Rockafeller - Mud Hole Closed
 

Thats why good people are havin a hard time findin places ta fish. Idiots dont know how ta pick up after themselves

I am all for picking up after yourself. BUT,seems like the WLF is just being lazy. They could make money by writing citations.

WL&F have been fighting this this for years....To be able to access a refuge is a privilege and the WL&F should not have to waist money and babysit...LAZY and TRASHY people...

Im glad to see them close it and keep closing every place where people cant pick up after them selves

and If you fish these places and do clean up!! Good Job but you should pick up the others trash also..

I agree with Montauk , post an agent and write some tickets . At least make some money off the trashy people.
Before long there will be no public areas because of this lack of care by a select few.

:shaking: You telling me you pick up others trash when you see it? If you were to pick up all the trash out there (and most of Louisiana's water bodies), you would have a full-time job. Write tickets is what I say, don't punish the majority for the actions of a few. Big Lake ain't the cleanest of places in the world

Bingo....the good always suffer for the bad.

It would be the ethical thing to do ,to pick up all the trash around you . Unfortunately it wouldnt stop the litter problem. I'm sure the offenders would continue to litter with no penalty ,while others clean up the mess. Closings and fines are the only solution to this unfortunate problem .
As Montauk said ...The good always suffer for the bad!

That's the frickin problem! Sound like my kids! I didn't do it, why I got to pick it up? If everyone left with what they came with PLUS one extra piece of trash wouldn't have this problem, sure people shouldn't leave trash, but people shouldn't step over it & keep going

well said:amen:

You telling me that WL&F should have to pick it up:confused::confused::confused:

I was out there a couple of weeks ago.And DAM people
what the hell. If WLF would have been there that day
they could have made a fortune. Dead fish about 6 inch deep
and all the fly"s and smell to go with it.

WLF should catch a few of the culprits and as a penelty make them clean up the mess. The trash is one thing ,but the bycatch left rotting everywhere is one of the major issues .

Its actually a valid point ,not a lack of comprehension. If You nor I pick it up ,and someone feels it isnt thier place to pick up a little extra with thier trash . Then who should pick it up . It only leaves WL&F to clean up the mess. Is it really fair to them to do it?

Duck butter was talking about w picking up trash,not WLF. You won't stop trashy people from being trashy by closing an area. If they are ignorant enough to not read and follow rules tickets will remind them real quick.

I understand that . But unfortunately W did present a valid question for a change ,whether he ment to or not .

WL&F doesn't have the resources to have people picking up trash. Give me an example of a Government run institution that makes sound decisions day in and day out? Their only choice was to shut it down b/c their lack of $$ and time to police people there and every other reserve.

I have picked up plenty of trash....My wife picked up a whole bucket of trash at Heberts Landing Fri and threw it away....
So Yes I pick up trash when i cross it......and I dont leave a mess for others to have a chance to pick up after me

Exactly what I was after .

I don't agree with closing it,but you are right.

People's trash really irks me. I always pick up my trash and strings and kick my bycatch back into the water. I usually pick up others trash around me also.

Abuse it, you lose it. The good suffer for the bad.

How many times did you & your brother ever get in trouble because of something your brother did? ;)

Perhaps they could do like what was done back home...

One of your choices for community service was picking up trash around the local lake. Yeah, I spent a little time out there doing it but, it beat the hell out of working at the library and really, we cleaned up a bunch of stuff!

trash
 

closing is a little harsh, my tax dollars should be funded towards cleaning stuff like this. it would also give people jobs to clean up that mess and jobs are scarce these days.

There is no excuse in the world why a grown a$$ man or woman can't pick up after themselves. When we go crabbing we have some PVC pipe with our string and bait tied to it and we pick them up every time and all our trash. I'll be damned if I'm gonna pick up after another adult because they are too lazy and ignorant to do it themselves!!!

Right after our last discussion about the closing of Hog Island. I saw two or three cast nets left by the gully on the south side of Cameron LNG. Everytime I pass by there it chaps my butt. I can't just stop my rig on da side of the road or I would pick them up.

well how long do you have to threaten and how many signs to you have to place and how many Tax dollars do you have to waist picking up trash and babysitting until you can close it??

Good point .

Did they rope off the closed area? Or chain it? If not WLF will have to go there to keep folks out. Could have been the same before. Ride out, write a ticket or two and roll out. It wouldn't take long foe them to get it.



On another note. I learned a long time ago that when your in the outdoors treat it well and ALWAYS leave it nicer and cleaner than when you got there.......thank you Boy Scouts.

This is really referring to the by-catch of cast netters ie Pogies, being left on the beach to rot instead of release back into the water. The closure is to prevent us from contracting a disease from the rotting fish that has stacked up.

