Hi Wes: While the hook design is certainly traditional, several rational factors are involved. Considering the overall strength of materials available, heavy wire makes sense for what was, at the time, the largest fly-caught species. Up eyed hooks offer the most open hook gape. The return wire eye is, once again, stronger than other designs considering the materials and manufacturing processes available. The extra-long shank was needed for the larger flies used for salmon. Finally, I suspect, but don't know for sure, that japanning was a process to prevent rusting. Someone else may be able to answer the "bend question" definitively but I do know that many bends were tried down the years to improve hooking and strength. If you plow through Stewart's The Hook Book, you can find some comparisons of like hooks with different bends---but I warn you it will take some work. The one potentially good reference (not online), unfortunately not in my library, is A History of the Fish Hook by Hans Jorgen Hurum.
Cheers Paul www.galesendpress.com On Dec 21, 10:52 pm, Wes Wada <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi VFB! > > Season's Greetings! or Greeted Seasonings, or something. > > Our weather is almost springlike at the moment. Really comfortable for > close to Christmas, datewise. Amazing contrast with the snowbound northeast > USA. Then again, it was -14F a couple of weeks ago here. I like this > better. > > A question... what is the rationale behind the specific design of a > steelhead or salmon hook? Such as: the classic configuration of black > wire, long shank, up eye, non-round bend, etc. How much of the design is > tradition versus fishing effectiveness? How and why did the basic design > evolve? > > Any online references or history are welcomed, as well as comments, thanks. > > I don't have any reindeer jokes. I promise to do better next time. > > Wes Wada > Bend, Oregon -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/vfb-mail?hl=en VFB Mail is sponsored by Line's End Inc at http://www.linesend.com
