choice! Have a nice day.

[chris L]

its newpot everyone drinks wine with the pinky raised ! Im from Ct and litter in every state ! Im not prejudice !

[BigFish]

[chipwood]

I don't know anyone that drinks boxed wine while they fish but evidently there are a few because I've seen the boxes along with the squid and worm boxes to go along with it. I hear you Big Fish. I do confront people who take small fish, but it's hard to confront people with the trash issue. You just don't know if it is them or not. Most of the time you can't tell until it's too late, like the next day. People are just not listening to me. I don't mean to blanket all Mass fisherman, I'm saying that the majority of plates I see at the spots that are trashed the most are from Mass. That's all. And that someone who likes to drink boxed wine is just murderin' the scup. You just pour a little on the squid before you cast. It works every time.

[BigFish]

Just try and catch them red-handed Chipwood, as difficult as that is and then read them the riot act! I will admit that the out-of-staters make up the majority of the idiots who do such things.....its a sad fact that the biggest percentage of the population are rude, crass, ignorant, beligerant, uncaring morons! I share your feelings as far as your favorite spot getting all polluted and trashed....many times mine are the same way when I get there.....just a sad fact of life! I try to teach my kids to be alot better than the people who do such things. Didn't mean to rub your raw nerve my friend.....tight lines!

[Slipknot]

OK, OK off to the grumpy forum

[chipwood]

I'm not trying to get the responsible fisherman of Mass in a tissy. The people who don't litter know who they are, as I do. I know that most if not all of the guys here are responsible and would pick up after someone else. I know that I'm probably letting off a little steam about an issue that's familiar in all communities. It's just tough talking about something that you see happening and there's really nothing you can do about it.

[t.orlando]

"YOU JUST DON"T KNOW IF IT"S THEM OR NOT" , then don't blame them(US)

[chipwood]

T. Orlando, let's say you fish a spot every night for a week and @ 3:00 pm you see a couple of Mass plates. You come back @ 9:00 PM to fish and you go down each night and there's more and more trash than the previous night. Who are you gonna blame. You know those Mass plates are fishing for scup or blackfish. And let's say it's a different Mass plate every night and when you fish they're gone. Who are you gonna blame. A spot that nobody but fisherman and a few tourists that are going for a walk and who are definitely carrying a box of wine or a box of squid. Yeah maybe you could take time out of your day and walk down and say something but how do you know it was them. It could've been the fisherman from the day before.

[chipwood]

I meant a tourist definitely not carrying a box of wine.

[JohnR]

Chipwood - it's not a Mass issue, it's not an immigrant issue, it's not something you can lay blame on one subset of society. It's a bunch of people from all walks of life and all locations that do this. Do you honestly think no Newport residents litter? OchsenSheize...

Up my way, there are rarely mass plates and most of the trash is left by the yahoos in the neighborhood.

Address the problem, not your perception - which is inconsistent - of the problem.

Sad fact is that I see as much trash from the partying teenage/college kids going on in these places, if not more, than any other subset using these public places. Sad but IMO true. What am I trying to say? Most "groups" can be singled out as the root of the problem when the problem really goes a lot deeper...

[Fishpart]

Problem is much deeper than where people live. I live on a dead end road with a golf course at the end. I pulled three full wheel barrel loads of trash out of the woods in front of my house on both sides of the road this spring, 90% was bottles and cans. Guess what more than 80% of the people who use the golf course are from less than 10 miles away. It has nothing to do with the race or what state people are from, PEOPLE ARE PIGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You clean up after them and tell the ones you catch not to litter and you set a good example and teach your kids not to litter and recycle what they can.

[beachwalker]

I agree John. The majority of bottles, cans and booze crap is from underage partiers. It is terrible what it looks like after they are done.

the amount of flotsam that shows up on the beach is incredible. More balloons than a friggin carnival.

I am going to kill them balloon sellers. I hate them. They are bad and are responsible for all the trash on the beaches.

[MikeTLive]

next time you see folks fishin near trash, ask them if they would help you do some cleanup. Tell them some slobs keep trashin the place and if they wouldnt mind helpin you out you wouldnt mind pointin out a few spots.

give them a real connection with the ecology - what effect does the trash have on the fish? the air? the sand?

I bet they would love to walk barefoot in clean sand.
remember the hypodermics that washed up back in the 80's?

Remind them how much public access is being lost every day due to closed minded folks who blame the out of staters for everything.

Make all your points but not at them. Ask them to help out so that when you go to the next town meeting you can say firsthand that they should keep the access because you have seen that some of the people do care.

If they laugh at you or make a bigger mess, take down the plates and call the state. There are littering fines and they are large. Bring a camera and document the mess - so you can show that you are making a difference.

[chipwood]

John I'm not making this an immigrant issue , I'm stating I see that people from Mass that fish for scup/blackfish are depositing a lot of trash on the rocks. I don't know where you live but I'd say that majority of fisherman from Newport are responsible fisherman. Alot of the guys that chunk clean up after themselves while the others just plug ( meaning there's not much trash generated plugging) Your argument about partying college kids is moot. There really isn't too much partying going on along the rocks like it was in the late'80s or early 90's. And even if it was happening the time when they would be partying is in the winter. I fish almost exclusively in Newport and I rarely come across teenagers partying on the rocks. And I'm out there during the times when most kids would be partying. Trust me I know all the party spots because I was doing it back in the day.