Thread: Fishing Hooks
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  #10  
Old May 25th, 2004, 11:28 PM
Mike Connor
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Default Fishing Hooks


"Greg Pavlov" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 May 2004 18:35:36 +0200, "Mike Connor"
wrote:

When I first started, 100
boxes were normal, and many people bought 1000 boxes of hooks. Now you

are
lucky if you can find a package with more than ten or at the most 25

hooks
in it. The packaging now costs more than the contents.



In general the shops I go to carry the small packages
but they will order large volume packs as well, at a
significantly lower cost per hook. I suspect that one
reason shops do this is that - I am guessing - they
have to carry a much wider variety than they used to
and many tyers won't bother purchasing large quantities
of any single hook.


Sounds like a logical reason. Most flydressers I knew ( long ago of course,
I am getting old), only used two or three hook patterns at most. Some (
although very few) made their own. Shops I frequented had maybe four or
five patterns at the outside. We caught plenty of fish on these. Fishhooks
are the result of thousands of years of development, indeed, we westerners,
( Angels, or Angles, as opposed to Saxons or Sachsens),have our name to
thank for this development

Oddly enough, I looked at one of my logbook entries for 1971 today, and
noted that several people were then complaining about the rising cost of
hooks! What many people fail to realise, is that good hooks were always a
comparatively expensive item. Although compared to the total cost of
fishing, the price is still negligible. Really good handmade hooks, ( which
were, and still are, the best), were always relatively expensive.

Nowadays, practically all hooks are machine made, and are for the most part,
nevertheless excellent.

Being obliged to stay at home just now, ( I have a terrible flu), but not
being inclined to stay in bed all the time, I repaired one of my competition
rifles ( which a friend had dropped and damaged) and I then got out some of
my old hook jigs, and made up 300 hooks on Sunday. I will japan some of
them, and bronze a few more, and blue some others ( this is a type of cold
varnishing, blueing is also oftem used on various weapons), and of course I
will eventually tie flies on them.

I tell myself that this is merely to "keep my hand in", but it is
fascinating in itself. There is something about making oneīs own tackle
which adds untold dimensions to fishing. I wish I could find a reliable
method for plaiting and dressing a a good line, and then I would have made
everything! Unfortunately it is still impossible to find out some secrets.
Or perhaps it is just as well?

Whatever. There is no need for all these hook patterns and types. But this
is the modern way. Not all that long ago, I had a few people here for a
flydressing session, and one of the guys said "But thatīs not right. Itīs
the wrong hook! "So and so", says in his book that " "$%&&$§$ Nr 15678956
MUST be used, or it wont work". I felt rather sorry for him.

I somehow doubt that the fish care at all.

TL
MC