FYI: Non-toxic alternatives to lead for weights and sinkers

[cgs01]

I have been searching for non-toxic weights and sinkers.

I know steel, tin, tungsten, bismuth are okay, but I question whether brass or copper would be an alternative.

There are a lot of brass/copper available on Amazon, but my research was saying that copper can be bad for aquatic environments as much as lead is.

So trying to find steel weights and tin split shots is going to be a daunting task - I'm hoping it's not going to be too expensive to get away from lead.

cgs

[Flieguy]

https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?action=products.get&kw=/Fishing-Weights/&cs=04L

scroll to the bottom, there are steel bell sinkers and tin splitshots

[Red Bullets]

For weights on the bottom of a pickeral rig get a package of wide elastic bands. Clip one or two elastics on the end of the rig and put a rock in the elastics.

When I was fishing the Skeena river instead of using big pyramid weights I would cut circles out of a pair of pantyhose. Put a rock of needed size in the pantyhose and tie it shut with dental floss. Then clip the rock onto my rig. If it got snagged I could break the floss and get my rig back.

[Mr. Twister]

Fishin' hole has clay puddy for your line that adds sink. Works well and is environmentally friendly

[WayneChristie]

when I lived in Calgary I didnt want to use lead, since it got snagged all the time. switched to cutting a coat hanger in 3 straight pieces them bent into a V 1 or 2 usually did the trick especially for bottom bouncing in the current. big nails work too and they all just eventually rust away.

[Bushleague]

Being a millwright, I can get my hands on allot of worn out bolts and nuts, stainless and carbon, of all sizes after. After giving them a good cleaning to get any grease off of them they are as environmentally friendly as anything else so thats what I use. A few years back I was fishing the Snaring in Jasper, using old 5/32 welding rod with the coating cleaned off, cut to length to get me whatever weight I wanted and bent double to give me a tying point I got checked and they had nothing to say about it, nails work too.

That rock idea is pretty good though, I'll have to try that.

[cgs01]

it gives a good place to start. Will be checking out what's around the house.

cgs