TYLER, Texas — We recycle glass, aluminum, and newspapers so why not plastic fishing lures?
The state of Maine proposed banning the use of soft plastic lures because of environmental concerns. That got the attention of anglers and conservation groups all across the United States and in Texas.
There's little doubt plastic lures are popular, pack a punch when catching fish, and have a wallop of a smell. Fish love that smell and the action of a plastic lures. It's why hundreds are bought and used every day in Texas lakes.
It's why a group called Keep America Fishing is pushing its 'Pitch It' campaign. But they don't want you to throw your lures back into the water, instead Keep America Fishing urges you to recycle your soft plastic lures.
Lake Fork Bass Fishing Guide Michael Samples said it's all about changing the mindset of anglers.
"I see a lot of people and I have to sometimes have to pull my customers back from throwing their baits into the water," Samples said.
“You definitely don’t want to do that, don’t drop anything over the side of the boat, don’t cut (them) off and throw (them) in the water because the bass is gonna eat that and it’s going to effect their stomach and they’re not going to grow," said Jacky Wiggins, Lake Fork Crappie guide.
Social media is full of examples of anglers cleaning fish and finding several old plastic lures in the bellies of the fish. Fish will eat the discarded baits but that's only part of the problem. Plastics expand the longer they are in the water.
That's why anglers like DJ Myers urges recycling the old plastics. He said chances are there's a lure company.
“Throw (them) in the bottom of your boat," Myers said. "Put them in a plastic bag of some sort, recycle those (because) there are guys from different lure companies that will take all those. They’ll melt them back down and they’ll make different color worms and everything else."
One of those lure companies is Crème Lures in Tyler. Crème Lure President Chris Kent has an idea for recycled baits.
“Let’s say I had somebody send me a bunch of plastic in a flat rate ship box ten pounds and credit them 50 cents a pound toward buying plastic lure in our catalog or whatever," Kent said.
Of course the biggest hurdle in recycling plastic baits is getting people in the habit of doing it. But it's a win-win. It keeps the fish healthy and it's good for the environment.