Recycling of Soft Plastics

With the hundreds of anglers on the waters today B.A.S.S. has embarked on a program to recycle their soft plastics, each angler was given a plastic bag to put their worn or torn soft plastics in, all labeled and ready to be sent to be recycled. This program has become known as 揜eBaits.?The whole idea was set up to reduce soft plastic dumping back into the lakes where the anglers are fishing their tournaments, keeping them out of the lakes and out of the stomachs of the bass.

This program was set up not only for the fishing issues but to keep them out of bass but out of landfills and start a way to recycle and reuse the worn and torn soft plastics. Too many fishermen take their worn and torn plastics and throw them over the side of the boat and end up in the stomachs of the bass. 揑n September 2011, B.A.S.S. Times Senior Writer Robert Montgomery brought to light the story of Joe Ford, an angler who had caught a 10-pound bass that died. The fish's stomach contents revealed that the bass had eaten 12 large soft plastic lures, which had created a mass in the bass' belly.?br />
揟he program is now taking off: ReBaits encourage anglers to recycle their old plastic baits rather than throw them in the garbage or in the lake.?br />
"It's easy to implement," said Noreen Clough, B.A.S.S. National Conservation Director. Clough and Bolten set up a table at registration for the Harris Chain Open, informing anglers of the dangers of discarding lures in the lake and providing them with zip-lock bags for discard. "Each bag had a ReBaits label on it with Bolten's contact information," explained Clough. "If the anglers don't turn the bags in, they at least have a labeled bag in their boats to remind them to stash the lures rather than throw them overboard."

ReBaits is an easy program to implement and at the end of the day you抮e doing your part to help protect the bass and do something good for the environment!