Lead free Jigs

In case you didn't know it, if you live in Massachusetts, jigs and sinkers under one ounce are now prohibited in all freshwater. The ban took place on January first.  The purpose of banning lead is to  protect waterfowl including ducks and loons.

I have been using ultra steel sinkers for years. They are readily available. I have seen them at Kmart and Bass Pro Shops. I think the cheapest place to buy them is Cabelas. You can buy the sinkers by the 24 pack there.  The 1/4 ounce sinkers are $4.99 a pack they go up to one ounce and cost $ 12.99 for a pack that size. I use tin split shot which is also not that expensive.

The problem I found is buying non lead jigs.  I can't find anywhere in MA that sells them. I use a lot of small jigs for catching panfish with shad bodies.  I wish I knew about the ban a few weeks earlier than I found out about it. In December, I stocked up on a lot of gear as I always do. Sort of a Christmas present to myself. I hate buying gear during the season. I buy it in the winter, enough to last me throughout the year. Unfortunately, I bought a lot lead jigs. Now the only time I can legally use them is in saltwater or fishing in RI. I hardly fish in Rhode Island  for largemouth bass and panfish so I will have them for years to come.

This left me finding  a lead alternative. I looked online and found a site called www.greentackle.com 
They sell environmentally friendly jigs. However they are not cheap. Keep in mind I can buy Bass Pro brand 1/8 oz.lead jigs for $3.49 The one-eighth ounce non lead is $9.38 for the same amount.  I didn't think I had a choice so I bought what I thought I needed to get me through the year. I bought three sizes and had to pay six dollars shipping. I bought 75 jigs. After shipping total cost was $35!!!

I went to the fishing expo in Worcester this weekend. I was not on the lookout for non lead jigs. I already spent enough on them. However I did run across some. Another small company was at the show www.timmytoms.com  I looked at their jigs. They were cheaper than I paid at green tackle. They were selling ten packs of jigs for $2.42.  Twenty five jigs would be about six bucks. Not to bad. So I bought a few and took a flier.  Their shipping isn't to bad. If you spend 15- 29.99 shipping is four bucks. It is cheaper and more expensive depending on how much or little you spend.

I thought I'd write this post to make life easier for those of you looking for non lead jigs. It was kind of a pain finding some. If you know of a place cheaper than timmytoms please let me know. If they are the cheapest out there, I hope I saved you some money.