Ending A Toxic Relationship
“A toxic relationship is one in which the dynamics between two parties are consistently harmful, unhealthy, or damaging…”
For decades, lead has been a constant presence in carp fishing. It’s easy to understand why—it’s cheap, dense, and readily available. But as time has gone on, the harm caused by lead has become impossible to ignore. Our lakes, rivers, and the environment are bearing the cost of this toxic relationship.
The Problem with Lead
Lead is a highly toxic metal with well-documented harmful effects on both human health and wildlife. When extracted and processed into fishing weights, the ecological damage starts, long before the product even reaches anglers. But the story doesn’t end there. Once a lead weight is lost in the water, it stays there—indefinitely.
Lead is a persistent polluter, a material in its final state of decay (from uranium), and its toxicity doesn’t diminish with time. Without intervention, the thousands of tonnes of lead already being deposited in our waters yearly will continue to increase and remain a risk.
The scale of the problem is staggering. According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA):
“4,840 tonnes of lead are released into the EU environment every year through fishing activities alone. If this continues, an additional 96,360 tonnes of lead will accumulate over the next 20 years”.
As anglers, we have a responsibility to protect the environment and waters we love. The lakes, rivers, and fish we cherish are assets worth safeguarding—not just for ourselves, but for future generations.
The problem has always been that we (anglers) simply had no real choice but to use lead as there were no real genuine other options for modern carp fishing – until now!
The Evolve Tackle Solution
At Evolve Tackle, we believe it’s time for a change. The use of lead in fishing will be phased out by planned laws across Europe, but we’ve decided not to wait. Instead, we’ve developed a range of non-toxic, lead-free weights that not only match the performance of traditional lead weights but exceed them in key ways. Through extensive research and development, we’ve created an alternative that delivers unmatched functionality, durability, and innovation.
What Makes Evolve Weights Different?
Lead free weights are not new, and there have been several others who have championed the way forward (we salute you), but these have often suffered with limitations and compromised functionality in one way or the other. Our lead-free weights are designed different, to overcome the limitations of traditional alternatives, offering anglers the modern performance they need without compromise.
- Non-Toxic Materials: Evolve weights contain no lead—not even in our swivels, which have a full steel construction (instead of brass – which typically contains 2-3% lead). We metallurgically batch test to ensure this standard is maintained.
- Higher Density, Smaller Size: Our techniques allow us to produce weights that are smaller and denser than other lead-free alternatives.
- Exceptional Durability: A tough outer skin make our eights incredibly robust, standing up to long-term use and provide improved feedback from the lakebed.
- Higher Tolerances: Our process allows our weights to be made with higher accuracy than can be achieved with lead and zinc, for unparalleled rig assembly and operation with in-line set-ups.
- Advanced Design: Each of our in-line weights feature custom inserts with proportional release forces from each weight, and multiple release forces of the swivel from the insert when used with our Weight Systems, allowing you to fine-tune your setup for optimal performance and fish safety. The swivel weights utilise an integral steel swivel, with no links or hinging, to minimise free movement and maximise hooking potential.
- Extensive Range: We also offer dedicated non-toxic Marker Weights and Back Weights in a range of sizes, to cover all your angling weight needs.
Why Choose Lead-Free?
Switching to lead-free weights isn’t just about complying with future regulations—it’s about making a choice to protect what matters most. Using lead-free tackle helps avoid production practises that are hazardous to human health and preserve our environment for the next generation while giving anglers peace of mind.
Yes, our weights are slightly more expensive than traditional lead weights, but they’re built to last.
Evolve Tackle also offer innovative new weight systems that prevent the need to drop leads/weights on most occasions, so the weights can be used without damage or detriment long term, mitigating the cost (it’s an investment in quality).
With their superior durability and advanced design, combined with our innovative Weight Systems, our weights can be reused time and again, making them a cost-effective and environmentally responsible choice.
A Call to Action
At Evolve Tackle, our mission is simple: to drive positive change in carp fishing. Our lead-free weights are a step toward a cleaner, safer, healthier future, but we can’t do it alone.
Together we can make a change, removing the health hazards of lead, and protecting the waters we love—to ensure carp fishing continues to thrive for generations to come.
Evolve Tackle isn’t just our name—it’s our mission statement.
Evolve Weights: https://evolvetackle.com/product-category/weights/
Evolve Weight Systems: https://evolvetackle.com/product-category/weight-systems/