A tungsten alloy fishing sinker counterweight is used to force a lure or bait to sink sometimes to the bottom of the waterway. Sinkers are made of tungsten alloy as the material is inexpensive and easily machine so that it can be mold into a large variety of shapes for specific fishing applications.

Tungsten alloy weights are an ideal, environmentally friendly alternative to lead weights, which are toxic and increasingly being labeled an environmental hazard. They are harder than steel and extremely dense, tungsten being on average 30 percent smaller than its lead counterpart. Meanwhile, they are smaller than conventional weights, create twice the sound of lead weights and maintain their shape for longer. Tungsten alloy is also used in the production of other fishing applications, such as tungsten alloy line cutters.