PIKE FISHING— SPINNING. 



75 



One would have supposed that for the sake of the advance 

 of their own business they would be on the qui vive to adopt 

 and carry out any real and obvious improvement in hook- 

 making, but the reverse appears to be the case. The experi- 

 ments which I have published with regard to the penetrating — 

 that is the killing— power of different bends of hooks, have 

 clearly established that there is a vast difference between hooks, 

 depending, first, on their bend, secondly, their barb, and 

 thirdly, their length of shank. But though I have demon- 

 strated the importance of this over and over again, and have 

 shown in theory and practice what should be the construc- 



FIG. I. — TRIANGLES FOR SPINNING-FLIGHTS. 



tion of a mechanically perfect hook, not only do the book- 

 makers continue to make triangles combining all the vices 

 which, when once pointed out, are 'obvious to the meanest com- 

 prehension,' but, what is more annoying to me personally, they 

 issue triangles — and, indeed, a number were exhibited as being 

 my pattern at the late Fisheries Exhibition — which are in reality 

 as unlike my patterns in every important particular as can well be 

 imagined : my triangles have a longish shank, which is necessary 

 to give them penetrating and holding power — the triangles ex- 

 hibited as mine almost invariably have a short shank ; the pointed 

 portion of my hook is slightly turned in, at an acute angle, that is, 

 towards the shank of the hook, a necessary condition for really 

 first-rate penetration — bookmakers, on the contrary, turn the 



