Stewardship Tip Sep5th, 2008 – Soft Plastic Baits
We are becoming big fans of biodegradable alternatives to soft plastic lures. We like them because they catch fish! It may be the fact that the new lures contain no petroleum-based oils. It may be the fact that many of them are manufactured with natural fish attractants. But we like the fact that they have a soft, natural feel that fish perceive as food. We’ve noted that when a fish strikes a biodegradable, they hold on to it a little longer allowing us that extra microsecond to set the hook.
Biodegradeable Fishing Lures have an additional advantage. When they break off, they will decompose.
Why it is important to the Fish: Plastic, according to many surveys, accounts for 70% of marine debris. It is indestructible and may settle in the sediments of aquatic ecosystems. According to noted angler, Keith Warren, “the bottom of Lake Okeechobee is said to be coated with enough soft plastic lures to make a pile large enough to cushion a tank dropped from a plane.” In addition, discarded and lost soft plastic lures are often ingested by fish and become lodged in their gastrointestinal tract.
One of the chief problems, however, associated with soft plastic lures is their composition. Soft plastic lures use plasticizers, comprising 50 to 80% of the lure’s weight, to keep the lures soft and pliable. Most soft plastic lures are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that use substances called phthalates as plasticizers. Phthalates leach out because they do not chemically bind to the PVC resin. Phthalates have been associated with public health risks and have been documented to cause liver damage and other problems in freshwater fish.
By using biodegradable lures, we address these problems. We help to reduce the amount of litter in the environment, we reduce the chances that fish will ingest lost or discarded lures, and we reduce the amount of phthalates in the ecosystem.
This week’s partner, FoodSource Lures, has put together a point paper, The Problem with Plastic Lures, that provides additional information about soft plastic lures and why the alternatives make sense.
We would encourage you to make the switch, biodegradable lures work!
This week’s sponsor-partner: Food source Lures
are the only molded fishing lures made entirely of ingredients that fish can eat. They are not plastic, so FoodSource Lures do not pollute the environment. Their partnership makes this week’s “Stewardship Tip” possible.
Rising demand for our weekly Stewardship Tip and a new partnership with Fly Cast America now makes the Stewardship Tip available in Spanish. Ahora, reciba el Stewardship Tip en español. Gentileza de Fly Cast America.
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