Tin shot is environmentally friendly

[Adam Grace]

Tin shot is much better for the environment than lead when weighting our lines or flies.

Unfortunately I still use lead more than tin, lead is easier to REMOVE and it is much heavier.

What type of weight do you guys use? What are your opinions?

[Ed Wahl]

I use old spark plugs. :roll: Ed

[JT]

I have found that the tin shot keeps it's shape better after removing it, even if it's harder to remove. So split shot that I don't lose to the bottom of the stream can be used longer than lead. A set back for me is the price. Lead is so much cheaper. I am currently in the process of phasing out all of my lead shot, though.

[Mike O]

I use mostly lead shot or the tungsten putties.

As far as lead being bad for the enviro, the only problems I have heard of deal with waterfowl (ducks and geese mostly) ingesting the lead when they dipped up water plants. I don't think this is that much of a problem on streams, and only on the shallow parts of lakes where we hunt ducks.

The other problem deals with hunters using lead bullets in areas that have Condors. Hunter can't find the meat, or leaves a gut pile, then the Condor eats the lead when it is snarfing up the gore. Again...has to be a small problem...but there are so few condors, that any loss is a big one!

I wouldn't feel too guilty about using the lead, esp. because most of our commercially preweighted flies are wrapped with lead, aren't they? After all, the chance that waterfowl or any other animal ingesting large quantities is slim.

Maodiver

[Terry Thomas]

BosTin is a new product that I have just started using. It is pretty cool...comes in what they call "stix-n-stonez." Some are longish shaped and the others are off shaped like little rocks. They are made of bismuth, a product that duck and goose hunters are familiar with. Bismuth is a substance used as a replacement to lead in shot gun shells. It is non-toxic and lighter than lead, but heavier than tin.
T.

[Adam Grace]

Bismuth huh, that's cool. The weights do look pretty interesting I picked up a sample pack at the Kiene's expo but I have not had a chance to use them yet.

Has anyone tried these new weights out yet?

[justinbailie]

just using that second beadhead nymph of varying weight will usually do the trick if fishing with 2 flies is legal. solves the lead problem and sometimes of course will get you more fish. most of you probably already know this, but it seems to be a good solution.

hey, does anyone know if just the fact of having lead in the water causes any type of impact? such as it over years leaching out into the water.

justin

[bigtj]

Justin,

I think lead is relatively inert at a neutral ph i.e. in most rivers. But it can be physically broken down and become deposited in streambed sediments. Here is a good synopsis:

http://198.238.33.67/fish/papers/lead_fishing_gear/fpt_06-13.pdf

Where it is an especially big problem is if it is ingested; stomach acid causes the lead to be mobilized, this can kill wildlife. Small lead shot is especially bad. Let's put it this way...the dissolved lead concentrations in surface water doesn't appear to be appreciably affected by lead fishing gear. I don't know what other long-term effects lead may have on rivers but it can't be good all the lead we're pumping into the environment via fishing gear. We're talking tons/year not ounces or pounds.

Another problem with lead is it's manufaturing. The lead smelting process is dirty and can cause contamination and if done is places like China isn't subject to the same environmental restrictions as the US.

I gave up lead shot about 5 years ago. I use tin shot seems to work just fine. I also really like tungsten beadheads. Tungsten in a fair bit denser than lead and the beadheads are deadly. Unfortunately in most of the situations where I nymph fish beadheads by themselves don't get the job done as well as with split shot. However, if a split shot ban were to go into effect I wouldn't care as there are plenty of fish to be caught without chuck and duck techniques.