Somehow from watching all those shows on Animal Planet, Discovery, and heck, even the Food Network, you've got it in your head that you need to become a fisherman. You want to mount the biggest mackerel you can on your living room wall. You want to cook your own fish fresh every night for dinner. And most importantly, you want the best collection of terminal tackle in the county. You've invested in those cool displays but you have nothing to put in them!
There are lots of types of tackle, but you want to start collecting hooks. However, you don't know the first thing about fishing other than that time you played that Bass Fishing arcade system at your old dive bar. Two important things to know are the parts of a hook as well as the types.
The Parts of a Hook
* '''Point''': This is the part of the hook you want going through the fish, not your finger.
* '''Barb''': Some hooks are barbless, but if they do have a barb it would be another point that comes up and towards the opposite direction of the point. It influences how far a point penetrates and how much pressure is needed.
* '''Bend''': The bend is where the hook, well, bends!
* '''Shank''': The shank is the longer, straight part of the hook.
* '''Eye''': The eye is where the hook is connected to your line. Different types of eyes are designed for difference in strength and weight.
* '''Gap''': The gap (or gape) is the distance between the point and the shank.
Types of Hooks
* '''Single hook''': Single hooks are the classic hook you think of with one point.
* '''Double hook''': Double hooks have a single eye that is merged with two shanks and two points.
* '''Treble Hook''': You guessed it, triple the shanks and points, triple the terror!
* '''Fly hook''': Fly hooks are specifically made for fly fishing.
* '''Artificial lures''': Artificial lures, which look like smaller fish so that bigger fish are attracted, have multiple hooks attached on the bottom.
