Document dQXx5JRpbmGjj9OD60vRmDvG

1 JUNE 1994 ABD00004218 B.4.S.5. TIMES 5 PROS & CONS Editor Matt Vincent President, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society: Ray Scott Publisher: Helen Sevier Executive Editor Dave Precht B.A.S.S. Federation Director Don Corkran Tournament Director Dewey Kendnck Publicity Director: Ann Lewis Managing Editor Colin Moore Editorial Assistant Jodi Godfrey Senior Writers. Bruce Ingram Mike Jones Jay Kumar Craig Lamb Robert Montgomery Louie Stout Tim Tucker Don Wirth Photographer: Gerald Crawford Illustrators. Bill McElroy Lenny McPherson Berme Schultz Production Manager Bill Holmes Production Coordinator . Marcia Daniel Art Director Kim Clemens Designer Jenny McNeely Copy Director Laura Harris Group Advertising Director Ken Woodard Advertising Director Hunter Cole Advertising ManagerBuddy Shamburger Sales Managers: Tim Hamill Consumer Accounts Glenn Harper vRegional Manager 'tephen Mitchell egional Manager ason Hardegree AJ*la.IsnslsiftireadthMreanCaogoerrd/Diniasptolary Sales Klocke Amovdveertisfng Coordinator SShhsaron Price Advertising Sates OfficesB A.S.S, Inc PO Box 17900 Montgomery, AL 36141 205/272-9530 Eastern Karaban/Labiner Assoc 130 W 42nd Street New York, NY 10036 212/840-0660 Detroit and Akron The Longshore Group 604 Martha Street Montgomery, AL 36104 Spencer Longshore III Gregory Long 205/263-6050 BASS TIMES* ISSN #0274-7936. is published monthly by B A S S , Inc , 5845 Carmichael Rd , Montgomery, AL 36117, telephone (205) 272 9530 Subscription rate is $24 00 a year In an effort to be supportive of their goals B A S S , Inc , provides BASS TIMES to B A S S Chapter members and the Association of B A S S Profes sionals* Copyright by B A S S , Inc 1994 All rights reserved Permission to reprint matenal must be obtained in writing from BASS TIMES POSTMASTER Send address change to BASS TIMES*, Circulation Office, PO Box 17900, Montgomery, AL 36141 Second-class postage paid at Montgomery, Ala , and additional mail ing offices 1994 B A S S , Inc ` LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The PROS & CONS section of B A S S TIMES is intended as a reader forum for comments, concerns and opinions All letters, which are subject to minor editing, must include the author s name, address and home telephone number for venfication by the editorial staff All letters sent to the publication are presumed to be for publication unless writers specify otherwise BASS TIMES reserves the right to reject any letter that contains inappro priate or libelous material Please address correspondence to Editor, BASS TIMES, PO Box 17141, Montgomery, AL 36141 Appreciates The Effort Dear BASS TIMES, I would like to thank you and your fine staff of writers for keeping fisher men informed of what's going on with the environment and the new laws that have an impact on all of us The modern "green^mo likes to keep the outdoo the dark until a new law has already been passi% passed, it's very difficu'. thing done about it You does a good job of 1 informed about what's^ before it becomes the la\ this for us, we can act on n letters to our lawmakers l Keep up the good work \ Fre Ga 1 Skirting This Isa Dear BASS TIMES, \ It came as quite a surprise and my customers (ED -- copies sent to Stanley Jigs an Fox) to read that a company\ name of RM was revolutionize tackle industry with sihcone-oased' skirts (BT, March/94) In fact, my company, Dybst Inc , originated, produced and sold the first metalflake silicone skirt to Stanley Jigs in 1986 A Dyhst BIO-FLEX sili cone metalflake skirt was used on a Stanley Vibra-Shaft spinnerbait by Rick Clunn to win the 1986 U S Open on Nevada's Lake Mead The list of winners using our skirts goes on and on Obviously, we are not new to the tackle industry in either use by major manufacturers or respect by pro fish ermen Our business has grown in both volume and reputation since its inception Dyhst was the first to intro duce BIO-FLEX silicone glitter skirts, fire tips, glitter shadow strands, glitter fire tips, metallic shadow strands and the Blue Fox BIO-FLEX half-and- half and foxphorescent skirts If Dyhst has had to endure any irritation, it has been the claim by RM that it has developed these products, when, in fact, they have attempted to merely copy or follow our lead BASS TIMES has an obligation to its readers to adhere to proper jour nalistic standards by reporting all information accurately and without bias It appalls me that a publication! such as yours would again allow another article so obviously short sighted and full of false implications to be printed We challenge BASS TIMES to correct