• Fishing hooks have negative effects when they rust.fishing hooks image by Liz Van Steenburgh from Fotolia.com
  
  As fish hooks are made of metal, some types will rust with constant exposure to water and air if they are not properly taken care of when they are not being used to fish. Rusty hooks should not be used when fishing, as they can have bad effects on the fishing experience as well as the fish themselves.
  
  

Broken Hooks

• Rust on hooks are signs of the metal structure of the hook itself breaking down and falling apart due to exposure to water and air. This can cause the hooks to break when you are using them, making them useless and not sufficient for fishing. These hooks can also break when a fish bites the hook or you are trying to reel in a catch, which can be incredibly frustrating and destroy the joy and excitement associated with fishing. These rusty hooks should never be used by anyone who is serious about fishing.
  
  

Poisoning

• When a fish bites a rusty hook, sometimes it can break off and the fish can swallow it or have it stuck in their mouths for extended periods of time. This rust and metal being exposed to the bodies of the fish can lead to poisoning over time, causing the fish to die. The poisoning can also be harmful other animals. If a mammal or another fish eats the fish which has been poisoned by the rusty hook, they can become sick and possibly be killed due to this illness. These fish with rusted hooks stuck in them can also be caught by fisherman and cause people to become sick or poisoned when eating them.
  
  

Tetanus

• Rusty hooks, like any form of rusted metal, can lead to a higher risk of tetanus for those who are using them. When baiting a hook it is not uncommon to pierce the skin on your fingers by accident during this process. With a rusted hook, this can lead to tetanus and rust to enter someone's bloodstream, upping their chance of tetanus or other sickness. As fishing hooks are cheap and relatively easy to come by, there is really no reason to use a rusted fishing hook unless it is absolutely necessary.