Fishing equipment is called fishing tackle by fishing aficionados and it generally refers to rods, lines, hooks, sinkers, spears, lures, bait, reels, nets, and so on. The fishing gear that is attached at the end of the line is called the terminal tackle

The word tackle referring to fishing equipment comes from ‘takel’ which first meant the rigging of a ship, that is, the gear consisting of ropes supporting a ship’s masts and sails. Later, the same word was recorded to have a different meaning, that of equipment for fishing and that meaning has been retained ever since then.

The most basic fishing gear consists of a rod, a line, a hook, a lure, a bait and a weight or sinker. The line is a simple string specially made for fishing that is both long, strong and yet thin, so that fish do not notice it. There are several questions that an angler asks when buying a fishing line, like its resistance, stretch, strength et cetera. The line will be selected based on what species of fish the angler hopes to catch.

The sinker or weight, also called a plummet, is actually a weight that assists in casting the hook and the bait as far as possible from the shoreline or from the boat that the fisherman is using. They are usually made of lead as their purpose is also to sink and to get the bait closer to the fish in the water as fast as possible. However, lead sinkers have been banned in some parts of the world, especially the really small ones, which are often called ’shot’. If eaten by birds or other fish, the lead, which is known for its high toxicity level, will cause the death of the animal.

Another elementary piece of fishing equipment is the hook. This device meant for attaching the bait on the line and for hooking into the fish’s mouth. It is attached to the line and the angler can select from a pretty wide range of shapes, sizes and materials.

And last but far from least, is the bait or lure, without which the fishing equipment cannot be effective. A lure is a device attached at the end of the line that looks and moves something resembling the prey of the fish you are after. Its raison d’etre is to get the attention of the fish with its colour and movement. Artificial flies, tiddlers and sand eels come into into this category. When the fish bites the lure, it gets hooked.

On the other hand, bait is the stuff actually attached to the hook. Bait is basically of two types: animal or foodstuff: ‘animal’ referring to small fish or other water creatures, insects or crawlers and ‘foodstuff’ referring to human food like grains, such as hemp, bread or whatever else the fisherman believes might attract the type of fish he’s going for.

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