CHAPTER IV. 



Hooks, Lines and Leaders. 



ISH HOOKS have been in use from prehistoric 

 times, but what they were like in these early 

 days, or what they were made of we do not know. 

 But hooks of metal were in use in early Bible times 

 and bronze fish hooks have been found in the ruins 

 of the ancient city of Pompeii. The fish hook of today 

 the carefully shaped and tempered article originated in 

 England in the early days of the Eighteenth Century. At 

 that time there were certain fishing centers on the various 

 rivers and the several dealers in fishing goods each had their 

 hooks made by local workmen, after a given pattern. These 

 hooks were named after the towns where they were made, 

 and the same patterns are made today, as well as others of 

 American patterns, which were also named after the place of 

 manufacture, or the place where first used. 



Of the old English patterns we have such as the Aber- 

 deen, Limerick, Kendall, Carlisle, etc., and some of our later 

 hooks are the Virginia, Cincinnati Bass, and others that 

 suggest their origin by their names. As will be noted by 

 referring to the illustration which shows a few patterns only 

 (there are hundreds of patterns), all differ in some way, 

 either in length of shank, style of bend, side bend, or shape 

 of point. Each angler has his favorite style of hook for 

 each kind of fishing, and while some are better than others 

 there is not as much difference in catching and holding 

 qualities as some imagine. 



There are two distinct styles of point and barb; the 

 spear point and the hollow point. The latter is preferable 



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