Fishing Frenzy

The term terminal tackle is used by fishermen to describe anything they tie to the end of a fishing line. This type of tackle includes hooks and is what most people think of when they hear this term. Hooks are only one type of terminal tackle. Some of the other types include floats, swivels, and sinkers. All of these items are intended to provide the fisherman with the possibility of controlling the depth and location of their tackle.

Sinkers, weights, and leads are all names for the same items; they are all small weights that are added to a fishing line for the purpose of getting your terminal tackle under the water's surface. Fishing line by itself would float except for the weight of the bait. Sinkers make it possible to determine how deep your tackle will go below the water's surface. They consist of many different styles and are intended for particular styles of fishing.

The idea when fishing is to attempt to get the bait in front of the game fish. If you just throw a line into the weather without any weight on it, it is only going to float. You can control placing the bait and hook into different depths of the water based on where you locate the sinkers and how much weight you use.

Split shot is a popular style of sinkers. They are a form of terminal tackle that is designed to provide small increments of weight on the fishing line. They can be set to provide small amounts of weight or be grouped together to add additional weight. Often using sinkers is a matter of testing to see what works, by being able to easily remove or add sinkers you can improve your chances of getting the tackle in front of the fish. One example of split shot is bullet shot; this is often used when fishing for Bass.

Sinkers and split shot are all rated by their size and are identified by a numbering system. The smallest of split shot is known as BB and resembles a BB used in firearms. Sinkers may range to a size 10 or bigger but no matter what the size they are all designed for the same thing. It is a good idea to carry several different sizes of sinkers so that the weight on the line can be fine tuned.

Fine tuning will hopefully allow you to figure out what exactly is working that day and what isn't. Making minor adjustments can be the difference between going home with a boat full of fish or going home empty handed. The better you are at being able to get the terminal tackle in front of the fish the better the fishermen you will be.

If fishing in heavy currents it is a good idea to use a heavy sinker so that the current won't carry the line. By doing this you can limit the weight on the line and still get depth and not be carried away by the current. The idea is to use just the amount of weight needed and never more because you want your tackle to look as natural as possible in order to attract a game fish.

There are also situations where you will want the line to move freely through the sinker. It is possible to set up your sinker so that it allows the line to slip through. This will keep the line in place but allow the depth of the terminal tackle. This can be important if you need to avoid obstacles on the bottom.

Sinkers come in many different styles, but are all intended to do the same thing, place the bait in front of the fish and to make it look natural. Sinkers are one type of terminal tackle, there are many others though and these include floats, hooks and swivels to mention a few. Terminal tackle is actually anything that the fisherman ties to the end of their fishing line.