Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Lead Ban in Illinois

http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/index.php?/pso/article/lead_sinker_jig_ban_proposed

A state senator out of Chicago is attempting to get a bill passed that would make lead sinkers and jigs illegal in Illinois waters. If this was passed, it would make our game much more expensive. Take a look at it, and give your state senator a call if you have any thoughts about the bill. This is one of those bills that will not have any teeth as long as there is an opposition voice. If there is no voice, then it may get passed because of simple lack of interest by the rest of the senate.

Are lead sinkers realy causing that big of a problem?

I'm numb to the never-ending systemized, unfunctional, non-futuristic, unflexible ratings of these heuristic, unresponsive reciprocal, transitionally incremental, time-phased, projectional,
loser gaggle of windbags that are ruining this fine country.
This is not political. Have a nice day........

I already use non lead sinkers. What's the big deal? It's not like you use a lot of them is it?

And yes birds that root around in the bottom ingest lead sinkers and lead shot. In the northeast a fair number of loons have been lead poisoned. I've had loons on my ponds passing through.

I think....never mind,I just remembered I DONT think.This wasnt political either.

Well, I catfish on the Potomac River a lot. I typically use 4-6 oz weights and often times the weights go over 12 oz. If those weights had to be non tox, I'd go broke!

As far as smaller weights, I don't have much of an issue with it and tend to use non tox stuff already.

I know the forced use of non tox shot for waterfowl hunting made that sport a lot more expensive. At least if you want to use something better than cheap steal shot.

But I agree, some areas particularly the north east part of the country, the loons have been hit hard. There is even a push in California to ban all lead projectiles for hunting, even rifle round because the bullets fragment and poison animals feeding on the gut piles and game that gets away. There was concern it maybe affecting the California condor...

Makes sense. I hope I did not sound insensitive Ben. I can be blunt and sound like a jerk at times. (Maybe I am one)

I do know the feeling of the government coming up with new laws and regs (some very stupid) and it can be expensive. (If the new VHS rules would have gone into a effect, annual health testing on a typical trout farm that gets it's water supply from a stream would have shot to at least $60,000. There was no good science behind that one. Fortunately enough of us raised hell that it was put on indefinite hold.

The study on loons was over a 15 year period and they found that 7 loons died from lead ingestion. That # isnt even statistically signfifcant. For people that bluegill fish that may not affect you. I lost over 100 jig and pigs last year fishing all over the state. I probably have $2000 in lures that have lead in them. Upgrading to tungston would cost me thousands of dollars.

Can you provide a link to that study? Not that I don't believe you but I'd like to see it as it seems to clash with one in New York that found,

"To date, cases of lead toxicity have accounted for 20-50% of loon mortalities analyzed by the NYS Wildlife Pathology Laboratory and the Wildlife Clinic at the Tufts Univ. School of Veterinary Medicine (excluding catastrophic events, such as the botulism outbreak in Lake Erie)."

One thing you mind want to keep in mind is loons are not as common as other waterfowl and they are not the only waterfowl suffering from lead poisoning.

http://www.adkscience.org/loons/lead.htm

"I can be blunt and sound like a jerk at times. (Maybe I am one)"

C'mon Cecil, you're being too hard on yourself; nobody thinks you're like Brettski.

Lead poisoning deaths have also been an issue with the restoration of Trumpeter Swans.

I remember back to my waterfowl biology days. It was obvious my professor thought lead posioing was way overblown. We saw video of ducks suffering from it. he asked what shoudl be doen about it. Then he gave us the % of ducsk affected. His policy would be to limit lead shot in areas where the ducks nest, pothole region , etc.

I can tell you this more ducks are injured using steel than if we were allowed to use lead in areas where ducks simply pass thru. The amount of ingestion required over time that results in lead posioning is stagering. It still bothers me that a few dead ducks caused a law to be passed on emotions rather than science. The same thing happening here with lead sinker ban. If you use non toxic good for you. Why should the gov't force us to make that choice?? I still believe the flag stands for freedom.

Another example of big gov't sticking their nose where it does not belong.

I was at BPS in Michigan on my way up to Canada in '07. The guy working there said the same law was in the works there but I'm not sure if it passed. A bill like that would turn my $20 annual lead spending allowance into $200 easily. Perhaps there will be a goverment grant available to assist us poor fisherman like with the digital tv conversion.

I tend to be in the same boat at Greg on this one. I think it is a bit over blown. There are areas that are sensitive and lead shot and perhaps lead weights should be banned in those sensitive areas, but other than those few selected areas its not needed. I dove hunt a corn field that is adjacent to a large wetlands. There was talk of banning lead shot in that area. It would make dove hunting that location impossible with the added expense. I really doubt it would save a duck though.

Dang, now if we could train the Mute Swans to take after their Trumpeter cousins! Pellet training anyone?

I've pellet trained several, very high velocity trained them... That kind of lead poisoning is very quick acting!

I saw a river once that was really low and the amount of lead jigs that had snagged on rocks was staggering.

If it takes so much lead to cause problems why is it measured in parts per billion vs. parts per million?

I don't know. I'm sure I've had a lot more posts deleted than Brettski. I'm scared to even post in the "If it ain't about Ponds Category.

What? No extra credit for inspiring the invention of Jerk-B-Gon?

Dont worry,We're giving you plenty of credit...story at 11:00.

I was just kidding though about the Brettska.

So I'm back to first place then?

No, no...we could insert many folks' names into that slot!

Whew!!

I'll second that. In my limited experience, steel shot injures (usually lethal) ducks far more than lead.

I suppose the lead has the potential to injure other game or fish, while steel just wounds the individual duck. Even so, it seems to me injury with steel shot is even more inevitable than ingesting lead.