Mudhole
 

Everyone should have Operation Game Thief and Rockerfeller LDWF in their cell phones and report these weir scumbags to the appropriate authorities. Having a warden posted at the weirs would only make the scumbags act like angels while LDWF is there but when the warden's depart guess what. It's just sad

i always taught my kids take you trash out and if their is alittle someone else left pick it up to because if you do this and i do this we might keep a few of the places left to fish open.for example we use to fish a pond from the river we would get out and tear up the fish word got around and next hitch me and him go and end up picking up beer bottles and cans.i told him throw them in the boat.about 5min latter a old man on 4wheeler cam buy and says where is those bottles and cans that was on my leave.my son said we picked them up and put them in our boat.the old man said were they yours my son says no but me and dad leave it cleaner than we found it.the old man said here is my name and number when yall get home call me i hace two more ponds on my property that you drive to i dont let no one fish but call and ill make yall a key to the gate.so that day my son learned a lesson that will last a lifetime.

my take on this = no crabbing or fishing from the bank, just crab and fish from ur boat only ! that way no TRASH will be left behind !

i always taught my kids take you trash out and if their is alittle someone else left pick it up to because if you do this and i do this we might keep a few of the places left to fish open.for example we use to fish a pond from the river we would get out and tear up the fish word got around and next hitch me and him go and end up picking up beer bottles and cans.i told him throw them in the boat.about 5min latter a old man on 4wheeler cam buy and says where is those bottles and cans that was on my leave.my son said we picked them up and put them in our boat.the old man said were they yours my son says no but me and dad leave it cleaner than we found it.the old man said here is my name and number when yall get home call me i hace two more ponds on my property that you drive to i dont let no one fish but call and ill make yall a key to the gate.so that day my son learned a lesson that will last a lifetime.[/QUOTE]


Stuff like that is what I'm talking about! That's great!

I was there 2 weekends ago and the smell was terrible. By catch all over the shore and dead fish in the water.

Here's the problem:
 

Has anyone heard of the "broken windows theory", i.e. one broken window leads to many more broken windows? That is what this is. Once someone leaves trash, bycatch, etc., the next idiot who doesn't give a S$$t, will think, "oh well, someone else left their crap so I will too". Yes, I am one of those who always picks up my stuff and whatever I bring, I leave with, but I suspect, I'm in the minority. I have been many times to the "mudhole" (and the "cement dam" and "LSU" and "crab city") and several other weirs at Rockefeller. Every one of them is full of left over strings, bycatch, torn cast nets, beer cans, empty water bottles, etc. In fact, the only time I have ever ever seen them fairly clean was just after Hurricane Rita, but it didn't take long for the debris to pile up again. I was wondering how long it would take the LDWF to finally get enough and close them down.

Second problem, for a agent/warden to write a ticket, he has to witness the offending party leaving bycatch, trash, etc. before he would write a ticket. Do you really think that if the people at the weir see a uniformed agent/warden there, they are going to litter, etc. while he is present?

I think it's symptomatic of our culture and I'm ashamed of our behavior.

[QUOTE=cajun bill;285946]
Second problem, for a agent/warden to write a ticket, he has to witness the offending party leaving bycatch, trash, etc. before he would write a ticket. Do you really think that if the people at the weir see a uniformed agent/warden there, they are going to litter, etc. while he is present?
[QUOTE]

An agent doesn't always have to wear a uniform. I have heard, dont know if its true, but supposedly there are wardens that go out in plain clothes to watch people and then they report back to a warden at the launch or on the water who will find that boat and people and check them. A small hidden camera can go a long ways.

where is the mudhole? sounds like most of the problem is rotting fish left behind from the cast net shrimpers not throwing them back in to the water when picking out the shrimp?

If you know where the "cement" wier is located....

Go east to almost the end [2+ miles] and then turn into a smaller canal to the north and go up the canal about 1/2 mile and the wier is on the west side.

I always pick up after myself. Sometimes I will pick up after someone else if its in the are I want to fish. For two reasons. One, simply because I cant stand it. Two, beacuse I dont want to end up with a ticket for trash that isnt mine. I understand everyones views, but the way I see it. If people know that someone else will just come behind them and pick up their mess for them, they will just continue to leave it for the next guy. More tickets along with community service to be performed in that area would go along way. One less agent on the water and watching for people littering instead could do the trick. Im my book busting someone leaving his trash on the ground is a little for serious than busting a guy who has one fish over his limit. Dont get me wrong, its all important, but thats just my $.02.

I bet the ones making the mess are gonna blame everyone else.

Bingo!
 

Yep, the ones doing it will never step up and do the right thing, always waiting for someone else to do it, entitlement, sound familiar?

Not a tree hugger, been hunting all my life, and fish a little. Bring the wife and 6 y/o son to Rockefeller maybe twice a year. It is an easy place to let the son and wife crab on land. We have our crab lines on wooden sticks, unroll and stick them in the mud, when finished roll back up and put in 5 gallon bucket, easy. We never leave trash! And if I have time to cast net, all bycatch goes back in water, it really isn't that hard! Son gets to see alligators and other wildlife and has a blast. Anyone with young children who enjoy the outdoors and do not have access to private property better start paying attention and getting involved. These refuges are a priveledge not a right and can be shut down in a heart beat, they are just looking for a reason to do it, save the state a ton of money!

Off of soap box.

