Anglers, volunteers clean up area lakes

TENNESSEE RIVER - Pro anglers Gary Klein and Shaw Grigsby, who are in the Shoals for the Optima Batteries Corporate Cup fishing tournament, were talking trash Wednesday as they prepared for the competition that begins today.

The tournament on Pickwick and Wilson lakes runs through Saturday.

Grigsby, of Gainesville, Fla., host of the "One More Cast" television show on the Versus Network, interrupted his trash talk several times to apologize for his behavior.

"I've been coming out of this boat ramp every day for practice and I hate to admit my mind was so focused on fishing that I didn't notice the trash," Grigsby said as he picked up garbage along the shore of Florence Harbor on Wednesday. "I'm afraid we see so much trash along the banks that we become jaded over time. Unfortunately, once you take time to slow down and look for the trash, you have no trouble finding plenty."

Grigsby collected a large garbage bag full of discarded beverage cans, bottles, plastic shopping bags and other trash along the first 30 feet of shoreline he helped clean. He, along with seven other anglers competing in this week's tournament, collected more than 50 bags of trash, numerous old tires, a chair, a discarded tent and other garbage from Pickwick and Wilson lakes in three hours Wednesday. Pro angler Tim Horton, of Muscle Shoals, president of the Kentucky-based Professional Anglers Association, estimated the trash weighed about 1,500 pounds.

The trash was hauled away in a Muscle Shoals Public Works Department garbage truck.

"This is our way of giving back something to the community," said Klein, of Weatherford, Texas, who organized the cleanup. "This is something I've always felt needed to be done. This is our environment, and it's where we make our living. We think it's important that we help keep it clean."

Pro angler Cliff Pace, of Petal, Miss., compared the anglers' efforts Wednesday to someone cleaning up their home or office.

"The water is our office," Pace said. "It is where we spend most of our time. We want to help keep it clean."

Pro angler Gene Ellison, of Boston, Mass., said waterway trash is a problem that is not unique to the Tennessee River.

"We see it pretty much everywhere we go," he said. "For whatever reason, people choose to throw their garbage in the water or on the bank instead of taking it home and doing what is right by putting it in the garbage can."

Klein is hopeful Wednesday's cleanup will prompt bass clubs and other groups around the Shoals to take an active role in keeping the local lakes clean.

Ken Rager, of Florence, who scuba dives in the Tennessee River, said the litter problem is not limited to what floats on the surface or collects on the shore.

"There's a lot of cans, soft drink bottles and other trash on the bottom," Rager said. "Because of the limited visibility in the water, it's hard to see on the bottom of the river. But even in that limited visibility, we see a lot of trash and know there is a whole lot more we can't see."

Rager said in some areas where boaters like to congregate, the discarded beverage cans and bottles are several feet thick on the river bottom. He said divers have found everything from discarded lawn mowers, scrap metal, wire cable and even old cars on the bottom of local lakes.

The Muscle Shoals Parrot Head Club, which has conducted shoreline cleanups around the Shoals in the past, has found old water heaters, washing machines and other large appliances littering local lakes.

"Some of the same people that drive down the road tossing trash out their window of their vehicle also toss trash out of their boat while they are on the water," Rager said.

Jim Allen, a Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman, said the agency partners with groups along its more than 11,000 miles of shoreline for clean-up programs. In addition, it hires contractors to remove trash and litter from more than 80 high-use areas on Pickwick, Wilson and Wheeler lakes.

Brenda and Lyn Melton, of Florence, who volunteered to help with Wednesday's cleanup, said they cannot understand why people toss litter into and around the local lakes.

"We spend a lot of time in Canada and you don't see litter there like you do here," Lyn Melton said. "I guarantee you, if a fisherman were to throw an empty drink can onto the ground up there, somebody would fuss at them."

Brenda Melton said Alabama should take a more proactive approach in combating litter by adopting laws that encourage recycling such as requiring a deposit on beverage containers.

Weigh-ins for the tournament begin at 5 p.m. today through Saturday at McFarland Park. In addition to many of the top professional fishermen in the country, the 168-angler field includes former NFL stars Cornelius Bennett and Thurman Thomas.

Thomas, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will fish today while Bennett, who played for the University of Alabama, will compete Friday and Saturday. Both will be available for autographs at the weigh-ins.

A tournament village, which features displays by the tournament's sponsors and activities for children and adults including the Jasper Engines NASCAR racing simulator, is open 2-7 p.m. today and Friday and from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday at McFarland Park. Admission is free.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@TimesDaily.com.