Crossword Genius

They're not hard to hook! (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gentles

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'hard to hook' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'they're not' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'not' could be 'nt' (synonyms) and 'nt' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for gentles that I've seen is " Maggots used as bait".)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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