100% biodegradeble fishing weight

[ArcticAmoeba]

I am in no way for the banning of lead, but I can surely see if they ban the lead used for plunking, backbouncing, and other types of heavy weighted boat dunking. I would be against it, but still I can see the logic in outlawing people from bearking off 6-16 oz. of lead for every cast, sit, and snag... And roughly 2-6 oz. for every bounce out and snag.

Last Coho season I lost a meager 54 grams of B, and BB split shot. This Winter, for Sewer Trout, I have gone through 117 grams thus far of # 7, and #5's. So in the last 6 months I have gone through roughly 6 ounces of BB, B, #7, and #5 split shot. Yes, for those wondering how I know, I do record how many times I break off, or re-rig every trip. And I know how much each size split shot weighs. So drift fishing for Coho, and Winter Steelhead, I have lost a 1/3 of a pound... And I picked an even 90 grams of old lead just from Eagle Creek, mostly pencil, and small bank sinkers this Winter. So I have almost no lead footprint in that death crick. But I lost upwards of 30-40 oz. backbouncing all of 2008. And I only plunked three times, losing about 12 oz. Banning lead for bank bound anglers is just crazy. The above is proof. Granted, totally earth friendly substances are great, but I know what works for me, and I will stick to it for now.

 

[Kodiak]

Lead ban

Lead ban

The lead they tried to ban in the last session recomendations for ODFW went down in flames. They tried the "stupid bird" angel and it was an epic fail. They were going after splitshot and drift weights, anything under 2oz. I personnally believe the day is comming, however if they remove it the backlash in this state will be on a level not previously seen. If they have a product that will preform the same, price the same, and same ease of use I would use it for everything from jigheads to trolling weights. I will not sacrifice performance for my customers until a realistic solution is available.
Also some of the best water we take steelhead and salmon out of the rivers is fast moving water that requires you to get deep quick. These are big, powerfull fish that through evolution/grand design/whatever move through this water with minimal efort and at speeds you have to jog to keep up with.
Good luck with your business!

 

[nissta]

I will not sacrifice performance for my customers until a realistic solution is available.

I agree with you 100%. Now I have been using a tungsen mixture I have made for a few years now. It works very well. You can manipulate it into very small split shot or use it as pencil. Its pretty cool stuff and is not that expensive if you consider the amount spread across a year. I am currently working on making it an official product, there are a couple of products out there already. I just gotta find an edge over the comp.

 

[fish_4_all]

I already use lead free jig heads a lot, lead free egg sinkers and bullet sinkers and tin or other lead free shot. So far I have found the price about the same. Pencil lead goes for $5.25 a pound here already so the competition in lead free stuff can't be that far away from being priced close to the same.

Of course if you pour your own then that is a different story., Wheel weights and lead pipe is hard to beat price wise.

 

[ArcticAmoeba]

TG huh? I have tooled around with pure Tungsten, and a TG alloy essentially, for fishin weights, and jig heads. I don't have a foundry at home anymore that will heat up to liquify Tungsten, but I can always have it sent out and poured for me I suppose. I am interested to know what alloys you are procuring with your Tungsten, or what other metals you are currently "mixing" with the TG to aleviate cost, and the sheer, melting temperature factor. Let us know how you product turns out Nissta.

 

[steelhead1]

I have used the tin removable split shot with success,got it of the shelf at bi mart and joes.doesn't seem like Ive seen it in awhile, though.I have noticed some strange nuralogical (SP?)symptoms as I get older, I often wonder if its due to all of the lead exposure over the years.I have become much more cautious when handling lead and would definitly consider a safer alternative.I f someone is looking to make an impact on the lead and line in our waters,a fun and effective way to make a difference is to wade or snorkle down the popular coastal rivers on a hot summer day and collect all gear that is too deep in winter to retrieve.Also a good way to stock up on spinners!

 

[FishSchooler]

That is a loooooooot of spinners!

 

[1aB]

Or at low pool in a drawn down reservoir its amazing how much gear is bottom snagged, broken off, & waiting to be picked up. Not only sinkers, but all manner of colorful & shiny fish foolers.

 

[A_J-Llama]

Lead Removal

Lead Removal

Used to do my part at Hagg Lake and other bodies of water during the summer months as the lake levels receded by picking up all the lead I saw laying on the banks while I fished or hiked around the lake. One seasons tally at Hagg was over 60 lbs of lead I picked up and took home, of course, 30#'s of that total was a pyramid lead anchor used on drift boats, not to mention the 45 sets of flashers, 5 rod-n-reels, 4 watches, 14 boat anchors, 75 bobbers, 30 golf balls, and a shoe box full of misc. tackle....:dance: I myself usually find more lead than I lose will continue to do so as long as I continue to fish these areas. I did see an article once about the use of rocks for weights and how they did not spook the fish, and some are very easy to drill out for use, just takes a little time to select the right sizes and prepare them, but i understand they won't work for all applications. But, every little bit helps, and always interested in an alternative to the lead when possible:clap:

 

[INSAYN]

Couldn't you use a slightly elongated rock and just rig it with a series of half hitches like you're rigging a sturgeon herring bait?

 

[fishnquest]

well, no. You lost me when you used the word law and green and biodegradable. I like lead, and I don't like industry hiding under the guiseof responsibility to pass laws that sell their products. I also feel no need to feel bad about my sturg weights while the wing shooters, tire industry, plastic lure industry, military, nascar and the whole rest of the world turds volumes of lead and petroleum based goods into fields lakes and rivers.... dale E drove in a circle for 500 miles 4 times a month at 4 miles per gallon on 5 square miles of filled in wet-lands to sell nothing but a corprate product, and he is a god? I lost 1 lb of lead last year and Im a d@*k ? Go sell crazy somewhere else, oregons all full here.:naughty::naughty::naughty:

Thats pretty much how I feel. I do use lead for sinkers. I do lose one now and then but I also have much of the same ones I've had for 20 years or more. I don't know of any bird that died from eating a sinker. I do know tons have died from oil spills and other horribly gross things. Saveing the planet by eliminating lead sinkers is way way down on my priority list; to the point of silly distraction.