Giving Up On Tungsten

[Boomer_bassin]

For a lead alternative, I can recommend Thunder Bullets brass weights. Have used them for many years and the prices are great on the solid model . The rattling model are more expensive, and kind of unique, though I don't know for certain they make any difference. If brass interests you, you might give them a look.

http://www.fishingworld.com/ThunderBullets/Details.tmpl?ID=99651315791401&Cart=14065023877355178&SKU=SS

How is the feel of brass vs lead and tungsten?

[Jrob78]

I bought all I could find on clearance when Tru Tungsten went out of business.  I still have a lot.  If I fished snaggy water often and lost a lot of weights, I would probably stop using it too.

[Catch and Grease]

I fish waters with lots of chain pickerel and they can make you sick from losing tungsten when punching pads and grass...

[JaxBasser]

I won't be buying more. I rarely fish weighted plastics and when I do it's either a really light weight (1/16oz) or I just used weighted hooks. Not worth it for me.

[Catt]

1/2 oz & under I still use lead, over 1/2 oz I'm using 65# braid so I aint gotta worry! 

[Crappiebasser]

Give the Picasso pro metal weights a try. They are a mix of lead and other metals. They are not as small as tungsten but for $3 for 5 they aren't bad. I only wish they sold them in plain color.

[Mike2841]

Lead isn't an option here in MA, I don't mind using the bullet weights because I rarely break one off, but tungsten jigs hurt every time I break one off.

[Pinoy_Basser]

For most of my terminal tackle (hooks, swivels, weights) i try to avoid using expensive ones (unless I don't have a choice or for tournament use).

Those the the things that we always lose to snags, break-offs, toothy critters and the usual birds nest cast offs.

 

For fun, everyday fishing just use the best quality ones that are priced just right or from clearance sales.

[Jeff H]

How is the feel of brass vs lead and tungsten?

Brass> lead   tungsten>brass

[*Hootie]

Just placed an order for some solid brass worm weights. Thanks Jeff.

Hootie

[ColdSVT]

I know i lost atleast 20 bucks worth this weekend...but mine and my partners names name was at the very top of the leader board at the end!

During the weekend i donated 8 tungsten bullets, 8 trokar hooks, three 6XDs, a jig, and a swimbait lol

[Diggy]

I feel your pain. I bought 2 packs to fish in a certain lake that I know I'm guaranteed to get hung up in so I don't fish them...what was I thinking. I just use lead there with no worries when I have to break off in the rocks.

[Master Bait'r]

I've had it with tungsten. To dad blamed expensive for how fast I go through them. Three packs in two days. At $9.00 bucks a pack.....NO!

I probably have enough to get me through this season, then it's back to lead. I know you might say, you have expensive rods and reels. That's true, and at the end of the season, I will still have them. Not so, the tungsten. Last trip I alternated between tungsten and lead. I didn't notice any difference, except I didn't cringe after losing a lead weight. As I have stated before, the lake I fish is seriously snag infested. Imagine if the lake you were fishing had the bottom entirely covered with barbed wire. Well, maybe it's not quite that bad, but it's BAD!...SO, it's bye bye tungsten and hello lead...GAME OVER! !!

Hootie

P.S...I like losing weight, but not like that....lol.

 

 

 

Would you cringe if you thought that down the road that weight and the hundreds of others you'll no doubt lose over the years would play into overall levels of lead in water rising to unsafe levels?  Do the math.  A hundred 1/4oz weights is 25 lbs of lead just sitting there leaching into the water.  Now multiply that times the dozens or hundreds of fishermen who fish any given place and the potential for serious problems down the road becomes all the more apparent.  

