Lead Fishing Tackle Ban Update.

[gonefishing]

The News is good / for now. What is dissapointing, is that only 43,000 fisherman / Sportsman sent letters or e-mails in support of preventing the band. That is Less than 1000 per state.

The EPA and Members of Congress received more than 43,000 messages from anglers just like you opposing a federal ban on lead in fishing tackle. Your voice was heard and had a direct impact on the EPA’s decision.

Anyone who wrote letters, sent emails or contributed should recieve the full update. If not look it up on the net.

Our freedom to engage in our sport is under attack by radical enviromentlist. Get ingaged, budget to contibute annually, organize everywhere. The radicals will never quit at trying to shut down our freedoms.

There are only 2 options. Fight for your rights, or surrender them.

 

[Berryessa Boater]

Personal Responsibility

I don't like the government becoming involved (government involvement is never a good thing), but I would like to see up to a certain weight (1oz) anglers start to use iron. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a certain area in the ocean about 15 miles outside the Golden Gate Bridge, called "The Duxbury Buoy Area". Since most salmon trolling involves using 2-1/2, 3 lb lead balls on a "release" the Duxbury ocean bottom must contain TONS & TONS & TONS of lead. Since nothing grows on lead (That is why lead was used in boat paint, untill it was banned), the ocean floor around Duxbury must be a vast waste land. I like to use iron rebar for salmon trolling. It drops to the bottom....Marine life grows on it, it rusts, better alternative/solution than lead......Mark

 

[SilverBullets]

I don't like the government becoming involved (government involvement is never a good thing), but I would like to see up to a certain weight (1oz) anglers start to use iron. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a certain area in the ocean about 15 miles outside the Golden Gate Bridge, called "The Duxbury Buoy Area". Since most salmon trolling involves using 2-1/2, 3 lb lead balls on a "release" the Duxbury ocean bottom must contain TONS & TONS & TONS of lead. Since nothing grows on lead (That is why lead was used in boat paint, untill it was banned), the ocean floor around Duxbury must be a vast waste land. I like to use iron rebar for salmon trolling. It drops to the bottom....Marine life grows on it, it rusts, better alternative/solution than lead......Mark

I've never trolled for salmon in salt water...What's the reasoning behind useing weight's that you release and let fall to the bottom? Why not just use downiggers?

 

[Berryessa Boater]

Contributing Factor

One of the main reasons is alot of salmon fishing is done from party boats. Most all party boat salmon fishing involves "Trolling". These party boats are Mainly of the same type/manufacturer 53 fters, capable of loading up to 30 fisherman. It all boils down to "1" contributing factor/reason....."Line Control". Since the "rail space/distance" between fisherman is about 3-4 ft, line angle is critical, thus the greater the weight, the less angle. Private boaters utilize downriggers,....BUT!!!, they can be a REAL PAIN!!!, in the ocean when there is alot of jellyfish, seaweed/s, etc.....stuff that fouls up your gear and you have to constantly pop the line from the downrigger, reel up rod, reel up downrigger, etc, etc,...add to this the possibilty/s of rough ocean conditions, a pitching boat, a 10lb downrigger ball swinging widly....you get the picture. It's VERY EASY, with a rod & reel with a 2 1/2 - 3 lb lead ball....to just reel up....check/change, bait/lure....and drop back down, also salmon go "CRAZY"!!! next to the boat.....meaning normally....reeling up "All" the downriggers to prevent the salmon from......wrapping up..."all your gear". What is very troubling to me, was (past tense) when California "DID" have a salmon population & a SALMON SEASON!!!....the math is self-indicitve....let's just count partyboats fishing for 1 day.....40 partyboats with 25 customers = 1000 fisherman....they catch their limits of salmon.....2,000 salmon....each salmon= 3lbs of lead.....6,000 of lead on the ocean floor per day.....times that by days, weeks, years......I have been ocean salmon fishing since I was 8 years old.....I am now 53.....I am not a "Pinko, environmentalist", I am someone concerned about our ocean/s & our fisheries......Mark