what we believe to be damaging and inaccurate informa tion by retracting any false statements and printing this letter for your read ers Your readers have a right to know , Anything less will only confirm a lack of professionalism Donald J. Link President, Dylist Savage, MN Mills Is Moving Dear BASS TIMES, 1 was quite moved after reading A1 Mills' editonal in the February issue I hadn't really thought of all the issues as a whole until he put them all together on one page The fact that our lakes and streams, fish and fishing nghts are all in jeopardy, is made very clear by Mr Mills I hope everyone who subscnbes to this publication has read his very informative column We all need to realize the threats to the things that we all love, such as fish ing, hunting, etc We must all find out how we can become involved in stop ping these threats I urge all the read ers of B A S S TIMES to contact A1 Mills just as I have He'll put you on the right path so that you can become involved and help all fishermen keep enjoying this fine sport 1 have listed below my own thoughts concerning these issues How can a politician in Washing ton, D C , know what is best for the 1,500-acre lake in my hometown bet ter than the agencies here in my own state9 Why should small groups (an estimated 400,000 animal rights advocates is a small group com pared to the members of B A S S ) be able to force their ideas and opinions on the majority9 Some legislators and radical con servationists want all species of fish and all ecosystems put back in their_ original state, which kilLmii1'^---- ____ __ ...ici--What ^-ui-ieadefTin Oregon do when the gamefish industry in your state is gone9 Finally, there comes one of the worst problems facing our future, the loss of the money that is used to man age it It is not the fisherman's or hunter's responsibility to balance the budget We pay income taxes, gas taxes, use taxes, etc for government programs such as welfare and high way maintenance We, the fishermen and hunters, also pay license fees, boating fees and parking fees as well as spectal taxes on fishing tackle and equipment to keep our resources clean and usable I don't want my state park money to go to welfare, just as I am sure you don't I'm also confident in saying that senior citizens don't want their money going to my lakes So hc^yj! can_ we let the'government do this with'our money,9 ' ` -fi^jnyqlved1 -Ifippt for" you, for your children or grandchildren Help protea the American heritage of using the outdoors Call or write the envi ronmental department at B A S S for further information on how you can get involved John B. Coovert The Chlorine Issue )ear BASS TIMES, Ilu- tion legislation gathers steam," I felt compelled to write (BT, March/94) First of all, I should let you know that I am a union employee in the pulp-and-paper industry, and that I also chair a labor-based political action council in Oregon, namely the "Pulp and Paper Workers' Resource Council " The chlorine issue has been one of many topics that has been under consideration in our orga nization Information that we can provide to your readers may help them when it comes to making a decision on the merits of Congress man Bill Richardson's bill (H R 2898), known as the "Chlorine Zero Discharge Act " When it comes to dioxin and the pulp-and-paper industry, there have been many movements in the past 10 years to improve effluent standards Local governments in the Pacific Northwest have led the nation when it comes to air and water quality, and we demanded that the dioxin issue be addressed In response, major changes in the production processes were undertaken that enabled mills in Washington, Oregon and Idaho to achieve non- detectable levels of dioxin The answer was to replace the use of ele mental chlorine -- a reactive chemi cal that can bond with other com pounds which can lead to the byproduct dioxin -- with that of chlo rine dioxide This new chemical reduces the chlonne molecule's abili ty to bind with organic matenal and thus minimizes the effects of effluent on the environment - The capital cost to the Pacific Northwest's pulp producers averages between $12 to $20 million per null site, and showed that by being chal lenged they could address the dioxin issue Even with this, the changes to these mills would not meet the requirements of H R 2898 and its call for zero-chlonne discharge N- ^ To reach the standards that would come law if the bill were passed >u!d cost an average of between $60 1 $90 million per facility The cor ate answer to this has been realiza^that more than 30 mills face per cent closure and 23,000 primary