May as well ban fishing Line.

[moreyes]

Since they are up in arms over lead, we may as well keep going. How about fishing line. How many times have you read where fishing line has entangled a bird or some other animal. The problem with letting them ban lead is what is next and so on and so on on on. That is fine if there is an alternative which I am sure there is. Sometimes some good things come out situations like this, for example boat motors have made huge strides,DFI and 4 Strokes. I just hate it when some dimwhited uninformed politicion gets involved. Let the market and the people come up to speed and it will happen.

Think spring KLH

[BlackSilver]

>Let the market and the people come up to speed and it will
>happen.

I think you're absolutely right. I notice in Cabelas that there are substitutes to lead sinkers and weights already available in the market. The prices are higher, but not outrageous, and will come down as more manufacturers come on line. Looks like a win-win to me.

Walk softly and carry a big fish.

Hans/MN
--
"If you don't go fishing because you thought it might rain you will never go fishing. This applies to more than fishing."

[Phil T.]

Did you read the article in the new Fly Fisherman magazine? Both lead and the everlasting nature of flourocarbon were under attack.

[moreyes]

That is what I mean. When will the so called enviromentalists be happy? Never. Well maybe when all use of the outdoors is baned except for a few elitists. I am all for a cleaner outdoors,but. These people care about nothing but there own self serving interests. I own a 4 stroke engine on my boat, it is a start.

KLH

[Husky]

"These people care about nothing but there own self serving interests."

Are you aware that lead is a neurotoxin and causes among other things, mental retardation and other neurological conditions? That lead has been banned from paints for well over 20 years? Banned from plastics used to make household materials like window blinds for at least 10 years?

Consider that fishermen have had more than ample additional time with lead. Everyone compalained when emissions standards were imposed on automobiles, yet that led to the advancement of computer control. Now vehicles have more power, fewer drivability problems, and get better gas mileage. As Hans said, its a win-win.

If we maintain th eposture that some outdoorsmen advocate, namely no changes(was good enough for my grandfather, good enough for me..) we will never advance in any way. In fact, if our forefathers did not welcome changes, we'd still be living in the same conditions .



If

[Rod]

I agree Husky,..my state stopped the use of small lead and I say good ridance. I don't miss it and for the little extra cost it doesn't bother me, a tiny cost compared to all the other things involved in fishing (ever count your driving costs,..in reality about .50 a mile for most of us!) I don't think this is a situation of "next it'll be apple pie and motherhood!!" you will still have bigger lead sinkers, jigs and downrigger balls ,but I hate even touching lead for the sulfate that comes off on your fingers.

[Husky]

A agree. The imposition of a lead ban is a small item--not much of an inconvenience and a very small cost. These types of changes are not a bother to me.Now if they were attempting to ban all 2 stroke motors, that would be a different issue. It would require a gradual phasing in , as not to create undue hardships on individuals and/or companies.


The older I get the more I follow the ideas of "Don't sweat the small stuff"

[rebs]

I just bought a couple packs of the squeese weights from bass pro for 4.99 each
it is a soft pliable weight that you just pinch off a piece and squeese it on your line or hook or lure and unlike splitshot it doesn't crimp your line
you can remove it use it over and over

seems like a good alternative to lead
rebs

[Don]

if they really cared about the enviorment they would try to stop the destruction of fish and wildlife habitat. The B.S. about lead poison in loons is a nuts. First off, in over 30 years of fishing I can count on one hand how many splitshots I have left on the lake bottom.If loons are swallowing jigs it does not matter what they are made of, it will kill them. If your happy with your lawmakers passing laws that are not going to be inforced I guess you have your reasons. I think their time could be better spent. Besides their reasoning is based on hunches.

[Box]

Husky,
I think the point made (at least how I see it) is "where does this stop?". If the change to no lead is no big deal, then really the change to a different kind of line is no big deal, and the change to... the list can go on.

Regarding the "grandfather" comment - if you meant my comments earlier, I wasn't saying at all that we should do as our grandfathers did. Quite the opposite. They did plenty that was not "good". I was saying that boats without motors were good enough for our grandfathers, a tongue-in-cheak comment saying it would be rediculous to go back to that, but it indeed wouild be better for the lakes. Noone could disagree with that, but of course we would not do that, nor would I want to. My point was that there are MANY things we do now that are NOT NEEDED but make our (angling) life easier. I don't want to get rid of ALL those things, though an argument could be made to ban each...

The shotgun lead was studied and had real results to look at. Informed decisions can be made then. I don't there is the evidence right now for tackle.

As for getting rid of all lead tackle, it will probably happen. But we (as the anglers it affects) should be careful to jump on the bandwagon in one crack, cause who knows what will be next. You may think I sound paranoid, well, I just want evidence. As mentioned there are some alternatives available, and this can be the phasing in rather than a ban.

Anyway, good discussions on this.
-Box

[almosthaddabite]

Lead (sinkers, jigs or shot) in 15+ feet of water presents a minimal problems. However, 8-9 years ago I watched six kids recover 4 icecream buckets of jigs and assorted tackle from below Winnie Dam. This is a yearly harvest for kids during low water. Also I have seen the recovery of expended shot at our trap range. Think of some of the hot duck lakes (or lakes that used to be hot) my guess would be lots of lead for the divers to eat.

As far as line goes, if we would eliminate discarding any line in lakes or on the shores the problem would be minimal. If we take a "The sky is falling" attitude we are adding undue stress to ourselves. How many deer are killed in MN by autos? Do we really think there will be a call to ban cars?

[gaspergoo]

If algore had his way cars would be banned.

[The Great Guide]

I wonder how many Loons and other birds die each year do to shoreline development and everything that goes with it like yard products, jet skis, weed removal, etc. ? I really don't care if I have to purchase steel, but I wish Ms. PRETTNER-SOLON MN Senate DFL-Duluth and her pals would focus on the big problems that are causing bird, fish and animinal resource depletion.

TGG

[Dinky]

Might as well ban lures also. Years ago when I had a trailer up at Turtle creek(Lake Erie)if the lake was too rough to fish we would go hot-n-tot hunting. All you had to do was walk the shore line and find dead sea gulls with a tot stuck in his beak and wing. They would swoop in on a floating hot-n-tot and grab it,then go to shore and try to get it out of thier beak.They ended up hooked by thier beak and wing or the beak and one of thier feet. Every now and then you could chase a live one down and RESCUE? it.LOL
Saved me a bunch of money.
My point is: Everything in this world is harmful to something.

[River_eye]

I'm not sure fishing line should be banned, but you never know what's going to happen. The real problem is not the fishing line itself, but the careless anglers that discard it in the lake. If people can't take care of their garbage, then other measures must be taken.

The question was raised, where will it stop? My answer: when careless anglers clean up their act, until then, it will never stop. Just like cars will never stop getting cleaner and childrens playgrounds will never stop getting safer.

You should either be willing to go to steel sinkers, biodegradable line, etc. OR have the balls to tell sombody that is discarding line or whathaveyou that what they're doing is unacceptable, this includes your fishing partner.