Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 1, 1994                   TAG: 9405020115
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By GRACE KELLY and JIMMY WIMMER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WE'LL JUST VISIT YOU AND TRASH YOUR BACK YARD

We are the landowners who allow you to fish along our property. When this all began, we didn't realize that you wanted to drive across our hay fields, throw all your trash in the woods, fields and river, use our property for your picnics, and put your beer cans and glass bottles where our farm equipment and swimmers would be sure to pick up the evidence.

We have had fishermen ask us to leave our swimming hole because they were trying to fish. We've had people walk right through family gatherings along the river without a word of acknowledgement or apology, as well as walk right through our yard beside the house because it was a little closer to their favorite fishing spot. Heaven forbid you should park along the road and walk along the river bank. It's much handier for you to break down our fences and leave open the gates.

Of course, there are the folks who are just out for a nice walk with their candy bars, drinks and dogs, sometimes on a leash. We find evidence of this as we try to go for a nice walk along the trashed river bank. Some people actually carry a fishing pole, but are merely looking for a place to swim. It's always fun to mail those mortgage and tax payments and then find a crowd staring you in the face when you're looking for a quiet swim. Oh, and did you think we planted all those flowers for your picking pleasure?

Guess you think it's handy for us to fish, right? Too bad we are too busy trying to keep you out of our hay fields, picking up your trash, and repairing our damaged farm equipment and fences to find time to fish. We are also nailing down and locking up everything valuable to keep you from taking home a prize.

How about this year we just come up to your house, drive through your grass, park in your yard, picnic out back and let the dog run through your flowers. It would be more fun for us and frankly we could use a break!

Grace Kelly and Jimmy Wimmer of Shawsville are landowners along the South Fork of the Roanoke River. They find many anglers polite and respectful, but wrote this column for those who flunked Fishing Etiquette 101.