Reports the past few days out of White Bear Township that a company called Water Gremlin has been closed over lead poisoning concerns were read particularly closely by Minnesota anglers.
That's because Water Gremlin, a company founded in 1949, has long been a producer of lead sinkers, which are key components of what anglers call "terminal tackle," an all-encompassing term that also includes swivels, hooks, floats, spoons, beads, spinners and split rings.
Traditionally — meaning, in this case, since time immemorial — fishing sinkers have been made out of lead. In addition to being relatively cheap, lead is also denser than most materials, yet soft and malleable, with a comparatively low melting point of 621.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
All of which is important when producing sinkers, because, as fishing techniques have exponentially grown more sophisticated over time, anglers' sinkers have, too.
Consider this example from Water Gremlin's website, touting its bullet-shaped split-shot sinkers:
"BullShot is the Gremlin's unique (soft lead) bullet shaped split shot. It's the easy, effective way to add a little weedless weight to your line. BullShot works great for finesse fishing or split shottin'. It's as easy to use as our good, old Split Shot and as weedless as any slip sinker."
Like other fishing-gear manufacturers and retailers, Water Gremlin is well aware of lead's toxicity, and aware also that some environmental groups have tried for years to ban its use in fishing equipment.
To counter those efforts, while also addressing the concerns of an ever-larger eco-sensitive angling public, Water Gremlin also offers what it calls its "Green Gremlin" line of tin and steel sinkers.