2006 Lead Tackle Exchange Events

[KJM]

To all:

Your points about retail availability are excellent.

One of the most significant outstanding challenges is increasing the availability of lead-free products in the retail marketplace. Many anglers state they are enthusiastic about purchasing lead-free tackle but are frustrated by the difficulty of finding it in stores.

To address this barrier, the State of Minnesota is teaming up with five Minnesota-based manufacturers of lead-free tackle to offer you an unprecedented opportunity. We have customized two fully stocked point-of-purchase (POP) displays to help your store jumpstart sales of lead-free tackle.

You can learn more about the Get the Lead Out! retail display program at:

http://www.moea.state.mn.us/publications/sinkers-popsellsheet.pdf

We encourage you to talk with your favorite tackle retailer about stocking more lead-free fishing tackle. The retail display program provides one option for their consideration.

Below is a listing of retailers, outfitters, resorts and others that have the Get the Lead Out! display. The list is growing as this effort has been underway for under one month.

Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters 193 Round Lake Road Grand Marais MN

Hungry Jack Outfitters 318 South Hungry Jack Road Grand Marais MN

Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases P.O. Box 509 Ely MN

Swanson's Bait & Tackle 333 1st Street North Hackensack MN

B.J.'s Bait & Tackle 13155 Bayview Rd. South Haven MN

Pehrson Lodge 2746 Vermillion Drive Cook MN

Towering Pines Resort 35172 South Clamshell Drive Pequot Lakes MN

Voyageur Canoe Outfitters 189 Sag Lake Trail Grand Marais MN

Bait Box Marina 36624 County Road 66 Crosslake MN

One Stop Convenience Store 5006 State Highway 84 Longville MN

Thorne Brothers 7500 University Avenue Northeast Fridley MN

Joe's Sporting Goods 33 County Road B St. Paul MN

Vermilion Fuel & Food 516 Main Street Tower MN

Litchfield Outpost 914 North Sibley Avenue Litchfield MN

Fort Snelling State Park 101 Snelling Lake Road St. Paul MN

Buck's Hardware Hank 1st Avenue West & 1st Street Grand Marais MN

Moore's Bait & Tackle 618 West 58th Street Minneapolis MN

DNR Headquarters Gift Shop 500 Lafayette Road North St. Paul MN

Four visitor centers within Quetico Provincial Park of Ontario, Canada

Al's Bait & Tackle in Two Harbors, MN

Thanks

[MOBY RICHARD*]

A lot of good points being made in the back and forth. A little more insight might be good. We know that lead is toxic to most every living creature large and small. We know that we have been told many times in the past that something was safe under certain conditions only to subsequently learn that it was not. Cant bring back the dead. Cant get rid of the Cancer. Cant afford to cleanup the mess. Cant afford not to. Cant figure out how to remedy the situation so we will just keep doing the same thing. You know, I like to use lead because that is what I learned on and have used for many years. I like the pliability the weight the size. I can count on its consistent performance because it is what I am used to.

However I would like to see the lead completely gone. Maybe you saw the news a little while back where the kid swallowed the lead ring and it dissolved in his stomach and what happened to him. Why did we ban lead for waterfowl hunting?

People still waterfowl hunt and do just fine. Why dont we ban lead in all fire arms? More lead shot is strewn about from one or two lead shotshells than I lose in lead tackle in a year or three. We are throwing toxic material around like candy and some little kids- furry, finned, feathered or not are picking it up and eating it. If lead is safe lets load it back into paint and cover our houses inside and out with it again- after all it makes the paint last a lot longer . Ever buy or sell a house and come across a Lead Paint Disclosure document? Lately on the news there was a story about a Twin Cities company that pelletized lead and sold it for gravel base under driveways. They thought it was safe. Now they are warning people not to touch it and are trying to figure out how to get rid of it. People were told that asbestos was safe in the past. In the news over the past year or so was the story of a Minneapolis company that gave away free vermiculite to neighboring communities that would then use it in their gardens. They forgot to tell them it also contained asbestos. Now many of them have cancer. All the gun and trap and skeet ranges are now considered toxic waste sites because of the lead. Do you remember what the waters around Silver Bay were like before the mining companies were forced to clean up their discharge? Those wastes are still there they have just migrated some and settled some. Supposedly safe as long as not disturbed. Mercury in waters and fish- an encyclopedia waiting to be written. Do we always have to be repeating and prolonging our mistakes reacting after the fact? Cant we look ahead a little and put our trivial pursuits behind the betterment and health of people and animals? As Sportsman we are supposed to be the most concerned and at the forefront of protecting the natural enviroment. I am more than willing to give up all the lead. I know it will be inconveniant. It wont be the same. I wont be strewing the land and water with poison. We will have a better safer healthier cleaner enviroment - and conscience. Unfortunately it will take an act of Government to bring this about and there are probably too many lead mine lobbyists putting the pressure on for it to happen anytime soon.

[bigyooper]

I am going to chime in on a professional level:

We are involved in many societies in the birding community,

it is amazing to read the studies that come out on the effects of lead and waterfowl. Taking the lead out of our waterways and fields is essential for the future of waterfowl. Just ask yourself this; would we be seeing opposing threads about DDT and the eagles if the Internet would have existed in the 70’s? I think that as sportsman we need to think about the future. I know I want my kids growing up hunting the same way I did. I hate saying back in the old days, you should have seen all the grouse or smelt or big bucks. I think taking the lead out is a great idea and I am glad to see everyone working on this subject.

Just my $.02

[Guest]

I helped stock the shelves yesterday at Moores bait and Tackle with the *lead free* tackle products. There are some pretty interesting products that I have not seen before, some seem like they could be quite useful, and some are reasonably priced.

I know he put the tackle up at well below suggested retail price. Some of the tackle is fairly reasonably priced, others I feel is way overpriced.

I have commented way in the past that price was going to be a big issue for me. They use tungsten and bismuth in the lead free tackle to keep it roughly the same size as the lead products. On the average, it seems that a person can buy about 1/3 quantity the similar product for about twice the cost of lead products in the usual quantity... That sounded confusing so I will simplify it.. a bag of spit shots with 50 split shots(lead) will cost around $1, a non toxic bag of split shots with about 25 split shots will cost about $2.

Jigheads are pretty reasable at smaller sizes, and very similar in cost to high quality lead jigheads. Once you get up to 1/4 and 3/8 oz jigheads(Northland nature jigs), a pack of 6 the suggested retail is well over $5/pack.

I'm not ready to spend 90 cets a jig to lose 10/day fishing the river quite yet, or spend $300 to stock up my jig box with various colors and sizes.