You may or may not know that NH has become a lead free state when referring to fishing. State Bill 224 makes it illegal to use or sell lead weights and jigs. What this means is that we can no longer use weights (sinkers) that weigh one ounce or less or jig heads that measure less than 2 and 1/2 inches along its longest axis. We all know how lead paint impacted our lives. The same is happening with lead weights that get lost in our state’s waterways. Lead is a toxic material that gets eaten by fish, birds and other wild game. In fact, *”Biologists have studied the effects of lead sinkers and jigs on waterbirds, such as loons and swans, since the 1970’s. Their ongoing research has documented that, in the Northeast United States and Canada where loons breed, lead sinkers and jigs can account for 10 to 50 percent of dead adult loons found by researchers.”
You can read the entire SB224 bill by clicking here http://www.nhliberty.org/bills/view/2012/SB224
* Quote used from the NH Freshwater Fishing 2013 Digest
The Amateur Angler 