The Pointed End
By
Bob Salerno
Fishhooks are one of mans oldest tools. It is believed that the Cro-Magnon Man, who appeared on the scene some 30 - 40,000 years ago, was the first to use fish hooks in his struggle to survive. The first known types of fish hooks were probably made of wood. Once man began to make other simple tools, bone became the primary material for hooks.
Modern fishhook construction got its start in England during the seventeenth century as part of the needle making trade. A craftsman named Charles Kirby improved the methods for tempering and hardening metal and developed the Kirby pattern which is still in common use all over the world. Today’s hooks are manufactured from various types of metals. Starting out as wire, the metal is shaped, bent, tapered and sharpened into a huge array of sizes and variations. Why are there so many hook types, sizes and shapes? Hooks have been developed and marketed to meet the demands of different methods of fishing and the type of fish targeted. Understanding the best hook and size to use for a particular fish or situation can be somewhat mystifying. The numbers that define hook sizes can be confusing, but the system is really very simple. The size of the gap between the shank and the point are how hooks are sized. Hook sizes with a number followed by a zero increase in size as the number goes up. For instance a 4/0, hook is one size larger a 3/0, which is one size up from a 2/0, etc. Hook sizes not followed by a zero, decrease in size as the number increases. For example a size 3 hook is smaller than a size 2 hook, which is smaller than a size 1 hook. While nearly all hook manufacturers follow this basic numbering system to indicate the increase or decrease in size of each hook within an individual pattern, there is unfortunately little standardization in overall size. For instance what may be a size 4/0 in a Mustad hook may not necessarily be quite the same as a 4/0 in an Eagle Claw hook.
So how big is enough? Dyed in the wool saltwater fishermen are often amazed at the large size of trout that can be caught on seemingly tiny hooks. Trout of 20 inches and over are routinely caught on barely visible sized 18 hooks and even as small as size 24. The same can be true in saltwater as those who use small bait or fly hooks will attest. Large stripers are regularly caught on the 1/0 or 2/0 streamers or bait hooks in the 4/0 to 7/0 range. We then can visualize a 12/0 big game hook, hanging out of the jaw of a 700-pound marlin or a 1000-pound tuna. Size is relative.
As a general rule, anglers should select hook size by the bait size they are using or trying to match with flies or lures. Fishermen targeting trout with garden worms will do well with size 8 or 10 bait holders. On the saltwater side, striper fishermen prefer sizes 4/0 to 7/0 with eels or chunks.
The styles of hooks available are also as varied as the types of fish to catch. Circle hooks are becoming more and more popular with bait anglers because they significantly reduce the possibility of the fish getting gut hooked.
When it comes to the type of metal, the prime reason for purchasing stainless hooks is storage. Stainless hooks will not corrode as fast as non-stainless hooks in the tackle box, but stainless hooks have some disadvantages.
They are softer and do tend to bend more easily. Because they are softer, stainless hooks do not stay as sharp. In addition to higher cost, stainless hooks do not degrade as fast underwater, or in fish which is an important conservation factor.
As for barbs, it seems that barbs were initially introduced not to hold the fish on once hooked, but to stop the bait from coming off. More and more anglers are turning to barbless hooks as a measure of easy release. The prime advantage of barbless hooks is that they are easy to remove. Anglers that regularly release fish should use barbless hooks. Hooks can be made barbless by filing off the barb, but the best method is to use a pair of parallel-jawed pliers to crush down the barb. This does the job without damaging the hook. There is another advantage to barbless hooks, and it is one that the commercial fishermen have homed in on. In a hot bite, it is easier to remove the hook and easier to remove residual bait. Therefore, you can get another bait back into the water much more quickly. And the first time you sink a barbed hook into a part of your body and have to go through the trauma of having it removed, you will become a barbless devotee.
By
Bob Salerno
Fishhooks are one of mans oldest tools. It is believed that the Cro-Magnon Man, who appeared on the scene some 30 - 40,000 years ago, was the first to use fish hooks in his struggle to survive. The first known types of fish hooks were probably made of wood. Once man began to make other simple tools, bone became the primary material for hooks.
Modern fishhook construction got its start in England during the seventeenth century as part of the needle making trade. A craftsman named Charles Kirby improved the methods for tempering and hardening metal and developed the Kirby pattern which is still in common use all over the world. Today’s hooks are manufactured from various types of metals. Starting out as wire, the metal is shaped, bent, tapered and sharpened into a huge array of sizes and variations. Why are there so many hook types, sizes and shapes? Hooks have been developed and marketed to meet the demands of different methods of fishing and the type of fish targeted. Understanding the best hook and size to use for a particular fish or situation can be somewhat mystifying. The numbers that define hook sizes can be confusing, but the system is really very simple. The size of the gap between the shank and the point are how hooks are sized. Hook sizes with a number followed by a zero increase in size as the number goes up. For instance a 4/0, hook is one size larger a 3/0, which is one size up from a 2/0, etc. Hook sizes not followed by a zero, decrease in size as the number increases. For example a size 3 hook is smaller than a size 2 hook, which is smaller than a size 1 hook. While nearly all hook manufacturers follow this basic numbering system to indicate the increase or decrease in size of each hook within an individual pattern, there is unfortunately little standardization in overall size. For instance what may be a size 4/0 in a Mustad hook may not necessarily be quite the same as a 4/0 in an Eagle Claw hook.
So how big is enough? Dyed in the wool saltwater fishermen are often amazed at the large size of trout that can be caught on seemingly tiny hooks. Trout of 20 inches and over are routinely caught on barely visible sized 18 hooks and even as small as size 24. The same can be true in saltwater as those who use small bait or fly hooks will attest. Large stripers are regularly caught on the 1/0 or 2/0 streamers or bait hooks in the 4/0 to 7/0 range. We then can visualize a 12/0 big game hook, hanging out of the jaw of a 700-pound marlin or a 1000-pound tuna. Size is relative.
As a general rule, anglers should select hook size by the bait size they are using or trying to match with flies or lures. Fishermen targeting trout with garden worms will do well with size 8 or 10 bait holders. On the saltwater side, striper fishermen prefer sizes 4/0 to 7/0 with eels or chunks.
The styles of hooks available are also as varied as the types of fish to catch. Circle hooks are becoming more and more popular with bait anglers because they significantly reduce the possibility of the fish getting gut hooked.
When it comes to the type of metal, the prime reason for purchasing stainless hooks is storage. Stainless hooks will not corrode as fast as non-stainless hooks in the tackle box, but stainless hooks have some disadvantages.
They are softer and do tend to bend more easily. Because they are softer, stainless hooks do not stay as sharp. In addition to higher cost, stainless hooks do not degrade as fast underwater, or in fish which is an important conservation factor.
As for barbs, it seems that barbs were initially introduced not to hold the fish on once hooked, but to stop the bait from coming off. More and more anglers are turning to barbless hooks as a measure of easy release. The prime advantage of barbless hooks is that they are easy to remove. Anglers that regularly release fish should use barbless hooks. Hooks can be made barbless by filing off the barb, but the best method is to use a pair of parallel-jawed pliers to crush down the barb. This does the job without damaging the hook. There is another advantage to barbless hooks, and it is one that the commercial fishermen have homed in on. In a hot bite, it is easier to remove the hook and easier to remove residual bait. Therefore, you can get another bait back into the water much more quickly. And the first time you sink a barbed hook into a part of your body and have to go through the trauma of having it removed, you will become a barbless devotee.