THE REEL UNREAL - Tangle Free Waters Helps Clean Up Eastern Sierra Waterways

Every year, anglers come to the area on the hunt for the one that got away. Unfortunately, many leave behind evidence of their adventures here, which is why, since 2019, Mammoth Lakes Recreation has spearheaded the local Tangle Free Waters program to help address and clean up this problem.

Tangle Free Waters provides education to fisher people on how to deposit their used, unwanted or “found” fishing line in dedicated collection stations in the region. These stations are placed and maintained by Mammoth Lakes Recreation with the help of financial sponsors, and then serviced by volunteers. The line is collected and sent off to be recycled into artificial fish habitat, new line, and even jewelry! This effort helps reduce the amount of nylon monofilament, a staple for any tackle box, in our lakes, rivers and streams. It also helps to keep our humans and their four-legged friends safe from stepping on hooks and other tackle attached to the line.

While nylon monofilament makes for an ideal fishing line, it poses a serious threat to wildlife, including those fish we are all trying to catch. According to our friends at Mammoth Lakes Recreation, birds, reptiles and other wildlife can easily become entangled; causing starvation, amputation, and death. Ingestion is also a serious threat. Moreover, fishing line never truly bio-degrades. Instead it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, infiltrating the ecosystem and diminishing local water quality.

So, how can you help?

To start, when you are enjoying our local waterways, always cleanup after yourself and if you can, pick up after others, too. Every little bit helps, and picking up trash in places it shouldn’t be is something almost everyone can do. Fishing line often gets tied around shoreline bushes and logs. It can also get stuck to obstacles below the water line. Do your best to untangle and retrieve all the fishing line you can, always making sure to stay safe. If you are near a Tangle Free Waters station, you can place the fishing line inside but please do not place other trash inside. Putting other types of trash in these containers slows down the recycling process and is just plain gross! You can find a map of all the current Tangle Free Waters stations in the Eastern Sierra here.

Want to show your love for Mother Nature’s unreal outdoors? Try volunteering with Mammoth Lakes Recreation by servicing a station and the surrounding waterway on a weekly basis (or as often as you can - Mammoth Lakes Recreation can pair volunteers together who can’t make it out every week). This will ensure that facilities are in good working order, and that deposited line is collected in a timely manner and sent off for recycling. You can learn more about volunteering here.

If you are short on time but still looking for a way to contribute, consider sponsoring a Tangle Free Waters station. The initial commitment of $499 allows Mammoth Lakes Recreation to construct and install a station. Your adoption includes the station and signage, as well as repairs and all costs to send the recovered line off for recycling. Adoptees who wish to continue the support of their station can do so for the annual rate of $250 per season.

Even if you can’t make a larger commitment, every little bit counts. When you are out on the water, or wherever you recreate, be sure to clean up after yourselves and others.