In the real world I agree that what little money we do have should not be cut to increase this.
The loon thing is in part lead, in part hooks and in part I am sure other factors like loss of habitat etc. As stated somewhere in this thread, it isn't just the jigs but they also pick up small pebbles/gravel like many birds and will eat split shot etc which in turn leads to the poisoning. So you snap a jig off and a loon later eats it they have to deal with the hook and the lead..neither of which is good for em. On a strange note I noticed that they allow fly fishermen to continue using the lead wire they tie sinking flies with. Seems contradictory to me. Considering a loon would be just as likely, if not more so, to eat a lost fly that looks just like what it was imitating and be covered in lead wire...
I know I sometimes sound like a lunatic..I am very passionate and that can really rub people wrong. AS I said earlier I am not trying to point at any one person or trying to make anyone feel bad, however it is an interesting topic of intelligent discussion and that is what I aim for. The problem is many people/most people on this site are the small percentage of anglers that do care and tend to take offense if they believe someone is questioning that, which I am not.
I also don't agree that I would rather see enforcement spend their money elsewhere. I would rather see our government stop sending our troops ........
I digress..alot. My point is if we cleaned up our act, we would have plenty of funds to run all programs in house .....
Your patriotism is awesome and you make so many greats points. Unfortunately the realities of today do not provide an excuse for spending tax dollars on a particular item when put against a list of priorities. If taxpayers were given a list of possible items for inclusion in the budget .... and we all can think of what those line items could and should be and one of the items would be to fund enforcement of the non-lead initiative not sure how much money would go to non-lead enforcement. I live in Milford where there have been three deaths (people deaths) due to unlicensed illegals with one being a 21 year old young man that died an agonizing death ..... so I have to speculate here but I think many folks would favor additional funding to prevent deaths of people through increase traffic enforcement. Or how about more enforcement and education against drunk drivers ... I don't want to list the items "I" feel more important as it is only my opinion but my opinion is there are bigger fish to fry than this non-lead stuff.
So I read about the study that says 44% of Loon deaths were attributed to lead. But I am not clear if it was actually lead or hooks attached to the lead. I have not spent alot of time researching the topic but I have not seen an explanation of what happens if a Loon eats a 3/4oz lead jig with a large high tech sharpened hook? One would think the hook would be the problem with ingesting the jig and not that it had a lead head with my point being is the lead or the hook the problem on the jig?
Tate,
When they do an autopsy on the dead loons they find they have a leathal level of lead in their system. Could and do hooks cause death? Yes but they are already dead from the lead, they just don't know it.
Loons will pick up rocks off the bottom and swallow them to help grind up and digest food. They are mistakenly picking up lead sinkers, thinking they are rocks.
...Let's take Missouri for example. Just so you know—you can't drive down the highway with an uncaged bear in your car anymore
...if you happen to pass into Farmington, Connecticut, you will have to share the road with bovine(Cows and Horses)travelers. In this city, cows have the same rights on the roads as do motorists.
...In Winona Lake, Wisconsin, it is illegal to eat ice cream at a
counter on Sunday
...If you're a woman living in Michigan, you might want to check with your husband before heading to the hair stylist.
According to state law, your hair belongs to your spouse and you'll need his permission before you can alter it.
...in Memphis, Tennessee, women can't drive a car unless there is a man with a red flag in front of the car warning the other people on the road.
...When parking your elephant at a meter in Orlando Florida, be sure to deposit the same amount of change as you would for a regular motor vehicle.
...if you stop for a beer in North Dakota, don't expect to get any pretzels with your beverage.
It's against the law in that state to serve beer and pretzels at the same time.
...If you're planning a short stint in Hartford, Connecticut, you might want to keep your dog's obedience training under wraps.
It's against the law to educate dogs in that city
Now ...I love you guys and I didn't mean to hurt anybody's feelings with all this debate and if I'm 'guilty' of anything here it's AIDING and ABEITING... Erik(TheBlackStoneCarp)in his one man crusade for good...I'd like to APPLY for my "super-hero" apprenticship ASAP sir...
I also HOPE you all love some of the REAL outrage out there I presented above I wanna park my elephant WHERE EVER THE HELL I DAMN WELL PLEASE ! hahahahahahahahahah man I love MAFF ....
Blackstone, thanks for the explanation, apparently you have done some research on this. On another note, what is the loon population in MA? I live in SE MA and will see a loon or 2 only during migration periods. I don't believe they are permanent residents. I just find this lead thing upsetting because there are so many other significant hazards facing our wildlife and the environment
Last edited by riverrat82 on Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:32 am; edited 1 time in total
Sound more like some politician used this lead band to fluff up there resume. Kinda like Romney did here in Mass with the "health care reform" BULL s***!! Did it really fix our health care problems? NO!
