Lead restriction/Tungsten jigs

[CTBassin860]

Was looking at joining a bass club out here so i was doing some research.When looking at tournament rules i noticed that there is a lead ban on sinkers and jigs 1oz and under for all inshore freshwater.(i had no idea).That's pretty much means re-tooling my favorite and largest part of my arsenal.Anyone use the Ecopro or Kietech tungsten jigs(swim or flip) or have another preference?? i wonder if Mike @Siebert Outdoors makes the dredge brush jig in tungsten(or would be willing to).

[Sam]

MassBassin, you are in Massachusetts so I am surprise that you just found out about the requirements eliminating lead products.

 

Although tungsten is much more expensive than lead, I think you will enjoy using the weights as you will be able to feel the bottom and structure better than with lead weights.

 

As for a tungsten jig, if it is the law to use these products then please do so to be legal. Send Mike at Sibert's a personal message and ask your questions.

 

Good luck.

["hamma"]

I have bought some ecopro, mags, and made some for myself from the available eagleclaw football heads, and weedless bass jigs.

 They all work and have yet to determine if one is "better" then another.  The eagle claws seem to be a good swim/grass jig and the others (eco, mags) Ive tied up worked well for flipping/pitching.  And the football heads, Ive readied for Quabbin/NH.,...All the stores will soon be jacked up for the upcoming season, and I've found these jigs at Dicks, and Basspro. But the pickins are slim,..I checked out Mike's site and looks like he has some great jigs that arent lead. But I havent bought any because I use alot of 1/4, and 3/8 oz sizes and he doesnt seem to make many different models in that size. Which Is leading me towards pouring my own soon.

[Crankin4Bass]

I'm in MA too and feel your pain. They are hard to find here even though the law has been in place for 5 years now, Basspro has had mostly lead jigs forever. Bought some of their tungsten heads with the wire guard which fell out on the first use. I have tried eco pro, keitech, and eagle claw jigs. My favorite are the keitech casting jigs:

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Keitech_Tungsten_Casting_Jig_Model_1/descpage-KTMJO.html

I also use their round ball heads when it's not weedy

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Keitech_Super_Round_Tungsten_Jig_Heads/descpage-KSR.html

 

I have also tried the eco pro shaky heads. The screwlock is a pain on those.  I can't even use the green ones. The black ones are slightly better, but still a pain.

 

Anyone know of non-lead ned rig, swimbait heads, or belly weighted swimbait hooks?

 

what bass club are joining?

 

 

[MassYak85]

I've transitioned most of my actual weights over to tungsten but I'm still working on jigs. There are some lead free options out there besides tungsten but again with jigs I want at least decent sensitivity, so it doesn't make sense for me to go backwards in that aspect. For shakey heads I've used those Eco pro ones Crankin4Bass said and he's right about the screw lock, an absolute pain but I like them otherwise. The real pain isn't even the cost necessarily, it's that some head design just aren't made in non-lead options period. I have one grass jig that I love and it comes through weeds better than any I've owned but I have yet to see a non-lead with the same head shape. I do give the state some props for providing a list of lead-free alternatives but even if you go through the entire thing you might still have holes remaining that just can't be filled at the moment. I'm just glad spinner baits are exempt though. Of course that opens a whole new can of worms because what is a spinnerbait if not a jig with a wire attached to it? And what does that make an underspin? If I add a small willow leaf to my jig is it now not a jig? The law is worded poorly IMO but again, check out this list as a start if you are serious about changing everything over:

 

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/hunting-fishing-wildlife-watching/fishing/lead-free-tackle-sources.html

[CTBassin860]

6 hours ago, Sam said:

MassBassin, you are in Massachusetts so I am surprise that you just found out about the requirements eliminating lead products.

 

Although tungsten is much more expensive than lead, I think you will enjoy using the weights as you will be able to feel the bottom and structure better than with lead weights.

 

As for a tungsten jig, if it is the law to use these products then please do so to be legal. Send Mike at Sibert's a personal message and ask your questions.

 

Good luck.

I sent him a message and unfortunately he does not make those particular ones in tungsten.Yea i guess the fact that i can buy lead jigs and have lead jigs shipped to me in the state i never thought twice about it.Id rather replace them then get busted using them and get hit with a fine that is more than it would have cost to replace the jigs.Or have my equipment taken.This isn't going to be cheap but i have until April to get it done.Ill swing by BPS today and grab a few Ecos since the started carrying them.

[CTBassin860]

On 2/4/2017 at 7:41 AM, MassYak85 said:

I've transitioned most of my actual weights over to tungsten but I'm still working on jigs. There are some lead free options out there besides tungsten but again with jigs I want at least decent sensitivity, so it doesn't make sense for me to go backwards in that aspect. For shakey heads I've used those Eco pro ones Crankin4Bass said and he's right about the screw lock, an absolute pain but I like them otherwise. The real pain isn't even the cost necessarily, it's that some head design just aren't made in non-lead options period. I have one grass jig that I love and it comes through weeds better than any I've owned but I have yet to see a non-lead with the same head shape. I do give the state some props for providing a list of lead-free alternatives but even if you go through the entire thing you might still have holes remaining that just can't be filled at the moment. I'm just glad spinner baits are exempt though. Of course that opens a whole new can of worms because what is a spinnerbait if not a jig with a wire attached to it? And what does that make an underspin? If I add a small willow leaf to my jig is it now not a jig? The law is worded poorly IMO but again, check out this list as a start if you are serious about changing everything over:

 

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/hunting-fishing-wildlife-watching/fishing/lead-free-tackle-sources.html

Yea i was googling stuff until like 3am to get the clear picture.Still have to look into some stuff but im glad i found what i did before the collection grew even more.I stopped using lead weights a while ago and have all i need in tungsten.I have a good 10 new jigs i ordered this offseason that i cant use.

