Fishing tackle

Almost any equipment or gear used in fishing can be called fishing tackle, examples being hooks, lines, baits/lures, rods, reels, floats, sinkers/feeders, nets, spears, gaffs and traps, as well as wires, snaps, beads, spoons, blades, spinners, clevises and tools that make it easy to tie knots.

Terminal tackle can include hooks, leaders, floats, sinkers/feeders, swivels and attached snaps and/or split rings.

The term tackle, with the meaning "apparatus for fishing", has origins in the Netherlands from the late 14th century.

Hook, line and sinker is a classic combination of tackle empowering an angler to catch fish.

Early hooks were made from the upper bills of eagles and from bones, shells, horns and thorns of plants (Parker 2002).

In 2005, the fish hook was chosen by Forbes as one of the top twenty tools in the history of man.

Sizes, designs, shapes, and materials are all variable depending on the intended purpose of the hook.

They are manufactured for a range of purposes from general fishing to extremely limited and specialized applications.

Later lines were constructed from horse hair or silk thread, with catgut leaders.

From the 1850s, modern industrial machinery was employed to fashion fishing lines in quantity.

[3] Modern lines are made from artificial substances, including nylon, polyethylene, dacron and dyneema.

Recently alternatives such as fluorocarbon, which is the least visible type, and braided fishing line, also known as 'superlines' because of their small diameter, minimal amount of stretch, and great strength relative to standard nylon monofilament lines.

Factors that may determine what line an angler chooses for a given fishing environment include breaking strength, diameter, castability, buoyancy, stretch, color, knot strength, UV resistance, limpness, abrasion resistance, and visibility.

A sinker or plummet is a weight used when angling to force the lure or bait to sink more rapidly or to increase the distance that it may be cast.

Weights can range from a quarter of an ounce for trout fishing up to a couple of pounds or more for sea bass and menhaden.

Early fishing rods are depicted on inscriptions in ancient Egypt, China, Greece and Rome.

As they evolved they were made from materials such as split Tonkin bamboo, Calcutta reed, or ash wood, which were light, tough, and pliable.

Fishing rods vary in action as well as length, and can be found in sizes between 24 inches and 20 feet.

The line on a fishing rod is controlled with a specialised reel which allows accurate casting.

They are most often used in conjunction with a fishing rod, though some specialized reels are mounted on crossbows or to boat gunwales or transoms.

Paris, Kentucky, native George Snyder is generally given credit for inventing the first fishing reel in America around 1820, a bait casting design that quickly became popular with American anglers.

Studies show that natural baits like croaker and shrimp are more recognized by the fish and are more readily accepted.

For example, in lakes in southern climates such as Florida, fish such as bream will take bread bait.

The lure may require a specialised presentation to impart an enticing action as, for example, in fly fishing.

Ancient fishing nets used threads made from leaves, plant stalk and cocoon silk.

Hand nets are held open by a hoop, and maybe on the end of a long stiff handle.

There are essentially two types of trap, a permanent or semi-permanent structure placed in a river or tidal area and pot-traps that are baited to attract prey and periodically lifted.

The first plastic fishing tackle boxes were manufactured by Plano in response to the need for a product that did not rust.

Worldwide, the recreational fishing tackle industry is big business, worth over five billion US dollars annually in the United States alone.