NEW recruits to angling are being warned not to fall foul of the law by buying illegal fishing leads online after a steep rise in the number of internet vendors selling toxic weights in outlawed sizes.
Last week, we were contacted by AT reader Iain Leedham who, after spending time away from fishing, wanted to update his outdated tackle. Going online, he was angered by the volume of banned weights available.
“I remember when the ban came in and having to switch to non-toxic shot,” he told us.
“It’s very concerning to see the amount of lead illegal weights now available on sites like eBay.”
Since 1987, UK anglers have only been able to use lead shot in sizes between No14 and No8, and weights over 1oz. To stay on the right side of the law, make sure you only buy your lead weights from UK-based fishing websites or even better, your local tackle shop!