and another 88,800 indirect jobs e lost any of the people who could be \nently affected by the very law ou support, are also the people Ividly enjoy the sport of bass ' These same people gamer the l of fellow workers on issues anatee, non-native game fish, te restoration/etc ) that affect ition of your recreational pasreturn, all they ask is that reasonable consideration `.sues that impact their lives ore' you lend your support to any political issue, I suggest you have all the facts The Richardson bill is poorly conceived and gives little time and/or incentive to'maintain quality jobs, or our competitive edge in this industry Alternatives that improve our environment, while at the same time maintain our economic bases, are available I^hope that we canmove* forward onthis matter with an open mind and reasonable consideration for our combined futures Paul Sullivan _________ _ Hillsboro, OR More On Chlorine ) cal DtTS a TIMES;---------------There is a big move to ban the use of chlonne in the United States I have read articles in BASS TIMES about the banning of chlonne 1 am a concerned "life member" of BASS I have been a member of a federated bass club since 1984, and I am serving my fifth term as an officer in the Mississippi BASS State Fed eration (Northern District Board of Directors) I don't believe that anyone at BASS realizes what is made from chlonne A lot of lure manufacturers use PVC in the production of these lures Plastic worms are made from PVC, which is made from chlonne If it were not for chlonne, bass fishing would still be back in the "dark ages," because almost every fishing-related manufacturer uses plastic either to make their lures or in the packaging of their product Boat seats are made from PVC, depthsounders, electnc-wire coating -- just about everything we use while fishing or almost everything we touch is made from PVC, which is made from chlonne 1 have worked at Vista Chemical in Aberdeen, Miss , for over 20 years The air m this plant is monitored by sophisticated electronic sampling equipment This equipment will alarm the control room operator if it detects a leak of 3 parts per million This amount is like comparing a baseball to the moon This plant has been regulated by the EPA since the mid-'70s Each BASS member probably pollutes our streams more by the household chemicals used in the home than a plant such as Vista does The drinking water that comes into the plant has 100 times more chlorine in it than Vista is allowed to discharge in its wastewater If somehow the incoming drinking water got left on, they could be fined for sending drinking water out as wastewater There may be some chemical com panies that pollute our streams and lakes, but don't close all chemical plants down I believe BASS should reconsider its stand on the ban of chlonne and get on the bandwagon to regulate the discharge of chemicals from our chemical plants Please, let's save bass fishing and keep it the sport I love so well Don't support a ban on chlonne^ Weighty Issue Of Lead Dear BASS TIMES, As you indicated m the Apnl issue of BASS JIMES, the U S Environ mental Protection Agency is moving ahead with a plan to ban the manufac ture of lead-based fishing lures and weights > The apparent reason for this ban is legal action by certain conservation/ wildfowl groups concerned that some individual specimens of certain species of waterfowl have been found to have ingested lead While I under stand the need to regulate lead shot gun pellets, I fail to see how a 1- ounce weight, a l/2-ounce flipping jig or a spinnerbait could represent a seri ous threat to waterfowl I don't remember the last time I fished a Car olina ng or Texas-ng lure in' a wild fowl marsh, let alone in the shallow depths at which waterfowl feed And in the north Mississippi and TVA lakes where I fish out of Memphis, I've never seen any sort of swan, crane or loon, so it's a little difficult to understand why I need to stop fishing with lead-based tackle If lead is a problem in a marsh on the eastern shore or in Yellowstone, ban it where it is causing the prob lem But don't tell me that a small- mouth jig in 25 feet of water on Pick wick Lake or a Texas-ng worm on Sardis Lake in Mississippi is a threat to waterfowl That just won't pass reasonable logic Once again, Wash ington's answer to a local or regional concern is to pass a federal law We should wonder why they want to ban lead fishing weights -- while they won't ban gill netting or enforce water pollution laws already on the books' BASS ha's long been a champion when it comes to fighting ridiculous regulations affecting our interests This has