Dirty Downtown

I have some buddies who like to go fishing all throughout reno, from arlington bridge down to east McCarran.  They have some good stories about big fish, and I have even seen one or two of them, but for some reason every time I fish in the city I am disappointed.  I am not disappointed because the fishing, but instead the surrounding, and all of the filth that collects there.  I have shoed people away from breaking into my car, had multiple semi hostile encounters with bums, and always, always find drug paraphernalia.  When the temps first hit freezing this fall I was on the river smack in the middle of downtown where a bum was sleeping on the shore.  He woke up in a drunken haze, likely from being so cold, and started yelling at me for having a bed and a warm house to sleep in.  I have to admit I did empathize with the man, but theres not much I am willing to do to improve his situation, call me what you will.  I was glad to be in the water with him already freezing on the shore because there was no way he was going to come in after me.  That might have also given me a sense of confidence to antagonize him a little but still, its never fun to have your fishing interrupted by some moron who is mocking you for fishing in a river where according to him, "ain't no fish!"  Today was no better, instead of avoiding bums, I was staring at walls of graffiti and walking over hypodermic needles.  When I come across needles, prescription pill bottles, and fifths of McCormics I cant help but wonder what kind of people are going to come out of the woodworks as soon as the light dims.  Big browns aren't the only things that go hunting when it gets dark.  I just wish people had a little more respect for the place.  Another thing that stinks about downtown is the fact that every good hole has a few cans of power bait lying on the shore.  During the summer months there are a lot of bait chuckers that reel in as many fish as they can carry, regardless of the size, limit, or type.  I cant count the times that I have seen men with stingers of 10 + trout flopping around on the shore.  I understand these people are using the trout to feed their family, but the reason that the truckee is the way it is now is partly form over fishing during the comstock and all the way until the construction of Derby dam, which pretty much wiped out any remaining chance of ever reestablishing a Cutthroat spawn in the river.  These people have absolutely zero regard for sustaining the fishery.  All I have to say is thank god for NDOW, I only wish we could do more.