Thank you sir

Here are the regulation from the Rockfeller Wildlife Refuge web site:

1. The visiting season on the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge will extend from March 1st to December 1st throughout the Refuge except those restricted areas designated to prohibit interference with research and management activities. Use of Humble Canal; Joseph Harbor Bayou; Headquarters Canal; East End Road and Locks; Union Producing Canal; Deep Lake; East End Boundary Canal; and Rollover Bayou shall be year round. In addition to the access, sport fishermen shall be permitted only as far inland as the existing water control structures. The remainder of the Refuge shall be restricted during the winter months and will be closed to all trespassing.

2. Use of the Refuge will be allowed from official sunrise until official sunset. This includes access routes through the Refuge.

3. Overnight camping is prohibited.

4. Hunting, pursuing, killing, molesting, or intentionally disturbing any type of wildlife by the public is prohibited. This does not prohibit the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries from carrying out harvest programs for certain types of wildlife as specified in the Deed of Donation and/or Memorandum of Agreement.

5. Trawling on the Refuge is prohibited. Trotlines, crab traps, jug lines, trammel, and gill nets and traps are prohibited. All commercial fishing and use of any commercial fishing gear on the Refuge is prohibited. Twenty-five pounds of shrimp (heads on) per boat or vehicle per day is allowed during the inside open shrimp season as established by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. Ten (10) pounds of shrimp (heads on) for bait purposes may be caught during the closed season. Shrimp may be harvested only by cast net on the Refuge and only for sport fishing or home consumption use.

6. Crawfish may be harvested from the open portion of the Refuge and one-hundred (100) pounds per boat or vehicle is allowed per day. Set nets may be used but must be attended and removed from the Refuge daily. No commercial harvest is allowed.

7. Crabs may be harvested from the open portion of the Refuge and twelve (12) dozen crabs are allowed per boat or vehicle per day.

8. The burning of the marsh by the public is prohibited. Water control structures shall not be tampered with or altered by anyone other than employees of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

9. Bringing firearms, bows and arrows, liquor and controlled dangerous substances (drugs) onto the Refuge is prohibited. All boats and vehicles are subject to search by all authorized employees of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at anytime.

10. Speed boat racing and water skiing is prohibited. All boat traffic shall honor no wake zones and shall keep wave wash to a minimum. Pulling boats over or around levees, dams, or water control structures is prohibited.

11. No littering is allowed. Visitors must remove their litter or place litter in appropriate trash disposal sites. Damage to or removal of trees, shrubs, and wild plants without prior approval is prohibited.

12. Commercial fishing gear or trawls shall not be permitted in possession while participating in sports fishing on Refuge. Commercial fishing gear may be in possession for non-stop access directly across refuge or for safe harbor only.



Here are the regulations for all the "Refuges" [Sabine, East Cove, etc.].





actual custody of shrimp while on the refuge.

someone mentioned having a small camera, we all do, on all cell phones. take a picture of them in act and post it here. WE could turn them in on the litter law, but you have to a sign an affidavit stating that fact. thus he can do the same to you! I say we start posting pictures of them and their boats, just like the pot lickers

This irks me as well and I always pickup more than my own. How us Salty Cajuns see if we can get a group together to volunteer to help clean it up. Might get some great publicity for the group and show the rest of the public that while we harvest the resource we do give back in many ways other than the money we spend. Not sure what we would need to clean the place but a trash pump and some hoses to wash it down would be my thought

I'm not trying to blame all of the worlds ills on the "Communist in Chief" by any means, but has anybody else noticed that in the last 2 or 3 years acess to Federal lands seems to be less acessable. Not trying to hatch a consipiarcy theory, but I know these trash problems have been going on for many years now and I can't remember them ever shutting everyone out for the reasons of "public health hazard". I think Salazar may be been instructed to limit hunting and fishing opportunities on Federal lands as much as possible in an effort to pander to the liberal base(animal rights people). Obama told the libs at a rally that his justice department was "doing things under the radar to effect gun control" maybe this is also happening with the hunting and fishing too?? There are too many other ways to control this problem without running everyone off of federal lands. Maybe this new approach to an old problem is just a concidence, but I am suspicous nontheless.

You might be right......but if that were the case, I would think they would have just closed all of Rockefeller and say it was due to "health" issues.

Baby steps my friend, baby steps.... These people have the patience of Job and think long term when it comes to nudging and prodding our country into their direction. Can you imagine the outrage if they shut down Sabine, Lacassine, Cameron Prarie and the Rock to all hunting and fishing activities all at once and for good. The people would never stand for it. But if they can close this section "temporarly for our own good" or ban that activity or slap so many regulations in the pamplet that people just say the heck with it I'll start golfing or bowling instead, then over time(years, maybe a generation or less) they will have weakened the outdoor culture to the point where they can close or ban anything they want and no one will be outraged or even care. I hope and pray that never happens

yes..I have...especially after being gone from Louisiana for 20 + years.....what I notice now is the systematic loss of the average cajun's god given rights to our wildlife and fisheries......littering is NO REASON to shut off access to our nature's resources....boat or no boat....bank or no bank!.. enforce the current laws!!