Leave no trace, except for 10,000 plastic baits strewn across and under every lake in the bdub, I was recently reading an article in an unnamed BWCA related mag that mentioned bringing in multiple gallon zip lock bags of gulp type plastic baits for each trip, should these not be required to biodegrade over time? Where do they go? Out of sight out of mind? What happens to the fish that swallows one from the hook and swims away, do they pass thru the fish? Do they dissolve in a fishes innards? Often they are ripped off the hook and sink to the bottom then what? If you are bringing them in in gallon zip lock bags you are obviously expecting to lose them often, then what? Seriously, I don't fish plastics clue me in?

I think this needed to be in the fishing forum, might get more people that use plastics respond. Leave no trace is a joke up there. I have seen some of the worst. Pull tab Hamms beer cans found at campsites out in the water that you can still read the can. Trash everywhere at some sites. I do think that most try thier best to clean up after themselves.

To your point on rubber lures. I have lost my share of Rapala's, lures,plastics and spoons. There is no getting around it. If you put it in the water eventually it will come off and you will leave it up there. Rods, reels, weights, fishing line...it doesn’t end. I think most rubber baits last for more than one fish and when they get all tore up I just put a new one on. That doesn’t mean the old one gets flipped back in the Lake. The old one gets put in my pocket with extra monofilament and weights and in the trash at camp. To your point about bringing gallon bags of plastic baits, they get tore up and you replace them. I replace them more often than loosing them.

I switched to Trolli Sour-Brite Crawlers: Completely biodegradable and a great source of quick (if short-lived) energy.

Along the same lines in Sylvania they don't allow plastics which leave any residue in the water. If they are coated with some sort of scented material which leaves any slick on the water you can get fined. I'm good with that as it would be hard to differentiate between scents which were fine and those which were not.