got to rank right up there with "user fees" imposed by the U S Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers Please let the membership know what we need to do to fight this regulation Once again, there's strength in our numbers Michael Whitten Germantown, TN Florida Water Issue Dear BASS TIMES, Your March issue contained an article by Robert Montgomery that made reference to a claim by New Mexico Congressman Bill Richardson that municipal drinking water in Perry, Fla , was contaminated by industrial effluent This rumor has been investigated by Florida Congressman Pete Peter son In a December 1993, "Dear Col league" letter sent to fellow House members, representative Peterson set the record straight " "I have talked with city officials and with Richard Harvey, director of Water Facilities, Florida Department ofEnvironmental Protection They all have assured me that municipal water in Perry is safe andfree of industrial contamination The pulp-and-paper plant near Perry (for which I work) was indirect ly criticized in the same article for dis charging dioxin Readers of BA 55 TIMES should know that our plant addressed this issue in 1990, by investing over $40 million to modify the pulping process Dioxin is not detectable m our effluent Our plant has a history of protect ing air, water and forest resources We have invested the equivalent of $200 million in environmental con trol technology since the plant's start-up, and have an NPDES permit compliance record that is unequaled in the Southeast We are now com pleting a three-year, $3 million environmental study designed by former Florida Department Environ mental Regulation secretary Carol Browner to identify additional tech nologies and strategies for improv ing oxygen and color m the Fenhol- Joway River If your writers have questions about our operation, I encourage them contact me Dan Simmons Perry, FL JUNE 1994 ABD00004219 B.A.S.S. TIMES 5 PROS & CONS Editor Matt Vincent President, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society Ray Scott Publisher Helen Sevier Executive Editor Dave Precht BASS Federation Director Don Corkran Tournament Director Dewey Kendrick Publicity Director Ann Lewis Managing Editor Colin Moore Editorial Assistant Jodi Godfrey Senior Writers Bruce Ingram Mike Jones Jay Kumar Craig Lamb Robert Montgomery Louie Stout Tim Tucker Don Wirth Photographer Gerald Crawford illustrators Bill McElroy Lenny McPherson Berme Schultz Production Manager Bill Holmes Production Coordinator Marcia Daniel Art Director Kim Clemens Designer Jenny McNeely Copy Director Laura Harris Group Advertising Director Ken Woodard Advertising Director Hunter Cole Advertising Manager Buddy Shamburger Sales Managers Tim Hami/I Consumer Accounts Glenn Harper Regional Manager Stephen Mitchell egional Manager ason Hardegree -lassified Manager/Display Sales inistrative Coordinator Klocke dvertlsing Coordinator Sharon Price Advertising Sales Offices B A S S , Inc PO Box 17900 Montgomery, AL 36141 205/272-9530 Eastern Karaban/Labiner Assoc 130 W 42nd Street New York, NY 10036 212/840-0660 Detroit and Akron The Longshore Group 604 Martha Street Montgomery AL 36104 Spencer Longshore III Gregory Long 205/263-6050 BASS TIMES* ISSN #0274 7936 is Dublishd monthly by B A S S Inc 5845 Carmichael Rd Montgomery AL 36117 telephone (205) 272 9530 Subscription rate is $24 00 a vear In an effort to be supportive of their goals BASS Inc provides BASS TIMES to B A S S Chapter members and the Association of B A S S Profes sionals* Copyright by B A S S Inc 1994 All rights reserved Permission to reprint material must be obtained in writing from BASS TIMES POSTMASTER Send address change to BASS TIMES Circulation Office PO Box 17900, Montgomery AL 36141 Second class postage paid at Montgomery, Ala and additional mail mg offices 1994 BASS Inc LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The PROS & CONS section of B A S S TIMES is intended as a reader forum for comments concerns and opinions All letters which are subject to minor editing must include the author s name address and home telephone number for verification by the editorial staff All letters sent to the publication are presumed to be for publication unless writers specify otherwise BASS TIMES reserves the right to reject any letter that contains inappro priate or libelous material Please address correspondence to Editor BASS TIMES P 0 Box 17141 Montgomery, AL 36141 Appreciates The Effort IXar BASS TIMES I would like to thank you and your fine staff of writers for keeping fisher men mtoimed of what s going on with the environment and the new laws that have an impact