What Is Fishing Equipment

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

The word tackle when it refers to fishing equipment comes from 'takel' which initially 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 apparatus for fishing and that meaning has been retained ever since.

The most rudimentary fishing apparatus consists of a rod, a line, a hook, a lure, a bait and a weight or sinker. The line is a basic string especially made for fishing that is both long, strong and yet thin, so that fish do not notice it. There are various things that an angler asks about when buying a fishing line, such as its resistance, stretch, strength et cetera. The line will be chosen depending on what kind 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 basic piece of fishing gear 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 fisherman can select from a very wide range of shapes, sizes and metals.

And last but far from least, is the bait or lure, without which fishing equipment cannot be effective. A lure is a man-made device tied to the end of the line that resembles the prey of the fish you are after in every way. Its raison d'etre is to attract the attention of the fish with its colour shape and movement. Artificial flies, tiddlers and sand eels come into under this category. When the fish bites the lure, it becomes hooked.

Whilst, bait, on the other hand, is the stuff actually attached to the hook. Bait is usually of two types: animal or foodstuff: 'animal' refers to small fish or other water creatures, insects or crawlers and 'foodstuff' refers to things like grains, such as wheat, bread or whatever the angler believes might attract the fish.