Are lead-free leader materials safer?
Big opinions by key anglers on major events happening within carp fishing right now
The big question
Do you think the new lead-free leader material is safer than the good old well-established leadcore material?
Scott Day (Product developer at Fox)
“I personally believe that all forms of modern leader materials are 99.9% safe if used correctly. There’s no excuse these days for products to be used in an unsafe and dangerous manner. There are monthly magazines, rig guides, DVD’s, social media and manufacturer’s websites that all show the correct way to use different forms of leaders. I suppose the advantage of our (Fox) Submerge lead-free material is the obvious omission of the lead wire centre as the wire can become kinked and not allow beads and rig components to run freely off the leader if you are unfortunate enough to suffer from a breakage. Submerge is supple, soft and doesn’t suffer from memory like leadcore and ensuring you use rig components the way they have been designed to be used, you can be safe in the knowledge that you are angling in a safe and responsible manner. Think and fish safe!”
Lewis Read (Product developer at Gardner)
“I’ve been looking at these a lot lately as here at Gardner Tackle we are in the process of bringing them into our terminal range. To my mind these excellent ‘lead free’ leader materials certainly deserve to have the definitive place they have found in many anglers tackle boxes – but I certainly don’t believe they are any safer (or more dangerous) than a traditional leadcore leader!
“I do believe they excel in some particular applications – mainly as a long leader for running Chod Rigs when fishing in thick weed. Why? Simply, they allow the hookbait to settle more subtly on top of high weed without the weight of the leader dragging the Chod Rig down into the strands. If I want a leader that will naturally settle low to the lakebed I still choose Plummet, but having the option of using a lead free leader offers an great alternative.”