on all of js Tlie modern green movement likes to keep the outdooi spoilsman in the elaik until a new law or regulation has already been passed Alter it s passed it s \erv difficult to get any thing done about it Your newspaper does a good job of keeping us informed about w'hat s happening befote it beeomes the law By doing this loi us we can act on it by writing letteistomu fawmakeis Keep up the good woik Fred Bonner Gamer, NC Skirting This Issue Deal BASS TIMES It came as quite a surprise to me and niv customers (ED -- ici/bon (opies w in to Stanles Jies and Blue fo\) to read that a company by the name ot RM w'js revolutionizing the tackle industry with silicone-based skins (BT March/94) In fact my company Dylist Inc originated produced and sold the first mclaltlake silicone skirl to Stanley Jigs in 1986 A Dylist BIO-FLEX sili cone mclaltlake skirt was used on a Stanley Vibra-Shatt spmnerbait by Rick Clunn to win the 1986 U S Open on Nevada s Lake Mead I he list ot wmneis using out skins goes on and on Obviously we ate not new to the tiekle industry in either use bv majoi manulaeturers or respect bv pio fisheimen Our business has giown in both volume and reputation smee its inception Dylist was the first to intro duce BIO-I LEX silicone glitter skills fire tips glitter shadow strands glitter fire tips metallic shadow strands and the Blue Fox BIO-FLEX hall-andhult and foxphorescent skirts If Dylist has had to endure any irritation it has been the claim by RM that it has developed these products, when in tact they have attempted to merely copy or follow our lead BAS S TIMES has an obligation to its readers to adhere to proper jour nalistic standards by reporting all information accurately and without bias It appalls me that a publication such as vours would again allow another article so obviously short sighted and full of false implications to be printed We challenge BASS TIMES to correct what we believe to be damaging and inaccurate informa tion by retracting any false statements and printing this letter for your read ers Your readers have a right to know Anything less will only confirm a lack of piotcssionalism Donald J Link President, Dylist Savage, MN Mills Is Moving Dcai BASS TIMES I was quite moved alter reading Al Mills editorial in the February issue I hadn t really thought of all the issues as a whole until he put them all together on one page The tact that our lakes and streams fish and fishing rights are al) m jeopardy is made verv clear bv Mr Mills I hope everyone who subscribes to this publication has lead his very' informative column We all need to realize the threats to the things that we all love such as fish ing hunting etc We must all find out how we can become involved in stop ping these threats 1 urge all the read ers ol BA SS TIMES to contact Al Mills just as 1 have He 11 put vou on the light path so that you can become involved and help all fishermen keep ui]oving this fine sport I have listed below my own thoughts concerning these issues How can a politician m Washing ton DC know what is best tor the 1 5(X)-acre lake in my hometown betici than the agencies here in my own state ' Why should small groups (an estimated 400 000 animal rights advocates is a small group com pared to the members of B A S S ) be able to loice their ideas and opinions on the majority ' Some legislator and radical con servationists want ail species of fish and all ecosystems pm back in their original state which will ultimately kill millions of fish and destroy mil lions of acres of wildlife habitat Would vou like youi lesu .oir system drained' Do vou readers in Oregon like your smallmouth bass fishing1 Bass and other game fish are being blamed as the mam cause of decline in native fishes and endan gered fish especially Oregon s Columbia River and in the river sys tems in the Rockies These game fish do play a role in this, but dams on these systems have aliected the envilonmcnt ot these rivers much more than bass and catfish have Smallmouth bass don t stop salmon from going up the Columbia and Snake tivers -- dams do All fish are equally important in this world Bass arc no mote important than salmon but one species shouldn t be eradicated from an ecosystem to save another What will vour readers in Oregon do when the ganicfish industry in vour state is gone ' I inally there comes one ot the woist problems facing our future the kiss ot the money that is used to man age it It is not (ho fisherman s or hunter s responsibility to balance the budget Wi pay income taxes gas taxes use laves etc loi government piogijms such as weliaic and high way iiuuitcnincc We the