CHAPTER XII. 



SPRING SNAP HOOKS. 



" A weak invention of the enemy." Why the humble and 

 gentle piscator should be called the enemy of the finny race, or 

 why anglers, in speaking of their exploits, should call their 

 finny friends their enemies, is a mystery yet to be explained. 

 Such cannot certainly pursue their sport with a true Waltonian 

 spirit ; for the father of anglers never used the word enemy, and 

 always spoke in the most mild and pleasant manner of the finny 

 race. " Handle him as though you loved him," says he, when 

 speaking of preparing a line bait for the hook. The piscato- 

 rial world was for generations without any invention for taking 

 their game other than the ordinary kerbed steel until about fifty 

 years ago, when the spring snap hook was invented. This was 

 in general use until a few years since, when a boy by the name 

 of Griswold, about sixteen years of age, living in the vicinity 

 of Schroon Lake, conceived the idea of inventing a spring snap 

 that would hold the fish after he was hooked. He succeeded 

 in making the hook which is called the Griswold — see plate 1. 

 It is arranged with a spring, lever, and striking hook. The 

 striking hook is so adjusted that when set it lies alongside of 

 the main hook, and is retained by a slide at the top ; when the 

 fish nibbles the striking hook descends and takes him on the 

 outside of the head — see plate 2. By an improvement patented 

 by Mr. Ellis, of Naugatuck, Conn., the striking hook is relieved 

 from the lever instead of the upper part of the hook. 



It was much approved of at the time, and considered an aid to 

 the angler. Immediately the mechanical genius of the country 

 was put in motion, and, presto ! at least' a dozen inventions of 

 striking hooks of various descriptions were made to facilitate 



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