When the Professional Anglers Association (PAA) comes to Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo., next month for its tournament, the lake will be better off for it.
Recycled Fish, a non-profit conservation partner of the PAA, is organizing a lake cleanup during the final day of the PAA Bass Pro Shops Tournament Series event scheduled for Oct. 14-16. Local watershed and community groups, local residents and fishing fans will be encouraged to clean up trash around the lake while the anglers fish.
“Fishing is about being more than sportsmen, it’s about being stewards,” said Teeg Stouffer, Recycled Fish Executive Director. “Large tournaments put a focus on the catching, but any time we take to the water, anglers like to leave it better than we found it and this is a chance to spotlight that ethic.”
Like the PAA tournament itself, the lake cleanup has its own excitement and stagecraft. After cleaning up trash from around the lake, volunteers will bring their haul to the weigh-in stage at Branson Landing. Prior to the fish being weighed, the collected trash will be weighed and then “released” into a dumpster provided by Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks.
The most trash by volume, by weight, and most unusual will receive prizes that money can’t buy – fishing gear donated by Bass Pro Shops, and autographed by PAA Pro Anglers.
In addition to a chance to walk across the “big stage” and a shot at some unique prizes, volunteers get lunch and special seating for the weigh-in.
The lake cleanup begins after blastoff at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16, at Table Rock State Park Marina. Volunteers should report to Branson Landing with trash by 2 p.m. and trash weigh-ins take place until 3:30 p.m.
For more information or to volunteer, visit the RecycledFish website or call (402) 873-7255.
About Recycled Fish:
Recycled Fish is the national non-profit organization of “anglers living a lifestyle of stewardship both on and off the water, because our lifestyle runs downstream.” The Recycled Fish “Sportsman’s Stewardship Pledge” invites anglers to embrace the Stewardship Ethic and join the organization, free of charge. The SAFE Angling Program — Sustaining Angling, Fish and Ecosystems — is a way to help anglers embrace a lifestyle of stewardship on the water. It involves catch and release fishing, including the use of single barbless hooks, biodegradable lures, and non-toxic lead-free weights. Recycled Fish also educates anglers about invasive species, habitat loss, waterway litter and pollution prevention.
About the PAA:
The Professional Anglers Association is a non-profit organization that gives professional anglers a unified voice in order to aid in the growth of the sport of professional bass fishing. The PAA also aims to administer educational programs to the average angler, to increase enjoyment of the sport, and to embrace sound conservation practices to further the future of the sport.By: Alan Clemons