fishermen and lumteis also pay license lees boating lees and paikmg lees as well as special taxes on tishmg tackle and equipment to keep out resouices clean and iisabk 1 don t want mv state paik monev to go to weltaie just as I am sure you don t 1 m also confident m saying that scmoi citizens don t want then motley going to mv lakes So hnv can we let the government do this with out money ' _Gpt involved' If not for you for your children or grandchildren Help protect (he American heritage ol using the outdoors Coll or write the envi ronmental department at B A S S lor tuithu information on how you can gel involved John B Convert --------------------- Muncie, IN The Chlorine Issue Dear B \SS I IMIS tereteading -V uur.arUcle-- Pt511 Li tton legislation gathers steam I felt compelled to write (BT March/94) 1 irst ot all 1 should let you know that I am a union employee in the pulp-and-papcr industry and that I also chair a labor-based political action council m Oregon namely the Pulp and Papa Winkers Resource Council Tire chlorine issue has been cure ol many topics that has been under consideration in our orga nization Inhumation that we can provide to voui icadcis may help them when it comes to making a decision on the meiits of Congress man Bill Richardson s bill (H R 2898) known as the Chlorine Zero Discharge Act When it comes to dioxin and the pulp-and-papcr industry there have been manv movement'- in the past 10 stars to impiovc diluent standards Local governments in the Pacific Northwest have led the nation when it comes to in anti water quality and w-e demanded that the dioxin issue be addressed In response major changes in the production pioccsscs wcic undertaken that enabled mills in Washington, Oregon and Idaho to achieve nondctcctablc IlvcIs of dioxin The answer was to replace the use ot ele mental chloiinc -- a reactive chemi cal that can bond with other com pounds which can lead to the byproduct dioxin -- with that of chlo rine dioxide This new chemical reduces the chlorine molecules abili ty to bind wuth organic material and thus minimizes the efiects of effluent on the environment The capital cost to the Pacific Northwest s pulp producers averages between $12 to $20 million per mill site and showed that by being chal lenged they could address the dioxin issue Even with this the changes to these mills would not meet the requirements ot H R 2898 and its call for zero-chlorine dischatge To reach the standards that would become law if the bill were passed would cost an average ot between S60 and S90 million per facility The cor porate answer to this has been realiza tion that more than TO mills face per manent closure and 23 000 primary jobs and another 88 8(X) indirect jobs will be lost Many ot the people who could be permanently affected by the very law that you support are also the people who avidly enjoy the sport of bass fishing These 'ame people gamer the support ot tcllow workeis on issues (i e , manatee, non-native game fish water site restoration etc ) that affect the condition ol vour recreational pas time In return all they ask is that there be reasonable consideration given to issues that impact their lives Betore you lend your support to any political issue 1 suggest you have all the facts The Richardson bill is poorly conceived and gives little time and/or incentive to maintain quality jobs or our competitive edge in this industry Alternatives that improve our environment while at the same time maintain our economic bases, are available l^hope that we can move foiwarel on this matter with an open mind and reasonable' consideration tor our combined futures Paul Sullivan Hillsboro, OR More On Chlorine B-A-9S HM1 f,--------------There is a big move to ban the use of chlorine in the United States I have read articles in BA S S IIMI S about the banning ot chlorine I am a concerned life member of BASS 1 have been a member of a federated bass club since 1984 and I am serving my fiffh term as an officer in the Mississippi BASS State Fed eration (Northern Distnct Board ot Directors) I don t believe that anyone at BASS realizes what is made from chlorine A lot of lure manufacturers use PVC in the production ot these lures Plastic worms are made from PVC which is made from chlorine If it were not tor chlorine bass fishing would still be back in the dark ages because almost everv fishing-related manufacturer uses plastic cither to make their lures or in the packaging of their product Boat scats arc made from PVC depthsounders electric-wire coating -- just about evuything wc use while fishing or almost evuything we touch is made tiom PVC which is