 

 

Just like they have eliminated lead from gasoline and paint because it's dangerous, they're TRYING to do it with weights.  Lead in our water is not good in any amount and it's bad enough our oceans are teeming with mercury.  The problem with weights?  Cheap fishermen who are too selfish to pony up and do the right thing who can't be bothered to minimize their impact during their recreational pursuits.  Not trying to say anything bad about you personally but it certainly does add up, and that is the cost of being responsible.  If you can afford to take your boat out and fish 3-5 packs of bullet weights to the bottom on any given day, you can afford to do it with tungsten.  Period.  Yes, there's *some* lead in most baits, but I'm going to guess nobody is losing 15-20 of them a day either- weights are a much more valid source of concern in terms of lead content obviously.      

 

 

To me using lead weights and ignoring the dangers of them because you don't feel like spending the money on the safe alternative is like throwing your trash along the bank because you don't feel like picking it up because you pay too much for trash removal at your place.  It's lazy and if it mattered to you you simply would make it happen.  No excuses.  To say you fish too much and can't afford Tungsten weights is just ridiculous beyond all ridiculousness to me and is a wholly hilarious complaint in and of itself, as you could cut a million other corners that would have no impact on the environment if you're hanging by a financial thread. (which let's be honest, you are not)  Nobody's making you fish.  The least you can do is be responsible about it when you know that being cheap/lazy can really screw the pooch down the road.  

 

 

 

Absolutely not accusing you of not caring or of being ignorant, as you are one of my favorite posters here but I think it's easy to look past WHY we should be doing things when it's not convenient for us to do so.  Sometimes we just need a reminder that it's far better to go the extra mile and be the person we'd really like to strive to be rather than just let go and be whatever's easiest or most convenient.  Also sorry for the tirade, I just had this conversation with someone this weekend who was using lead weights- which is illegal here in MA as well.  

[*Hootie]

Would you cringe if you thought that down the road that weight and the hundreds of others you'll no doubt lose over the years would play into overall levels of lead in water rising to unsafe levels? Do the math. A hundred 1/4oz weights is 25 lbs of lead just sitting there leaching into the water. Now multiply that times the dozens or hundreds of fishermen who fish any given place and the potential for serious problems down the road becomes all the more apparent.

Just like they have eliminated lead from gasoline and paint because it's dangerous, they're TRYING to do it with weights. Lead in our water is not good in any amount and it's bad enough our oceans are teeming with mercury. The problem with weights? Cheap fishermen who are too selfish to pony up and do the right thing who can't be bothered to minimize their impact during their recreational pursuits. Not trying to say anything bad about you personally but it certainly does add up, and that is the cost of being responsible. If you can afford to take your boat out and fish 3-5 packs of bullet weights to the bottom on any given day, you can afford to do it with tungsten. Period. Yes, there's *some* lead in most baits, but I'm going to guess nobody is losing 15-20 of them a day either- weights are a much more valid source of concern in terms of lead content obviously.

To me using lead weights and ignoring the dangers of them because you don't feel like spending the money on the safe alternative is like throwing your trash along the bank because you don't feel like picking it up because you pay too much for trash removal at your place. It's lazy and if it mattered to you you simply would make it happen. No excuses. To say you fish too much and can't afford Tungsten weights is just ridiculous beyond all ridiculousness to me and is a wholly hilarious complaint in and of itself, as you could cut a million other corners that would have no impact on the environment if you're hanging by a financial thread. (which let's be honest, you are not) Nobody's making you fish. The least you can do is be responsible about it when you know that being cheap/lazy can really screw the pooch down the road.

Absolutely not accusing you of not caring or of being ignorant, as you are one of my favorite posters here but I think it's easy to look past WHY we should be doing things when it's not convenient for us to do so. Sometimes we just need a reminder that it's far better to go the extra mile and be the person we'd really like to strive to be rather than just let go and be whatever's easiest or most convenient. Also sorry for the tirade, I just had this conversation with someone this weekend who was using lead weights- which is illegal here in MA as well.

Well, you just called me cheap, lazy, selfish, and irresponsible. And I'm one of your favorites. My sympathy to the guys you don't like....WOW!!

