Fishing Lures

General

A fishing lure is an object at the end of a fishing line designed to resemble and move like a prey item of the fish intended to catch. The purpose of the lure is to use movement, vibrations, and color to catch the fish's attention to make them bite the hook. Lures are equipped with one or more single, double, or treble hooks that are used to hook fish when they attack the lure.

Lures are usually used with a fishing rod and fishing reel outfit. When a lure is used for casting, it is continually cast out and retrieved, the retrieve making the lure swim or produce a popping action.

History

The fishing lure has been around since the time of the earliest humans. They were first made out of bone and bronze. The Chinese and Egyptians used fishing rods, hooks, and lines as early as 2,000 B.C. though most of the first fishermen used handlines. The first hooks were made out of bronze which was strong but still very thin and less visible to the fish. The Chinese were the first to make fishing line, spun from fine silk. The modern fishing lure was made commercially in the United States in the early 1900's by the firm of Heddon and Pflueger in Michigan. Before this time most fishing lures were made by individual craftsman. Commercial-made lures were based on the same ideas that the individual craftsmen were making but on a larger scale.