made from chlorine I have woikcd al Vista Chemical m Aberdeen Miss for over 20 years The air in this plant is monitored by sophisticated electronic sampling equipment This equipment will alarm the contiol room opcratoi it it detects a leak ol 7 parts per million This amount is like comparing a baseball to the moon This plant has been regulated bv the EPA since the mid- 70s Each BASS member probably pollutes our streams more' by the household chemicals used in the home than a plant such .is Vista does The drinking water that comes into the plant has 100 times more chlorine in it than Vista is allowed to dischaigc in its wastewater It somehow the incoming drinking water got left on they could be fined for sending drinking water out as wastew'dter There may be some chemical com panies that pollute our streams and lakes but don t close all chemical plants down I believe BASS should reconsidci its stand on the ban of chlonne and get on the bandwagon to regulate the discharge ol chemicals from our chemical plants Please let s save bass fishing and keep it the sport I love so well Don t support a ban on chlonne John Ray Hamilton Aberdeen, MS Weighty Issue Of Lead Dear BASS TIMES, As you indicated m the Apnl issue oiBASS TIMES the U S Environ mental Protection Agency is moving ahead with a plan to ban the manufac ture of lead-based fishing lures and weights The apparent reason tor this ban is legal action by certain conservation/ wildfowl groups concerned that some individual specimens of certain species of waterfowl have been found to have ingested lead While I under stand the need to regulate lead shot gun pellets I tail to sec how a Iounce weight a 1/2-ounce flipping jig or a spmnerbait could rcprescnl a seri ous threat to waterfowl 1 don't remember the last lime 1 fished a Car olina ng or Texas-ng lure in a wild fowl marsh let alone in the shallow depths at which waterfowl feed And in the north Mississippi and TVA lakes where I fish out of Memphis I ve never seen any sort ot swan crane or loon so tt s a little difficult to understand why 1 need to stop fishing with lead-based tackle It lead is a problem in a marsh on the eastern shore or in Yellowstone ban it where it is causing the prob lem But don't tell me that a small mouth jig in 25 feet of water on Pick wick Lake or a Texas-ng worm on Sardis Lake in Mississippi is a threat to waterfowl That just won't pass reasonable logic Once again Wash ington s answ'ci to a local or regional concern is to pass a federal law We should wondei why they want lo ban lead fishing weights -- while they won t ban gill netting or enforce water pollution laws already on the books' BASS has long been a champion when it conies to fighting ridiculous regulations affecting our interests This has got to rank right up there with user fees imposed by the U S Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers Please lei fhe membership know what we need to do to fight this regulation Once again, (here s strength in our numbers Michael Whitten Germantown, TN Florida Water Issue Dear BASS TIMES, Your March issue contained an article by Robert Montgomery that made reference to a claim bv New Mexico Congressman Bill Richardson that municipal drinking water in Perry Fla was contaminated by industrial effluent This rumor has been investigated by Florida Congressman Pete Peter son In a December 1993 Dear Col league ' letter sent to fellow House members, representative Peterson set the record straight I have talked with t it\ offutals and with Richard Harve\ duet tor of Water Facilities Florida D<pa/linen! of Environmental Pmte( turn IIn \ all have assured me that miinu ipal watei in Pern re safe and dee ol induunal t ontanunation The pulp-and-papcr plant near Perry (tor which 1 work) was indirect ly criticized in the same article lor dis charging dioxin Readers ot BASS TIMES should know that our plant addressed this issue in 1990 hv investing over $40 million to modify the pulping process Dioxin is not detectable in our effluent Out plant has a histoiy ot protect ing air watei and foresl resources We have invested (he equivalent ot $200 million in environmental con trol technology since the plant s start-up and have an NPDLS permit compliance record that is unequalcd in the Southeast We arc now com pleting a three-year $3 million environmental study designed by former Florida Department Environ mental Regulation secretary Carol Browner to identify additional tech nologies and strategies tor improv ing oxygen and color in the Fenholloway River If your writers have questions about our operation I encourage them contact me Dan Simmons Perry, FL