Ditch The Lead!
Pallatrax offers a natural alternative to lead weights, and they come with plenty of benefits to all parties...
After years of using too much plastic packaging and sending line to landfill, the angling world seems to be getting its house in order for a more environmentally friendly future. The proliferation of degradable non-plastic packaging and the excellent Anglers’ National Line Recycling Scheme are helping, as is Pallatrax’s long-standing lead-free drive. Here’s the answers to your questions…
What are these interesting-looking leads?
They’re not ‘leads’ at all. These are Stonze and they couldn’t be more natural. They’ve actually been around for many years but as the threat of a ban on ‘dropping leads’ looms, more and more anglers are looking for alternatives like this.
Surely they’re not as heavy as lead weights?
Depends how you look at it. They’re not as dense as leads, but you can buy Stonze up to 7.5oz, which is certainly heavy enough for most applications! And that comparative lack of density can work in your favour if you’re fishing over thick silt or weed and don’t want your weight to plug and drag your rig out of sight.
That’s true. Any other benefits?
The naturally porous nature of the Stonze means you can flavour them with water-based attractants, while pastes or scalded pellets adhere very well to their pitted surfaces for use as a natural method feeder. And, of course, they’re completely non-toxic, even the resin used to bond in the swivel.
How do they cast?
Better than you might imagine, and you’ll certainly feel no hindrance at short- to medium-range. Stonze come in a variety of options, too. There are standard swivel weights but also small inline versions of up to 1.5oz, plus ‘Back Stonze’ to replace your backleads. You can buy each version individually or in bulk direct from Pallatrax’s website or find them in plenty of tackle shops across the country.