Hootie

[F14A-B]

Yea Hootie, he is WAY outta line, he could of easily made a point on lead without all the derogatory remarks, what a post....

[Master Bait'r]

Well, you just called me cheap, lazy, selfish, and irresponsible. And I'm one of your favorites. My sympathy to the guys you don't like....WOW!!

Hootie

 

 

I don't think that's what kind of person you are, I just like to expose the underlying reasons for one making such decisions.  By being made aware of why we may be motivated to do things we become more in tune with our "inner machine" so to speak.  I don't think I'm a particularly cheap, selfish or lazy person but I certainly am motivated my those factors at times and I like to realize it when I am doing it.  

 

 

Also I consider it a favor to my friends that I don't mix words or sugar coat things.  I tell it how it is. Those that can't handle the truth shouldn't ask for it imo.  

[Master Bait'r]

Yea Hootie, he is WAY outta line, he could of easily made a point on lead without all the derogatory remarks, what a post....

 

 

Well then tell me why someone would choose an known dangerous product when a known better/safer alternative exists at a few dollars more?  It's cheaper and often easier to just buy the dangerous stuff of course!  I will agree it sounds bad, but then hey- that's the inconvenient and unpopular truth.  That's why we make decisions like that.  Sure it doesn't sound nice when you lay it out, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to insult people, simply make them aware of what they're actually doing and thinking.  It's an ugly decision to make, and it's motivated by ugly entitlements we all make at times.   

 

 

See, we all care about the waters we fish and with all the knowledge and experience here, there is no excuse for making irresponsible decisions over a few bucks.  If you can't afford to be the most responsible sportsman you can be, then you can't afford to fish imo.  But hey- that's just me and I'm not into making excuses- for myself or anyone else for that matter!   

[F14A-B]

Well then tell me why someone would choose an known dangerous product when a known better/safer alternative exists at a few dollars more? It's cheaper and often easier to just buy the dangerous stuff of course! I will agree it sounds bad, but then hey- that's the inconvenient and unpopular truth. That's why we make decisions like that. Sure it doesn't sound nice when you lay it out, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to insult people, simply make them aware of what they're actually doing and thinking. It's an ugly decision to make, and it's motivated by ugly entitlements we all make at times.

See, we all care about the waters we fish and with all the knowledge and experience here, there is no excuse for making irresponsible decisions over a few bucks. If you can't afford to be the most responsible sportsman you can be, then you can't afford to fish imo. But hey- that's just me and I'm not into making excuses- for myself or anyone else for that matter!

Irregardless of you're personal view of LEAD, you were completely inappropriate in most of you're statements to Hootie, you Could of Easily made you're point clear without name calling! You are wrong, in you're public forum post! There are rules and guidelines to posting, Perhaps you should read them.

[Master Bait'r]

Irregardless of you're personal view of LEAD, you were completely inappropriate in most of you're statements to Hootie, you Could of Easily made you're point clear without name calling! You are wrong, in you're public forum post! There are rules and guidelines to posting, Perhaps you should read them.

 

 

 

Ha!...  Didn't know I was in the company of people who can't handle constructive honesty when they ask a question about it specifically.  If you still think I was insulting Hootie, you're way off base and being more than a little too sensitive about it.  Again, if you don't want the truth, don't ask for it.  I don't sugar coat things nor did I insult Hootie, I simply identified the causation of something we all do at times in the hopes that someone would actually absorb it and realize how crappy it really is to do.  Would we all like to save money?  Sure!  Should we do it in a way that endangers something we care a great deal about?  NO.  That's lazy, irresponsible and selfish!  Pull on your big boy boots and deal with it.  I can't stand needless complaining either, Hootie can take care of himself and in any case I'm positive he survived my *open criticism of anyone who chooses Lead over Tungsten fully knowing the dangers of Lead*.  

 

 

Have a nice day guys.  

