How about banning hot grease? Most fish may survive an encounter with soft plastics, but very few if any survive gutting and a trip to the deep fryer.

I don't think you can access it via the web. The article is in this months Maine Sportsman magazine.

The article was written by the editor who suggest that a ban should be debated.

Perhaps it's the magazine that should be banned.  :

There's no way a law like that could be passed (outside of California). Someone would have to prove that there's a significant number of trout dying as a result of discarded plastics. That is something that cannot be proven, IMO.

I say good. Ban them. We don't need to be leaving thousands of plastic worms in the bottom of lakes that will be there for years anyway. They will be replaced with biodegradable plastics anyway. The market will work it out so stop wining. We could all be more responsible in our hobby anyway.

Lots of fishing line wrapped in brushpile, stumps, rocks, and docks like a spiderweb. Ban all crankbaits, soft plastic, and lines!  :

I always though trout were very finicky eaters. Does this mean that the fly fishermen have been wrong all of these years?

What if we all stopped throwing our used plastics in the water and took them home and threw out them in the trash? I don't think I lose enough plastic baits off of my hook in a season to hurt any body of water if I fished every day for the rest of my life.

I say good. Ban them. We don't need to be leaving thousands of plastic worms in the bottom of lakes that will be there for years anyway. They will be replaced with biodegradable plastics anyway. The market will work it out so stop wining. We could all be more responsible in our hobby anyway.

anyways       ;D

b

what-ever!  ;D

So live bait is bad because the fish swallow the hooks.

And plastic artificial's are bad because trout can't poop.

Lead sinkers are bad because it pollutes the water.

I say we just ban all fishing and be done with it.

Or we could fix the problem and keep fishing? I think this world is filled with enough smart ass's as it is. Tone it down because if your not part of the solution, your part of the problem.

'What if we all stopped throwing our used plastics in the water and took them home and threw out them in the trash?"  -

I assumed that's what we were all doing.

" I don't think I lose enough plastic baits off of my hook in a season to hurt any body of water if I fished every day for the rest of my life. " -

Guess you're not fishing Senkos - D'oh! I don't want to get that started again!  

i think in the next 5 years many states will make the change but i think the bait companys will try to change over to biodegradable plastics anyways....

are they going to ban eagles also because they eat and harm trout

Sorry about that snap, i really didn't mean anything by it. It just seemed like you were complaining about something that you helped  cause.

Anyways, the ban will never happen but it will push for biodegradable plastics. You take one cast and they will just disappear > It might actually be better for the company's as there will be a way bigger demand as you need to replace them more often and the always present fact that the price of these things are gunna skyrocket.

'What if we all stopped throwing our used plastics in the water and took them home and threw out them in the trash?" -

I assumed that's what we were all doing.

" I don't think I lose enough plastic baits off of my hook in a season to hurt any body of water if I fished every day for the rest of my life. " -

Guess you're not fishing Senkos - D'oh! I don't want to get that started again!

Do you assume that we are all throwng them in the water, or that we are all throwing them in the trash?

Or we could fix the problem and keep fishing? I think this world is filled with enough smart ***'s as it is. Tone it down because if your not part of the solution, your part of the problem.

Ever notice whenever there is something that some people enjoy, someone will always point out that it's a problem and want to ban it?

As for toning it down? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Where have I heard that before?

Or we could fix the problem and keep fishing? I think this world is filled with enough smart ***'s as it is. Tone it down because if your not part of the solution, your part of the problem.

Ever notice whenever there is something that some people enjoy, someone will always point out that it's a problem and want to ban it?

As for toning it down? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Where have I heard that before?

LOL Be nice Avid. I dont think the kid has ANY idea who he is poking his stick at...

I assumed most people tossed ruined plastics in the trash, same with line.  Typically I'll tear off any pieces from plastics I might be able to use as a trailer, throw those in my tackle bag and pocket the rest until I get home or find a barrell.

It would be great if everyone cleaned up after themselves but I don't think I have ever been around a marina or an area where people fish from the bank a lot that I have not picked up gobs of line and other trash.

Soft plastics killing the trout!? HA! Ban the friggin Cormorans, they kill more trout in a day then soft plastics do in a year.

Just a bunch of jacks imo...

I, as a Mainer do support efforts to try and save our trout/ salmon fishery but a statewide ban on plastics is ridiculous.  If they are so worried about the trout they need to do something about illegal introduction of non-native fish species.  That's the real problem.  In most of the waters where trout are the main sportfish, bass aren't even present so I would seriously doubt lots of people are using plastics there to begin with.  Our state legislature really needs to get it's act together and address the real issue facing our trout and salmon fisheries.  They need to enact laws that severely punish people for illegal stocking (thousands of dollars in fines, jail time, life-time ban from fishing in Maine).  

Al Gore have something to do with this???

I, as a Mainer do support efforts to try and save our trout/ salmon fishery but a statewide ban on plastics is ridiculous. If they are so worried about the trout they need to do something about illegal introduction of non-native fish species. That's the real problem. In most of the waters where trout are the main sportfish, bass aren't even present so I would seriously doubt lots of people are using plastics there to begin with. Our state legislature really needs to get it's act together and address the real issue facing our trout and salmon fisheries. They need to enact laws that severely punish people for illegal stocking (thousands of dollars in fines, jail time, life-time ban from fishing in Maine).

I agree with you! (finally some people from Maine on this site!)

Yeah people are doing some dumb stuff, someone put pike in the androscoggin river and bass in the RAPID RIVER (arguably the best brook trout river in the lower 48).  Makes me sick.