BEND OF TROUT-HOOKS 87 



the bend itself up to the point being almost 

 straight, and the side-twist but very slight. If 

 the barb is not too wide in the cut, and yet wide 

 enough to act perfectly, a hook thus made is very 

 quick in its action, and at the same time does not 

 make an unduly large hole in entering, conse- 

 quently there is less chance of its working out 

 when a fish is being played. I consider that if a 

 hook is thus shaped there is no necessity for the 

 side-twist, which, after all, is and must be con- 

 ducive to weakness. When a hook breaks, it 

 invariably does so at the bend, its weakest part ; 

 it therefore stands to reason that the side-twist 

 must weaken the iron still further. Salmon-hooks 

 have no side-twist, or, if they have, it is well-nigh 

 imperceptible, and the strata on. them is corre- 

 spondingly as great as that on a trout-hook. 

 Therefore, why the side-twist at all ? 



I have said hooks must be strong. Their 

 strength is dependent on the temper of the metal. 

 Steel which is overtempered is brittle, and that 

 which is insufficiently hardened will bend. Neither 

 of these will do. It is the combination of both 

 which is requisite, and without this a hook is 

 useless. At times whole batches of hooks are 

 worthless ; worse than useless, because not only 

 is sport spoiled by their breaking or opening when 

 a strain is put on them, but fish are lost, and go 

 away pricked and scared, and will probably refuse 



