Ceramics

• Ceramic sinkers are lead free.tackle box image by Brett Bouwer from Fotolia.com
  
  A good replacement for lead shot sinkers is ceramic sinkers. Ceramic sinkers are easy to cast and don't snag on the bottom when reeling in your line. Another advantage of ceramic weights: they weigh one-third less under water than in the air so that you can use a larger weight without sinking your float.
  
  These weights are usually pyramidal in shape and are molded using a pure earth material that won't pollute the water. The ceramic fishing weights are then baked at 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit to make them stone hard.
  
  

Tungsten

• The filament in this bulb is tungsten.bulb image by martini from Fotolia.com
  
  Tungsten and tungsten nickel alloy fishing weights are very durable, harder than steel and 25 percent smaller than comparable lead weights. Tungsten and tungsten nickel alloy fishing sinkers are available as barrel weights, bullet weights and ball slip shot weights.
  
  Tungsten has an atomic weight of 183.84 and a melting point of 3,422 degrees Centigrade. This makes it extremely heavy and hard to cast. Tungsten sinkers are sintered from tungsten powder rather cast.The powder is put into a mold and heat is applied until the particles adhere to each other.
  
  

Bismuth

• Bismuth is very dense.bismuth crystal image by Strike Designs from Fotolia.com
  
  Bismuth is a brittle metal and fairly rare. Fishing tackle made from bismuth usually is a bismuth tin alloy. Twenty-five percent lighter than lead, bismuth weights will sink more slowly than a lead weight. This allows the fish more time to detect your lure and improves the chance of getting a strike. Bismuth weights and sinkers are safe for the environment and wildlife but cost more than lead sinkers.
  
  Bismuth is often produced as a byproduct from the production of other metals and is used in solder for electronics, as an additive to lubricating greases and as replacement shot in bullets and shotgun shells.
  
  

Granite

• A very large piece of granite in Georgia.stone mountain image by Photography Freak from Fotolia.com
  
  Natural granite fishing weights are a good choice because they look like a natural part of the environment. Shaped and polished into split shot, these sinkers work well when placed next to glass beads which will vibrate as the lure is reeled in to attract bass. The natural stone weights are smaller than comparable lead weights because they absorb water and get heavier.
  
  Granite nearly always is found in massive formations. Hard and enduring, the stone is popular in building and construction and in sculpture work. Stone Mountain in Georgia is one of the Earth's largest granite formations.
  
  

Stainless Steel

• Steel tackle lasts a long time.Tackle image by Konovalov Pavel from Fotolia.com
  
  Stainless steel weights come in bullet and egg shapes and an assortment of weights. These sinkers are more sensitive than lead shot and the price is usually only about 20 cents more than for lead sinkers. Stainless steel is often combined with ceramic material in fishing weights.
  
  A real advantage of steel over lead for fishing sinkers: Steel sinkers retain their shape and last longer, while lead is malleable and deforms easily. The advantages are real, the costs comparable, and the environment is safer for wildlife.