Just found out that the EPA has denied the petition for a lead tackle ban under the hazardous substance act. What great news. This won't affect any state regs but at least it should kill the national ban for a while. Anglers need to get organized and fight these kind of things in the same way the NRA works for the gun owners. PETA and other reactionaries ARE out to get us!

An example of the kind of ignorance us fisherman are up against: I was at a local tavern once speaking with a girl. I told her how much I love fishing and even proceeded to show her pictures of my fish that were on my phone. It was then that she told me that she thought that fishing is "animal cruelty" and asked me "How I would like a hook in MY mouth?" I patiently tried to explain to her my position and even that I practice catch and release the majority of the time, but this failed to sway her to my way of thinking. The ironic thing is that she was eating a basket of chicken strips while we were discussing the matter. I asked her where she thought THOSE came from. Well, you get my point...

I always explain to "these types" that EVERYTHING fish eat either bites, stings, or pokes/jabs them in the mouth and they have almost no pain receptors in their mouths.

These are also the types that buy their meat at the store where no animals were hurt in the process!!!!!!!!

Posted By bass or bass? on 15 Feb 2012 07:40 PM
I always explain to "these types" that EVERYTHING fish eat either bites, stings, or pokes/jabs them in the mouth and they have almost no pain receptors in their mouths.

Great point!

Washington is always trying to save more loons. 8 of our reps introduced a bill a few months ago that has since been withdrawn, but they have already banned lead on 13 lakes. There was a study that showed in an 11 year period from 1999 to 2010 21 loons were found dead. 7 of them were determined to have died from lead ingestion. 4 of them drown. That's less than 1 per year and almost as many died from drowning. I'm going to write my congressman and ask to introduce legislation in WA to make it illegal for loons to swim in WA waters. It's just too dangerous... I am in no way saying that we should be indifferent to the poor little loons dying from something that can be controlled but 7 in 11 years is not an epidemic and introducing legislation that will cost the state, the fishing industry and millions of outdoorsmen across the country billions of dollars is not the way to approach it. The second highest contributor for loon death in WA is gunshot wounds. It is already illegal to shoot them.

I think a lot of this banning lead stuff is focused on the environment because it works on people so well. One duck eating a sinker and dying works on people better than the truth...that we are running out of lead. Look at current lead prices. I just watched a show on the History channel that told how hard it is getting to find. Without recycling, we would be hurting for lead! Eventually, the price is going to make it disappear from fishing, use in batteries is way more important.
                                                                                                     

Fine with me. Let economics sort it out. When lead is as expensive as tungsten people will use tungsten. Works better anyway! I once had a gal in a pub criticize my leather jacket and said that a cow was killed to make it. I calmly pointed out that it was just the original wrapper for the burger on her plate.

haha nice one pegs

Hey, you guys should know by now you can't make sense outta some broad at the bar! Wanna really mess with her head? Tell her what's in her beer...billions of little yeast critters...eating the sugar...and pooping out alcohol.
                                                                                                                             
                                                                               

Mo, were running out of a lot of things, shame it's not PETA or politicions!

Its these same pansies, like the vegans, that toot their horn as to the horrors of animal slaughter, and how they could never tolerate people who do that dont realize they would starve to death because they would not have their organic plant mater if it weren't for the greasy burger eating truck driver that delivered their greens, or the people who eat meat and kill fish to eat that built the house they live in or the car they drive.

I would also like to point out that many fishermen are staunch advocates of conservation. We as fishermen want our waterways clean! Who wants to fish and swim in filthy water? I think that many so called environmentalists don't realize that fishermen as a whole want to keep our lake's and river's pollution to a minimum while still enjoying the activity of fishing.

I would also like to point out that many fishermen are staunch advocates of conservation. We as fishermen want our waterways clean! Who wants to fish and swim in filthy water? I think that many so called environmentalists don't realize that fishermen as a whole want to keep our lake's and river's pollution to a minimum while still enjoying the activity of fishing.

Double post glitch. Wasn't me...

I hear you Captain (both times... lol). I had a conversation with a gal once who was certain that every fish that is released back into the lake starves to death due to the mouth pain I caused. I tried to explain that I have caught the same fish more than once and on a couple of occassions, broke my lure off, retied, and recaught the fish, thus retrieving the lure I had just broke off. Still in the fishes mouth. I have witnesses. She called me a liar and that was pretty much the end of it. Uneducated people see us as animal hating barbarians out to hurt or kill innocent animals for the sport of it. These people don't realize the money to fund conservation programs comes from licenses, equipment sales etc. You can't argue with stupid...

You just said the magic words Hoss...you can't argue with stupid!

Posted By mo65 on 17 Feb 2012 07:03 AM
You just said the magic words Hoss...you can't argue with stupid!

Yup that pertty much says it all! Or as Forest Gumb said  "Stupid is as Stupid does!!!