Terminal Tackle means those certain types of tackle that have a chance of being lost, irretrievable or doomed to the cold watery depths below the surface. Booey Hooey! Get over it, as I have once said, "If you are worried about losing your tackle, you should not be out fishing or stop buying those expensive lures and accessories to begin with."

There are a few basic rules when it comes to the size of string, hooks, lures and other parts of your tackle. To begin with, chose a string size depending upon where you're going to be lookin' for those fish, the type of fish you're lookin' for and the size of your rod and reel you're using. If you're in fishing freshwater, you really needn't go bigger than 12 pound test, 14 if you're gonna fish in heavy cover.

The average size string used is 6 or 8 pound test. That's on a six and a half foot rod with a 10 pound test reel. 10 pound string is a well diversely sized string. The 10 lb string can stand up to average fighting in the cover and still be light enough to remain hidden and give the lure a realistic movement. Lighter string is used more for smaller sized species of fish.

Leaders in general should be 10 or 12 pound test and usually heavier than your main line. They should also be and average length of 18 to 24 inches long and a color that will blend in or disappear. Longer leaders may be needed for trolling, rivers and shore fishing. Weighted leaders should be 14 to 20 pound monofilament, preferably green.

When it comes to the color of lures, all you really need to remember is light, dark and florescent. The colors you chose depend on the natural colors of the waters you're fishin' and the weather. Sometimes different colors than what the fish usually see, work better. The same can also be said about the shape of lures used.

Colors fade to gray the deeper they go. This is where florescent lures come into play. They retain more of their color than regular colored lures. Yellow (light) and Chartreuse (dark) are the most effective colors to use. I've found that lighter colors, generally are more visible during high light conditions and dark colors work better in low light conditions. The darker colors will stand out more in what little light there is.

The actual color of the lure you chose directly depends upon the natural colors of the types of food chain present in your fishing area at that time or all of the time. Go to the local tackle shop and listen or just ask the clerk about the colors of the frogs, crawdads, baby gills, shads, worms and lizards. Or look at the racks and what ever colors have the least amount in stock, will be the colors you will want to use in that area. Do some sight fishing to find out first hand, this is also a great way to gain experience and learn a thing or three about your fishing spot.

As for the angler, colors help us to see the lure, which is also important. Any abrupt disappearances are easily detected, light colors help us to keep track of the lure so we can watch for a strike and during high light conditions fish can see them better.

Hook size depends on the size of your bait. Obviously the bigger the worm or creature you use, the bigger the hook you will need. The average rig has a 1/0 offset hook and a six to ten inch plastic lure. This combination will draw out some good sized fish used with all the possible soft-bait rigging methods. As far as weightless and live bait rigs, the #6 bait-holder hook is the best choice. Large bass and smaller bluegill alike will get hooked on that one.

The size of barrel swivels depends on the angler and whether you are fishing for Bluefish in the Atlantic or Bluegill in the Mid-west. I prefer to use the smallest barrel possible, because it's still strong enough to bring up a two foot catfish as well as a good four or five pound Large-mouth bass.

Structure and hang-ups can also help determine the size selection of your terminal tackle. You want something strong enough to handle a good fight in the weeds yet still break away easily when you get hung up in the weeds and brush. Speaking of getting hung-up, never pull back on the rod to free a snagged rig. This can either break your rod or cause the lure to come flying at you or your buddy. This can lead very serious injuries.

When trying to free a hung-up rig, pull on the line either down by the reel or out in front of the rod. The lure may still fly out, so yell contact, turn your head prepare for the attack. Or try to reach the hag-up and free the rig manually. This is the safest way to free a hang-up.

There is still so much to say about the size of terminal tackle, unfortunately there is only so much time one can spend explaining it in one article. So on that note, look for my next article and as always, happy thoughts and good fishin' to ya.