Fish Nerds Podcast 148 Fly Fishing Lead Loons and Conservation

What’s the worst fishing advice you’ve been given? Fish in the News! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gwyneth-paltrow-brings-up-a-good-point-about-not-eating-octopus_us_58d295fee4b0f838c62e7765? NH has some of the most restrictive lead bans in the country, but some say it’s too much! Here is what some folks are saying on facebook… Names have been altered! So when are WE fishermen going to push back against this lead law? I mean, maybe not get rid of it totally but have it rewritten... Shouldn’t be all lead... Should only be lead sinkers... Painted jigs, with hooks should be excluded! So many types of lures that aren't made without lead... Not to mention the price... Of the bird people can make the law, no reason why we can't get it rewritten to not COMPLETELY screw us... Mike Its the ones with the hooks that are the worse. Lead is bad for the environment and all health. Period. Yeah, its kind of annoying, but it would be better for the market in general to move away from lead. The last part is the real problem Ray The law should be like Maine's lead law... NH needs to stop trying to be so different from Maine and start looking toward them for guidance... Lol Steve Loons don't eat lead shot larger than #4 shot. Lead split sinkers are mostly bigger than that. Too many anti, loon lovers in NH F&G. Raymond Everything that is made of lead they make in tungsten or bismuth . Bismuth I'd the same price as lead .Lead free bass jigs.Com . And ray to your thoughts on getting it changed never ever going to happen . I don't care if you got every fisherman in the state it still isn't going to change. Now go check out ken's site and replace your equipment like I've had to do and everyone else has had to. I've easily got a $300 worth of lead I just use it when I go to fla. Only one I disagree with is spinnerbaits . Ain't no way in the world a loon is going to swallow a spinnerbaits . Besides a pelican there isn't a bird big enough to swallow one of those . Rich I get pissy too when I look at my lead tackle but think of the time and money spent on lead poisoning and pollution. It's an inconvenience but filling our waters regularly with a known toxin is just plain irresponsible. I fully support a lead ban, as does the research, so I am happy to see our New England states making smart decisions not moving backwards Raynor U say states... Only NH is so strict that it over does it... For example... Maine has a lead law. But it's directed toward lead sinkers... But painted jigs are ok... NH doesn't care that paint creates a border so if a bird were to eat it the fact of it Rich That's a fun argument but lead is dangerous when mixed with water, period. Might I remind you of this. And yes, I know, that was not caused by fishing tackle, but why should we fill our environment with a highly toxic substance if we don't have to? If we all chose to voluntarily reduce lead use, the nanny laws wouldn't exist. https://www.google.com/.../toxic-water-soaring-lead.../ |Chris Completely agree sucks cause tungsten jigs or tinget expensive but in the long run its a better decision Tim It's not about lead or loons. It's about the leftists showing they can push their agenda. Watermelons, green on the outside red on the inside. Steve . I have gone to tungsten, but this law was nothing more than an effort pushed thru by the loon preservation society. It's funny to me that 35 years ago if I saw a loon it was a real event something to talk about. My guess is that had something to do with DDT. Now they are in every waterbody in the state, and guess what? They made that comeback over the last 35 years with all of us using lead tackle! It's not like we stopped using lead last year and the loons all showed up. I think there could be some adjustments to the law that might be a good compromise Steve And don't tell me the costs are not a real difference. When I owned Upper Valley Outfitters, I could buy jigs for walleye fishing wholesale at about.35 cents each. Tungsten was .92 cents. That sounds trivial, but the Connecticut River tends to eat tackle so it got too expensive for some fishermen. That's just what I observed Travis The law is so stupid. I completely agree. I'm not paying 4 dollars more for jigs that are not lead. And the jigs I've trusted and used for years are lead. How about drop shot weights? They are so expensive if they aren't lead and you tend to lose them. So there's 14 bucks Every time you go out when they lead ones are a quarter of the cost. In the long run it will cost hundreds if not thousands more for gear. Which I simply cannot afford. Ted Williams I've fished in NH since the lead ban and have not suffered even a little. Good for NH for leading the way. No one's "screwing" anyone. Here's piece I did for TNC explaining what some anglers need to learn: http://blog.nature.org/science/2016/11/28/recovery-saving-common-loon-lead-fishing-tackle-poisoning-birds/ Denise Having managed a marina on Squam, I can tell you in just one summer on Little Squam we had 3 loons in our harbor that ingested lead we were able to capture because they were sick and 2 died. All were x-rayed and they had lead in their stomachs Kyle Loins is funny! David Just use tungsten Ted Williams Non-toxic metals including steel, bismuth, copper and tin are cheap and readily available. Tungsten is relatively expensive but weighs more than lead. Non-toxics hold up better than lead, don’t snag as easily, keep tackle boxes cleaner and are safe for humans. Now there are even ceramic and natural rock sinkers. Speak Up for the FN Blue with Andrew Lewin Promo Mystery Tackle Box code FISHNERDS to save 5 bucks