I'm all for saving our natural resources. But, lets think things through a little better before we (politicians) slap it on the table & pass as "Law".
There are some environmental extremist that would like to see all fishing & hunt stop. Maybe this was done to appease them too?
This all smells fishy to me!
Sound more like some politician used this lead band to fluff up there resume. Kinda like Romney did here in Mass with the "health care reform" BULL s***!! Did it really fix our health care problems? NO!I'm all for saving our natural resources. But, lets think things through a little better before we (politicians) slap it on the table & pass as "Law". There are some environmental extremist that would like to see all fishing & hunt stop. Maybe this was done to appease them too?
Ok Ev' since we've become good friends here I'll level with you...It's me...I'm actually a lobbyist for the tungsten industry...I'm currently working with Dan & Damon as my 'experts' and soon ...when we've taken over the fishing world...we're gonna make you get ALL TUNGSTEN ovens in ya pizza place hahaha...I feel your pain my man ...I fought the new health care for 2 1/2 SUCCESSFUL years ...then the state sued me at tax time(QUITE SUCCESSFULLY I MIGHT ADD) and I learned my lesson...NOT!you hook me up with a 16" pie...I'll hook you up with a couple new BeaverFever Brush Jigs...Agreed?it's the least I can do since I'm sittin' on all this "TUNGSTEN MONEY" Cha-ching....I LOVE IT ! hahahahahaaaa
This all smells fishy to me!
Sound more like some politician used this lead band to fluff up there resume. Kinda like Romney did here in Mass with the "health care reform" BULL s***!! Did it really fix our health care problems? NO!I'm all for saving our natural resources. But, lets think things through a little better before we (politicians) slap it on the table & pass as "Law". There are some environmental extremist that would like to see all fishing & hunt stop. Maybe this was done to appease them too?
You gotta deal!! HAHA!
Thus I plan to use lead jigs that I currently own in CT and if anyone has a stockpile that they would like to part with then let me know and we can meet up at one of the tourneys.
I'll be moving to CT later this year and from what I have read, that state put up a bill in early 2011 that never made it through due to "The state Department of Environmental Protection has joined state sportsmen and fishing tackle retailers in opposing legislation that would ban the sale and use of lead sinkers and jigs by October 2012." (or at least this is how one wedsite put it). I found nothing about any new bills for 2012 or beyond.
Thus I plan to use lead jigs that I currently own in CT and if anyone has a stockpile that they would like to part with then let me know and we can meet up at one of the tourneys.
I'm going totaly lead free in 2012. I will take a pic and show you what i have for jigs if want?
we're kinda like M.A.D.D....only instead of DUI's we're helpin' t' fix PCB's...hahahahaaa see the comparisons? We're the SAME ...only DIFFERENT !
" Friends don't let friends use Lead !"the new motto
I had to gear up with high speed reels to fish where there are loons!!!!
If you ever seen a loon chasing down your bait under water you better reel like a mo f#@ker!!!! They are fast! And if you get a good hookset it's game on!!!!! Especially when they clear water!! it's kinda like froggin except on steroids!!!
So i guess my new year resolution is to gear up with high speed reels and Beaver fever baits! This way i hopefully can outrun them damn loons and if they do bite they won't like the taste of beaver fever baits!!!!
I know exactly what you are talking about! I had a loon go after my line this past fall (I was fishing with a jig too). It was actually pretty creepy looking.
I had to gear up with high speed reels to fish where there are loons!!!!
If you ever seen a loon chasing down your bait under water you better reel like a mo f#@ker!!!! They are fast! And if you get a good hookset it's game on!!!!! Especially when they clear water!! it's kinda like froggin except on steroids!!!
So i guess my new year resolution is to gear up with high speed reels and Beaver fever baits! This way i hopefully can outrun them damn loons and if they do bite they won't like the taste of beaver fever baits!!!!
I know exactly what you are talking about! I had a loon go after my line this past fall (I was fishing with a jig too). It was actually pretty creepy looking.
You guys are dorks..seriously...
On a side note. When I lived in Pa I fished with a guy name John. We used to fish chicken livers for landlocked hybrid bass and big cats at the spillway of a lake called Bluemarsh. We would often drift/trot another rod with a live large shiner to grab a pike/muskie that may be swimming through. Anyway long story short as the spillway gets down about 70 yards it shallows out and often times Great Blue Herons would feed through the riffles.
As crazy as it sounds..he actually had a Heron grab his shiner as it drifted into the shallows...so laugh all you want but it could happen!