Most quality fish hooks are covered with some form of corrosion-resistant surface coating. In many cases, hooks are described by using these various parts of the hook, for example: wide gape, long shank, hollow point or out turned eye.Ĭontemporary hooks are manufactured from either high-carbon steel, steel alloyed with vanadium, or stainless steel, depending on application. Fish hooks are designed to hold various types of artificial, processed, dead or live baits (bait fishing) to act as the foundation for artificial representations of fish prey (fly fishing) or to be attached to or integrated into other devices that represent fish prey (lure fishing).Ĭommonly referred to parts of a fish hook are: its point, the sharp end that penetrates the fish's mouth or flesh the barb, the projection extending backwards from the point, that secures the fish from unhooking the eye, the loop in the end of the hook that is connected to the fishing line or lure the bend and shank, that portion of the hook that connects the point and the eye and the gap, the distance between the shank and the point. Fish hooks are manufactured for a range of purposes from general fishing to extremely limited and specialized applications. Sizes, designs, shapes, and materials are all variable depending on the intended purpose of the fish hook. There is an enormous variety of fish hooks in the world of fishing. Fish hooks are normally attached to some form of line or lure which connects the caught fish to the angler. In 2005, the fish hook was chosen by Forbes as one of the top twenty tools in the history of man.
Fish hooks have been employed for centuries by anglers to catch fresh and saltwater fish. A fish hook or fishhook is a device for catching fish either by impaling them in the mouth or, more rarely, by snagging the body of the fish.