22 FISHING TACKLE 



can take as many bass on single as on treble 

 hooks. Certainly the single hook is the more 

 sportsmanlike of the two, and I believe the 

 custom of using three to five trebles will give 

 place to the single hook, or at most three singles. 



While the lure which carries a single tail- 

 hook is the neatest and least troublesome in 

 weedy waters, for bass it is not always a suc- 

 cessful one, because of their habit of striking 

 a bait amidships. Two side hooks and one tail- 

 hook, however, are enough for all practical 

 purposes. It is claimed that pike were respon- 

 sible for the first trebles and it is also said the 

 devil invented the device. Be that as it may, 

 trebles are put on nearly all lures because such 

 articles are made for jobbers. The retailers 

 are not particular. They order standard baits, 

 and these are equipped with one, three, or five 

 trebles. 



No doubt all manufacturers would be glad 

 to equip their baits with single hooks. Their 

 goods would make a better appearance in 

 sample cases and tackle stores, and ( everybody, 

 from the maker to the angler, could get along 

 without swearing. Trying to put a wooden 

 minnow equipped with treble hooks in a box is 

 like attempting to put a healthy tomcat on his 

 back. When you think you have succeded, you 



