HOW TO SWITCH - TACKLE
The Basics:
Start replacing tackle items like split shot and jig heads.
If you tie your own flies, consider using lead-free wire for your streamers and nymphs.
Never throw fishing gear into the water or onshore.
Consider lead sinkers, jigs, and wire like any other trash we wouldn’t throw into the water or leave on ice. Leave no trace and pack it out and dispose of it properly.
Spin & Ice Fishing
Today you can find a vast array of inexpensive alternatives to lead tackle that offer technical benefits to the angler while keeping our waterways lead-free.
Many nontoxic materials such as steel, brass and bismuth are harder than lead and are less likely to get hung up on rocks. Some tackle materials are denser than lead, like tungsten, which gives them a smaller profile.
Lead-free tackle also makes a real racket underwater, a huge benefit to anglers. Fish pick up sound vibrations through their lateral line, and use them to locate prey, so a product whose sound travels a long distance when bounced off the bottom is a sure-fire fish attractant. A top noisemaking choice is a "brass-and-glass" combination, a glass or plastic bead between a swivel and a sinker.
Fly Fishing
Many streamers and nymphs are tied using lead wire to help them sink fast and reach the desired water column.
The only surefire way to know your flies are lead-free is to tie them yourself!
Retailers such as Orvis only sell flies tied with lead-free wire. Other commercial fly manufacturers like Umpqua only tie some of their flies with lead-free wire. Most local fly shops carry lead-free wire. This wire is made from soft tin and comes in the same diameters, and properties that you are used to with lead, just a bit less weight added to the fly per diameter. To add the same amount of weight you can add a few more wraps of wire.
Other lead-free items you can find in the fly shop include tungsten beads, lead-free split shot, and tungsten putty.
