Terminal Tackle

Terminal tackle is the generic term for anything that occurs on the end of your line: Weights, swivels, leaders, hooks. We will talk about this generic tackle now, and then about the many different types of baits and lures later.

Weights

Weights are mostly made of lead, though there are now available tin and steel sinkers, since more and more water bodies are restricting the use of lead due to its effect on birds that eat it, largely ducks and loons. There are lots of different types of weights in terms of shape: I'll talk about the most common here.

Split shot. This is the stuff most folks use. Most of it is reusable, just pinch the knobs on the back of the weight to open it back up.

Bank sinkers. These are like the sinker pictured below. These tend to be heavier in weight, a few ounces. These are usually used for fishing in current for large-ish fish. Eric and I fished the Red River for channel cats using these sinkers, usually about 2-ounce. You need a strong line and a fairly heavy rod for this kind of use.

Bullet sinkers. These are pictured below. These are usually used in plastic worm rigs , so that the weight looks like a head. These are the ones I've seen most often offered in steel.

Walking sinkers (below). These allow you to fish live bait over snags with less hangups. I use these exclusively when shorefishing for walleyes (see Walleyes for more information).

Hooks

There are hundreds of styles of fish hooks. Treble hooks, double hooks, and the gamut of single hooks. Here are some of the more important hook types, apart from the regular sort of live bait hooks.

Circle hooks (below). I have not used these yet, but I am told that they are one of the best types to use for live bait . This is because of their design. The fish almost never swallow this hook, or get gut-hooked. They are nearly always neatly hooked in the jaw, which is very important when fishing catch-and-release. I would here like to point out that most people fish catch-and-release most of the time, because you never know when you'll get a fish under the legal size and therefore have to throw him back.

Offset plastic worm hook (below). This hook is designed for Texas rigging plastic worms. I'll talk about this rigging method when I talk about plastic worms later.

Baitholder hooks. You've seen these: they have barbs on the shank of the hook. They are designed to hold live bait (worms) on the hook.

Octopus hooks. I don't know what these are supposed to be for, but I replace all the treble hooks on my spoons with these. They're easier to remove and cause less trauma to the fish.

Swivels and Snap Swivels

These are often used to hold the lure or bait rig instead of tying it on. This allows you to change baits more easily and quickly. The swivel part helps to prevent your line from getting twisted, especially when using baits like spoons and inline spinners. I threw two different sizes in your kit for you to get started, though the kit you bought probably came with a few too.

However, they might detract from the natural action of hard baits , and they may spook some fish. I usually use one, just because it makes changing lures so much easier...and I change lures a lot!

Wire Leaders

Wire leaders tend to spook timid fish. I nearly always use one when fishing for northerns with hard baits on monofilament...probably my most common type of fishing. I'd rather spook a few walleyes than lose a big one (and a $6 lure) because he bit through my line. I see no reason to get the bright steel ones though: I only use black (though green is now available as well). They come in steel and titanium, the latter mostly for muskellunge fishing, which involves bigger fish, bigger teeth, and $20 baits. Muskies are bigger relatives of the northern pike that I won't talk about, since I've never fished for them and they don't occur down there anyway.

Back to Line

Next: Miscellaneous other fishing equipment

Back to the Table of Contents