What is the ruling on acquiring and using artificial fish for fishing, and are these lures considered idols or do they fall under the prohibited forms of imagery?

It is not permissible to acquire or use artificial fish unless that part without which they cannot live, such as the head, is removed. This is the fatwa. Some scholars have permitted what is incomplete to an extent that it cannot live, such as a body without a head or a head without a body. Some scholars also permit the depiction of animate beings for a specific benefit, and based on this, it is permissible to use artificial fish for a specific benefit, such as for fishing.