[JackFunk]

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone out there uses non-lead weights such as Tungsten?

I just know touching all this lead is not good for me, and I feel bad if I leave any lead behind in my fave rivers. :'(

Any shops in town sell it? I have seen some bead head beads, drop shot weights, but am looking for the pencil types such as these to go under my float.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&QueryText=tungsten&Ntx=matchall&N=4887&Nty=1

 

[11th Warrior]

Lead doesn't absorb through the skin easily so you're relatively safe if you take the normal precautions (washing your hands after use would be enough).

As for tungsten weights, I did a google search and came across this: XCalibur Drop Shot Weights Since you were already looking at Cabela's, you could also get the round drop-shot weights there as well.

I've found a few places online that sell Tg wire, but I can't find it around here in the stores.

 

[rln]

check out the pricing and you will see why no store has it yet. The 1/4" x 1-5/8" stuff was $1.00 each looking at the Cabelas link provided.

 

[Bent Rod]

Probably the single biggest factor in reducing your impact on the enviroment when using lead weights is how you fish with them and the way you set up your terminal tackle.

Float fish short, using a much stronger mainline than leader, your set up should be such that you only lose the hook.
Add to this that you should not be catching on bottom much at all, if you are you are fishing too deep and hanging up you are not float fishing correctly IMO.

Other styles of fishing should be approached the same, if you are losing alot of gear you are not fishing correctly.

Losing lead should be minimal and a person can fish every bit as successfully and effectively when doing it.

As for how it effects you, keep hands clean and avoid putting the lead in your mouth or your hands near your mouth when handling lead.

With the price of lead I am happy to have been practising minimal lead loss for many years.

Another reason why long leader Bottom bouncing is SUPAHGAY :happy:.

 

[bateman]

they took lead out of paint and gas years ago but i am one to think that it cant be too safe handling it as well. and losing gear every once in a while has a permanent effect on the water quality since lead is easily leached into the water supply. we have enough problems with mercury in the ocean, so it seems a little unreal that prices for alternatives arent resonable. i didnt even know that there were alternatives.

 

[mrmugs]

Regardless of proper fishing technique or not we should always strive to find alternatives to anything harmful to our environment. We are stewards of this earth and the only ones capable of taking care of it. I was pleasantly surprised to see tungsten putty as an alternative to lead pinch weights today and will be switching to those. I've always wondered how much lead is on the bottom of the Vedder (or any other heavily fished river for that matter) and what it does to the fish.

 

[bateman]

where can you buy the tungsten putty and what is the price. you can buy tungsten pencil lead but it is pricy and tin split shot at cabelas . the price is good for the split shot but i am wondering if the tin colour will fade like lead. has anyone used it?

 

[mrmugs]

I saw it at Army and Navy, I didn't look at the price though. Didn't bother buying any yet as I was just browsing.
Think not only of the fish but other wildlife as well, especially birds. They will eat gravel to aid in digestion along with the lead on the river or lake bottom.

 

[bateman]

didnt really want to take a look at the damage before now. quoting from whikiedia:


Today almost everyone is exposed to environmental lead. Exposure to lead and lead chemicals can occur through inhalation, ingestion or occasionally dermal contact. Lead mining and lead smelting are common in many countries, where children and adults can receive substantial lead exposure from sources uncommon today in the U.S. Most countries will have phased out use of leaded gasoline by 2007. Lead exposure in the general population (including children) occurs primarily through ingestion, although inhalation also contributes to lead body burden and may be the major contributor for workers in lead-related occupations. Inhalation is the second major pathway of exposure. Almost all inhaled lead is absorbed into the body, whereas from 20% to 70% of ingested lead is absorbed (with children generally absorbing a higher percentage than adults do). Dermal exposure plays a role for exposure to organic lead among workers, but is not considered a significant pathway for the general population, except in areas where leaded gasoline is used. Organic lead from gasoline additives may be absorbed directly through the skin.[31]

Lead poisoning is a medical condition, also known as saturnism, plumbism, or painter's colic caused by increased blood lead levels. Lead may cause irreversible neurological damage as well as renal disease, cardiovascular effects, and reproductive toxicity.

Humans have been mining and using this heavy metal for thousands of years, poisoning themselves in the process due to accumulation and exposure. These dangers have long been known, though the modern understanding of their full extent and the small amount of lead necessary to produce them is relatively recent; blood lead levels once considered safe are now considered hazardous, with no known threshold. Reducing these hazards requires both individual actions and public policy regulations.[1]