Improvements in Fish Hooks.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
Improvements in Fish Hooks.
1, CHARLES AUGUSTUS HAVILAND, of No. 385 Classon Avenue, in the City of
Brooklyn, County of Kings, State of New York, United States of America, Real
Estate Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The objects of my invention are, first, to increase the chance or likelihood of
hooking the fish as it attempts to take the bait, second, to provide a means of
attaching the hook to and detaching it from the line, whereby the act will be greatly
facilitated; third, to make or manufacture out of one piece of wire, a fish hook
having two curved and barbed hooking points without splitting the wire, all as
hereinafter fully described reference being made to the accompanying drawings in
which :-
Fig. 1, is a front elevation of a partly formed hook illustrating the mode of
making it.
Fig. 2, is a front elevation of the finished hook, &
Fig. 3, is a side view of the hook lying at the bottom of the water and illustrating
one of the advantages of the improved hook.
A piece of steel wire of suitable length is folded in the middle in such manner as
to form a small loop or eye a, at the fold, and the two sides or wires thus brought
together are continued parallel, and so close as to be nearly if not quite in contact
for a sufficient length or distance to form the shank of a hook, at the point where
the shank would naturally end and the main bend of the hook proper begins; the
wires or sides are separated or divided somewhat by the lateral bends b, and then
again continue nearly parallel to the bottom or base of the round c, of the hook, and
then spread apart by a gradual outward and upward curve to the points in a radiate
relation to the shank, which points are barbed in the usual manner.
The purpose of the bends b, which spread the wires at the base of the shank is to
allow sufficient room for baiting the points without interfering the one with the
other.
By forming a small loop e, at the end of the fish line the hook can be attached by
slipping the loop over one of the points, and sliding it along until it reaches the
eye a, at the top of the shank, and can be detached by reverse action.
This hook will hold nearly double the amount of bait that can be worked on a
single hook, and it is a well known fact among experienced fishermen that to attract
large fish the bait must be liberally spread on.
In fishing with the ordinary single hook, when the angler does get a bite he
stands about one chance in ten of catching the fish, as the greasy substance used for
bait aids the exit or withdrawal of the hook from the mouth without piercing the
gills; but this double hook with spreading points must pierce the gills if the fish
bites high enough to cover the points.
I am aware that prior to my invention double hooks have been made from one
piece of wire, of a spring acting, back-to-back pattern, I therefore do not claim
double hooks broadly.
It will be seen in Fig. 3, that a hook of my improved construction will have one
point projecting upward when lying on the bottom so as to attract the notice of the
fish and be much more favorable for being taken by them, than is the case with a
hook lying flat on the bottom.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A compound fish hook formed of a single piece of wire, bent upon itself and
forming parallel contiguous members of the shank, shoulders thereon which diverge
the shanks slightly near the main bends of the hook, and barbed terminals which
are radially arranged with relation to each other and the shank.
2. A compound fish hook formed of a single piece of wire bent upon itself and
forming parallel contiguous members of the shank, bends thereof which diverge the
members of the shank slightly near the main hook bends, said main hook bends both
formed in the same direction from the shank and divergent from each other and
having the usual barbs.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1892.
CHARLES AUGUSTUS HAVILAND.