The feds are at it again, they are trying to ban lead fishing lures without any evidence the lures are an environmental risk.
The lure industry employs tens of thousands of Americans and I can't imagine fishing without jig heads or sinkers, or spinnerbaits.
If you are concerned too, use this link to contact your representatives. It is free, quick and easy and you won't get spammed.
http://keepamericafishing.salsalabs....last_KEY=99033
Good fishing,
fliteking.
I see no references to lead/lures in this link ... only references made to fisheries management of saltwater fish. With that assessment, I've moved this to the Off Topic Forum.
... cp :cool:
fliteking: You have been around long enough so you should understand that this is an election season and these reports come out of the woodwork. These are political propoganda adds. This same thing came around a while back and was address by President Obama and he said right out that he has no intention of banning lead weights or lures.
My understanding of this report was so they could do a study to maybe put limits on Saltwater fish as they have on freshwater fish. No one complains about the limits on freshwater fish which only adds to the fisheries viability. EB
Never stop lead, as too many molds and tire weights laying around.
last i checked obama can't ban anything without congressional approval. is the constitution still a valid document?
Efforts to Ban Lead in Fishing Tackle*|*KeepAmericaFishing
I posted the wrong link last time. I found many mentions of lead tackle already being banned in some states on Google.
Washington
New York
A win for Connecticut Anglers
Just trying to look out for fellow anglers, no intention of being alarmist.
Sorry bud, you are pushing a losing cause. Lead has already been pushed out of the paint industry and waterfowl hunting without destroying either the industries behind them or the general use by the public of the alternatives and there are good reasons for that. It is toxic. The alternatives are perhaps inconvenient but less so all the time and they still cost a little more, but that is because the cost of dealing with the adverse effects has been isolated from the cost of the raw material. That won't go on forever either.
Not all fishermen agree with you either, including me, although I still use lead. I have come to appreciate tungsten a whole bunch although it costs quite a bit more, although that is coming down. Admittedly though private casting of lead is a whole lot easier than for tungsten or other alternatives and that certainly will adversely affect a lot of the small and cottage jig making operations.
articles
Personally I don't think you are being alarmist enough, but in the wrong direction. At the same time I continue to use lead myself, but handle the raw metal very carefully and would not teach a youngster to fish with it, at least not unless it were pretty carefully finished over and they were taught to handle it with extreme care. They are the ones in the human population at most risk from its toxicity.
There are alternatives to lead and I think most serious fisherman are aware of the same.
From the tone of your response I would not try to convince you to adopt a position you are not comfortable with.
That said the article was posted for those heavily invested in the current technology such as those with large collections of jigs and / or lead casting equipment, perhaps I was wrong but I did expect to find some fisherman in the categories mentioned at this website.
The points you make about still using lead (twice) and the demise of some very pro-fishing cottage industries were interesting. I think it is clear to responsible outdoorsmen that all dangerous hunting / fishing material should be kept away from children.
One beautiful thing about our Country is all Americans are free to foster their own opinions and follow the same. In that same tone I don't find KeepAmericaFishing to be a propaganda driven organization. The current "Going Green" sentiment in America is based on sound beliefs but often way off target - - - many of the "beneficial" attributes are anything but beneficial - - - such as mercury containing light bulbs now mandated by our government. Another interesting point of the link posted pointed to a lack of Scientific Findings - - - instead the anti-lead movement referred to was based on "petitions".
I think it is best for anglers to find common ground and keep the sport/industry central to the benefit of all involved in the sport. Perhaps next time we will find a point of agreement on another forum topic. Until that time I am opting to stay with fishing related topics while visiting crappie.com . Enjoy the community of this website very much, do not want to wear out my welcome.