Fishing sinker

[1] A large variety of sinkers exist which are used depending on the fish being pursued, the environment, the current and personal preference.

Barrel or egg sinkers are rounded and often bead-like with a narrow hole through which fishing line is threaded.

Bullet sinkers are bullet-shaped and used widely on largemouth bass fishing for rigging plastic worms "Texas-style".

Bank sinkers are long and ovate and have a small hole at the top for the fishing line to thread through.

A deep drop weight is used to reach the bottom in deeper offshore fishing applications.

In ancient times as well as sometimes today, fishing sinkers consisted of materials found ordinarily in the natural environment, such as stones, rocks, or bone.

Later, lead became the material of choice for sinkers due to its low cost, ease of production and casting, chemical inertness (resistance to corrosion), and density.

Steel, brass, and bismuth sinkers have been marketed, but anglers have not widely adopted them due to their lower density and higher cost compared to lead.

Three types of small lead sinkers
Method feeder, a special type of sinker that holds groundbait
Prehistoric stone fishing hook and sinker (a grooved pebble), used on the Jordan River during the Late Epipalaeolithic [ 2 ]
Split shot (close up)
A pyramid sinker made of lead , nowadays widely regarded as too toxic a material
(Pb 82) Fishing Lead Sinkers Prohibited Sign
Its widespread use has caused extensive environmental contamination. [ 7 ] With a wide range of adverse effects including losses in biodiversity, changes in community composition, decreased growth and reproductive rates in plants and animals, and neurological effects in vertebrates . [ 8 ]