Lead Ruling by the EPA

[Fatman]

Well the decision came down and the EPA DENIED the most recent petition to federally ban lead fishing tackle under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

But TRUTHFULLY that's not the end of it!!!

Write your Congressman/Senetors and ask them to vote YES on The Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Sports Protection Act (S. 838/H.R. 1558) which seeks to prevent a federal ban on lead in recreational fishing tackle and helps to ensure that any future regulations on fishing tackle are established based on scientific fact instead of unjustified petitions.

Mine here in Vermont were uptight when I sent them the emails as we have Loons in our State. Then got the well they'll oxidize in the water and yada yada. Sent them information on how we're powder painting jigs so that it can't happen - I'll be emailing them again!!!!!!

If they're gonna ban our lead for fishing tackle - then they need to leave the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act unchanged. Lobbyists have been trying to get them to lower the standards, and we fisherman are the BAD GUYS!!!

Start writing your letters gang!!!!!! and anyone else you can think to have write in. Even if you don't cast fishing lures this bill applies to those who reload also, so it's just as important to them!!!

 

[LedHed]

Thnx for the update - real eye opener.

 

[meltleadalot2693]

YAY! Right on, good to see a lead ban denied! Hopefully people will be fishing with lead sinkers for hundreds of more years to come. Good to see that. If lead gets banned, I will be out of a hobby.

 

[blt]

Thanks for the report, I was waiting to hear the results.
Yes, check fishing clubs on the net, sign up for e-mails and they will warn you every year as to when this comes up, and to e-mail your reps. PLEASE take the time to do it.

 

[StumpHunter]

Thanks for the update.

 

[ScottV]

That's good to hear but we can't let our guard down.

 

[Fatman]

If they get that new law passed it will do a lot!!!! but we have to stay on top of it. Make sure and write those letters!!!

 

[Shoemoo]

I wouldn't use the painting as an argument. I'd say most lead used for fishing is not painted. You rarely see painted lead sinkers, for instance. How often do you see painted tube jig heads?

I really wish there were an economical alternative to lead, since it is poisonous.I don't see that happening any time soon though. Other metals either aren't as dense, have too high a melting point for home users or are too expensive.

 

[meltleadalot2693]

I don't paint my sinkers, just put em' on the line and in the water it goes. Lead is amazing. The only way I would like to see a lead ban is if a metal alloy could be created that is as cheap as lead, dense as tungsten, easy to melt as tin, and as soft as pure indium. Indium is much softer than pure lead. You can cut it with a butter knife, but that is another subject.

 

[Hawnjigs]

You've got indium? Price is over $30 per OZ.!

 

[meltleadalot2693]

No, just listing the characteristics of an ideal metal alloy for a lead replacement.

 

[Fatman]

Been proposing that for 3 yrs now. Especially to the folks that want to ban it, they just can't seem to understand that we don't have blast furnaces for tungsten.

When they first held meetings on the partial lead ban in Vermont, you know the enviro's showed up!!! BUT!!!!!!! I think they were extremely surprised by our suggestions. At that meeting I proposed a new material. Just like lead, weighs the same, molds the same, paints, and now has to be able to powder paint, and most of cheap, and MOST IMPORTANT!!!! IF they could come up with it, have a trade in program where you get the same amount for our so called bad stuff, for the first year so everyone could take advantage of it.

You'd swear they thought we were kidding!!! With all the scientists and everything they can do, why can't someone come up with a material like this!!! CAN'T MAKE A PROFIT ON IT!!!!!!!!!!

So we fight on against the bans!!!!!!!

 

[meltleadalot2693]

Actually tungsten is 75% more dense than lead, but the way it is sintered for tackle sale makes it just as dense as lead because if the tungsten sinkers were pure and much denser than lead, it would make it $40 or more just for 5 1oz sinkers. Yes, tungsten is more dense, but it is extremely hard to melt, in fact, tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals with a blistering melting point of 6192F! That is almost 10x hotter than the melting point of lead!