[Catch and Grease]

A hundred 1/4oz weights is 25 lbs of lead just sitting there leaching into the water.

100 1/4oz lead weights is 25lbs? I've been doing math wrong all these years... On a more serious note, its actually only 1.56lbs

100 ÷ .25oz = 25oz

25oz ÷ 16oz = 1.56lbs. 16oz in a pound buddy

[Master Bait'r]

100 1/4oz lead weights is 25lbs???

I've been doing math wrong all the days....

Lol yeah those 4oz weights aren't super popular these days haha... my mistake. Stupid mistake.

100 1/4oz weights would be about a pound and a half. Don't math before coffee, kids! Hahaha

[Catt]

I don't think that's what kind of person you are, I just like to expose the underlying reasons for one making such decisions.  By being made aware of why we may be motivated to do things we become more in tune with our "inner machine" so to speak.  I don't think I'm a particularly cheap, selfish or lazy person but I certainly am motivated my those factors at times and I like to realize it when I am doing it.  

 

 

Also I consider it a favor to my friends that I don't mix words or sugar coat things.  I tell it how it is. Those that can't handle the truth shouldn't ask for it imo.  

 

I'll tell like it is & you no data supporting your claims, there is some research out there but it has not been proven just suggested. Another attempt of government overreach!

[Catch and Grease]

Lol Basically what he said was, your ignorant and don't care about your waters, and you are hurting the fish on purpose and should be ashamed, but not trying to call you ignorant.... Lol wat?

[John G]

Would you cringe if you thought that down the road that weight and the hundreds of others you'll no doubt lose over the years would play into overall levels of lead in water rising to unsafe levels? Do the math. A hundred 1/4oz weights is 25 lbs of lead just sitting there leaching into the water. Now multiply that times the dozens or hundreds of fishermen who fish any given place and the potential for serious problems down the road becomes all the more apparent.

Just like they have eliminated lead from gasoline and paint because it's dangerous, they're TRYING to do it with weights. Lead in our water is not good in any amount and it's bad enough our oceans are teeming with mercury. The problem with weights? Cheap fishermen who are too selfish to pony up and do the right thing who can't be bothered to minimize their impact during their recreational pursuits. Not trying to say anything bad about you personally but it certainly does add up, and that is the cost of being responsible. If you can afford to take your boat out and fish 3-5 packs of bullet weights to the bottom on any given day, you can afford to do it with tungsten. Period. Yes, there's *some* lead in most baits, but I'm going to guess nobody is losing 15-20 of them a day either- weights are a much more valid source of concern in terms of lead content obviously.

To me using lead weights and ignoring the dangers of them because you don't feel like spending the money on the safe alternative is like throwing your trash along the bank because you don't feel like picking it up because you pay too much for trash removal at your place. It's lazy and if it mattered to you you simply would make it happen. No excuses. To say you fish too much and can't afford Tungsten weights is just ridiculous beyond all ridiculousness to me and is a wholly hilarious complaint in and of itself, as you could cut a million other corners that would have no impact on the environment if you're hanging by a financial thread. (which let's be honest, you are not) Nobody's making you fish. The least you can do is be responsible about it when you know that being cheap/lazy can really screw the pooch down the road.

Absolutely not accusing you of not caring or of being ignorant, as you are one of my favorite posters here but I think it's easy to look past WHY we should be doing things when it's not convenient for us to do so. Sometimes we just need a reminder that it's far better to go the extra mile and be the person we'd really like to strive to be rather than just let go and be whatever's easiest or most convenient. Also sorry for the tirade, I just had this conversation with someone this weekend who was using lead weights- which is illegal here in MA as well.

With everything that you posted, if you use any lead at all when you fish, no matter what it is or how much, then you are a hypocrite!

[BrianinMD]

Just another person who cannot tell the difference between being upfront/honest and an arse.

 

I do like how his post said "illegal here in MA" but his profile said Dunedin, FL.