On 2/4/2017 at 6:56 AM, Crankin4Bass said:

I'm in MA too and feel your pain. They are hard to find here even though the law has been in place for 5 years now, Basspro has had mostly lead jigs forever. Bought some of their tungsten heads with the wire guard which fell out on the first use. I have tried eco pro, keitech, and eagle claw jigs. My favorite are the keitech casting jigs:

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Keitech_Tungsten_Casting_Jig_Model_1/descpage-KTMJO.html

I also use their round ball heads when it's not weedy

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Keitech_Super_Round_Tungsten_Jig_Heads/descpage-KSR.html

 

I have also tried the eco pro shaky heads. The screwlock is a pain on those.  I can't even use the green ones. The black ones are slightly better, but still a pain.

 

Anyone know of non-lead ned rig, swimbait heads, or belly weighted swimbait hooks?

 

what bass club are joining?

 

 

I was looking at Tri County Bassmasters.Im looking for something fun and not completely hardcore for now.Im a non boater

[WRB]

The brush head stand up jig has a massive amount of material and needs to be sculptured to remove the mass if it's made from tungsten and maintain similar weight to lead.

Seibert offers a line of tungsten products at reasonable prices.

The last thing Obama did before leaving office was to ban lead nation wide on any frederal lands, refueling the lead ban for both hunting and fishing usage.

Tom

[CTBassin860]

So I go to BPS to look at jigs and all they have is Mags grass jigs in pewter and eco pro kiras in tungsten.Left with a LC Pointer 78. ?

[WRB]

2 hours ago, MassBassin508 said:

So I go to BPS to look at jigs and all they have is Mags grass jigs in pewter and eco pro kiras in tungsten.Left with a LC Pointer 78. ?

Siebert Outdoors the site sponsor has tungsten jigs and bullet weights!

Tom

[MassYak85]

4 hours ago, MassBassin508 said:

So I go to BPS to look at jigs and all they have is Mags grass jigs in pewter and eco pro kiras in tungsten.Left with a LC Pointer 78. ?

Both the Bass Pro and the Cabelas in MA have absolutely pathetic non-lead jig selection. This thread did get me to go through all my jigs finally and see what I would need to do to finally make the 100% switchover. It's sad to see all the lead ones sitting so nice in a box now. But it did also get me to sit down and see what I truly needed. I've got a TW order on standby and will pull the trigger before the ice melts. 

 

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Siebert Outdoors the site sponsor has tungsten jigs and bullet weights!

Tom

I wish Siebert would sell tungsten swim jigs as well, but their football and arkie ones are definitely at the top of the list of consideration. 

["hamma"]

Dicks carries the eagle claw tin/bismuth jigs that are shaped well for grass jigs. At least thats what I have been using.

 I pulled the trigger on a melting pot yesterday, and am researching the different molds, and materials to use. I fish both weedless bassjigs and jigheads so I have a task ahead of me for acquiring the "needed" alternatives, but I'm sure I will be pouring soon.

 This all has come to fruition as the lack of alternatives has left me short of my usual techniques and tactics on the water, to be compliant to the law. I'm looking to pour my own bassjigs in casting, flipping, and grass models,.,..... and jigheads in standup, darter, tube, and weedless, as well as the available footballs and rounds. The materials Im thinking of will be either tin/bismuth,..or pewter. Tungsten is just way out of the question for me as this either needs to be machined, or melted at over 6000 degrees,... neither I have the capability for.

 As I get acclimated to pouring, and am up and running, if there is a "special" jig you need?,..I will seek out the mold, or make one if possible,..  From what I am to understand, tin/bismuth,..and pewter are both a bit different than lead to pour, and may cause some issues with even the shapes Im considering, so its all going to be a trial by error thing to begin with, but if I can make it? I will.

[CTBassin860]

13 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

Both the Bass Pro and the Cabelas in MA have absolutely pathetic non-lead jig selection. This thread did get me to go through all my jigs finally and see what I would need to do to finally make the 100% switchover. It's sad to see all the lead ones sitting so nice in a box now. But it did also get me to sit down and see what I truly needed. I've got a TW order on standby and will pull the trigger before the ice melts. 

 

I wish Siebert would sell tungsten swim jigs as well, but their football and arkie ones are definitely at the top of the list of consideration. 

The jigs are ma favorites.Im not looking forward to changing them.We may be moving to TX this year so i wont get rid of them.

[Crestliner2008]

Try Cadman's Jigs: Cadman's Fishing Tackle

 

They offer a lead alternative for us Baystaters. A bismuth/tin construction which is much less expensive than tungsten. Not sure of the styles you need, but check with them.

[MassYak85]

2 hours ago, MassBassin508 said:

The jigs are ma favorites.Im not looking forward to changing them.We may be moving to TX this year so i wont get rid of them.

Yea I'm not tossing them that's for sure. I'm not sure where I'll end up after college or even over the summer. Worst case I'll probably sell the lot if I end up staying in-state.