Thread: Lead Free Fishing Sinkers to Make at Home

Absolutely brilliant how did you come up with that idea????? Now ya got me making them for outings and other people to. I suppose that if you have to pay money for something that has an environmental friendly alternative, then why bother. What a fantastic idea, well done. Hopefully the seas will benifit from this one, by not having as much lead dumped on the bottom of it. And you should recieve a prize for thinking of it Saltwaterking, well done. I dont suppose the makers of lead sinkers will thank you though. WTG

How do these compare (size to weight ratio) with lead and lead substitutes?

I'm the one who came up with the sandsinkers. First of all, the URL for the sinker instructions is:

FISHING SINKERS WITHOUT LEAD - SANDSINKERS

For a long time I've been unhappy about how many sinkers I lose when I go fishing from the local jetties here in New Jersey. Also I don't like handling
lead and, being a mom, I get upset when I see kids handling lead sinkers and eating potato chips at the same time.

First I wanted to use rocks but I found that I couldn't get them attached to the line. Then I tried wrapping the rocks in fabric which kind of worked but it's difficult to find rocks of the shape that I wanted.

Soooo... what could go in the fabric other than rocks that would be entirely environmentally friendly? Sand, of course.

I've been experimenting with various shapes and sizes and so far the best ones have been about 7" long and 1" wide for casting far with a heavy line.

I have a bit of arthritis in my shoulder and can't do a l lot of casting with heavy weights, especially in the surf.

Because the ratio of size to weight is not as good as with lead, it's necessary to have a larger weight to get the same distance when casting. Also, the casting stroke is different because the acceleration is slower.

A lead weight goes "zero to 60" almost instantaniously but a sandsinker takes half a second longer. It only takes a few experimental casts to get this right but after that it's fine.

I'm so glad that people are getting into this sandsinker idea.

Some folks have suggested that I patent this but the purpose of a patent is to keep other people from using the idea and I want everyone who finds it useful to make sandsinkers.

Perkons

Perkons - Welcome to the site and thanks for the tip - I will pass it along

Where in NJ do you fish?

That's a good idea, I have used rocks before but it is tricky to get them on the line

You could always try the innovative stonze system.

Im not affiliated with these in anyway just stumbled across it and thought it was a good idea

Stonze System

Good idea, but will those stick to the sand when the current is ripping by in the channel side of the jetty?

The sandsinkers hold as well as any lead sinkers except the lead pyramid-shaped ones which are made to sink into the sand.

A sandsinker has to be somewhat larger and heavier than a lead sinker to get the same "bottom hold".

If they are flexible and skinny they wiggle their way through jetty rocks and don't get stuck as often .... but sometimes they DO get stuck. On the other hand, they are cheap and more healthy to handle.

I fish in New Jersey on the jetties when I get the chance and sometimes in the surf and always seem to catch something edible. I like small fish: fluke and flounder, porgies, cunner (very delicate flavor), kingfish, black bass, togs, etc. Togs are very tricky because they scoot out from between the jetty rocks and grab your bait and then scoot back, causing the sinker to get snagged. Bummer!

Perkons (Daina Krumins)

A nice idea , thanks for the tip ....

anything that is safer than lead is a Great idea ....

Would you mind if we copied the link and posted it on other forums to spread the word about the sandsinker ?

mike

I'm glad you like the idea.

Please spread the word everywhere. That lead all over the place is not good, especially for kids.

Thanks.

For those of you who want small sinkers for freshwater fishing, at a reasonable price, just go to eBay and type "hematite beads".

Hematite is black iron oxide and next to lead, it's the heaviest cheap readily available mineral around.

It can't be melted, of course, but they make beads of all shapes in China.

Perkons

P.S. Don't pay a lot for them! A 16" strand of approximately 16mm beads should cost no more than $5.00.

Did you get an update on the environmental aspects of the Hermatite yet?
OH and can I have the exclusivity on the Irish distribution please. Will that include some kind of legal document ? Ya never know this might go global.

Regards SDD

Originally Posted by Perkons

For those of you who want small sinkers for freshwater fishing, at a reasonable price, just go to eBay and type "hematite beads".

Hematite is black iron oxide and next to lead, it's the heaviest cheap readily available mineral around.

It can't be melted, of course, but they make beads of all shapes in China.

Perkons

P.S. Don't pay a lot for them! A 16" strand of approximately 16mm beads should cost no more than $5.00.

The environmental scientist said that hematite (iron oxide) is certainly better than lead for the environment.

Because hematite is naturally occurring and doesn't have any obvious hazards associated with it, probably it's OK. Of course, you never know what is and what is not ultimately OK. Almost everything we nincompoop humans do seems to have some unforseen effects.

Another advantage is that in addition to being heavy, hematite polishes up very nicely to a black shiny finish which is why it's used in jewelry. I have a few nuggets sitting on my bureau just cause they are nice to handle.

So far there has been no reply from the Chinese manufacturer. I'll try a few more of them.

Daina

I was fishing with the sandsinkers yesterday on the jetty in Avon on the Sea in NJ and discovered something interesting:

If I reel in to refresh the bait (or sometimes to bring in the fish) and leave the sandsinker on the ground, even for a minute, it doesn't cast as well. Probably this is because the water between the grains of sand drips out and air gets in.

On the other hand, if I dip the sinker in some water (yesterday this was a puddle of ocean water on the surface of the jetty) it became heavier and cast excellently; about 95% as well as a lead sinker if the stroke was right. It has to make a bigger arch over like a medieval catapult.

P.S. I almost caught a pesky young brown cormorant who was diving after my bunker bait. After that I had to fish in a different area from where the nincompoop bird was hanging out. Teenagers!!

That's a very good idea. I think I will try and make a few and see how they work out when rockfishing season rolls around. Thanks for the post.

In Australia lead free sinkers have recently hit the market as the new environmentally option, must admit they do seem to be popular. Ill give them a go one day when I get through the 15 kilo's of lead sinkers I already have ( mostly snapper leads, so it wont take long ).

Cheers
James

Hello everyone!

I put "sandsinkers" on Wikipedia but it needs expansion.

Please, if anyone has tried the sandsinkers and finds them useful, post something on Wikipedia!

Thanks.

Daina

Useless with sewing machine. UMMM.. a problem.

Do you have some old shirts around that you are throwing out?

Cut off the long strip in front that holds the buttons and also the one with the buttonholes.

Now you have two hollow fabric tubes.

Cut into sinker lengths, tie off bottom, fill with sand, tie off top and attach to line.

It works!

Perkons