The Biggest Problem With Self-Proclaimed Sportsmen

If there's one thing I enjoy the most about living in Lawton, it's being so close to so many good outdoorsman options. I really like fishing. Not the kind of big-forehead neanderthal catfish angling where you toss a sponge hook out dipped in dog vomit, I mean real fishing. Bass in every variety, saugeye when you find them, and panfish when you need a quick win. The Wichita Mountains have a few good lakes, Lake Elmer Thomas is killer, and Lawtonka produces both trophy large and smallmouth bass. Mix in the options for hunting the big game like delicious elk and massive bison, Lawton really is a sportsmans paradise... but we're talking about the fishing.

Almost every weekend during the not-freezing-cold months, the banks of every lake and pond seem to be lined with all sorts of anglers. The little kids getting their first taste of setting hooks all the way up to the "professional" yuppies that are convinced fish are magically attracted to $100k boats. But no matter their skill level or tax bracket they fall into, most of them seem to have one thing in common. Litter.

There is absolutely no excuse for leaving your trash at the lake. That's not just limited to the hobbyists that leave birds nests of fishing line balled up on the bank, but also the guy in the boat that forgets trash cans are included with that sparkly paint job on that big beautiful boat. They might not be tossing cans and bottles in the water, but I've seen guys toss a torn up plastic bait in the water instead of just tossing it in the floor to pick up later. It's even common to just let your fishing line tags (that little bit you trim off the knot) blow away in the wind. Do people think that stuff just gets broken down by nature? It doesn't. It gets picked up by superior humans. The type of people that pack grocery bags in their tackle box for such an occasion.

If you consider yourself outdoorsy, be an outdoorsman (that's non-gender specific). Treat the nature you enjoy better than you'd treat your own home. It's not good enough to leave nature the way you found it... with so much trash blowing around lakes, it's time to leave nature better off. Of course, I'm not scolding you into picking up trash, like I said, superior people will do that for you... I'm just asking that you not litter in our playground.