Improvements in Fish-hooks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fish-hooks.
1, BURRELL SPENCER MARTIN, of Angola, in the County of Erie, and State
of New York, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in fish-hooks the objects in view being to
produce a hook, the same being so constructed as to adapt it to catch the fish with
as light a catch as possible and even should they nibble at the bait, and when the
book is not sufficiently swallowed or taken to cause the regular barb to engage
with the fish.
All fish-hooks now in use are provided with barbs or beards at the inner sides of
their hook portions, and in order to effect a catch and land the same with safety it
is necessary that sufficient of the hook should be swallowed or taken into the mouth
to cause said barb to engage with the flesh or gill. It is also commonly known
that fish often nibble at the bait and yet do not take into their mouths a sufficient
quantity of the hook to insure a catch.
My invention therefore has the above stated objects in view, and to overcome
the last stated difficulty whereby a light nibble will insure a catch the same as if
the entire hook were swallowed.
A further object of the invention is to prevent the fish from shaking the hook
out of the wound produced by a slight puncture.
The invention consists therefore in a fish-hook in which the inclined side of the
body adjacent to the point and above the barb is provided with one or a plurality
of sharp beards inclined in the same direction as the barb and smaller in size than
the latter.
Referring to the drawing:
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a fish-hook embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified construction.
Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawing.
The shank 1, hook 2, and barb 3, are similar to those now in use, the said barb
being located upon the inner side of the hook portion below the point, and having
the usual inner edge inclined toward the point. Between the barb and point of the
hook I provide the inner side of the hook with one or a plurality of sharp smaller
beards 4 disposed similarly to the barb and as shown in Fig. 1 I may employ a
plurality of them, or as shown in Fig. 2 I may employ a single beard.
Regardless of the fact of whether or not one or a plurality of beards are
employed, the result is the same, and it requires but a slight portion, or in fact,
merely the point of the hook to be taken into the mouth to effect the catch. It is
necessary that a fish should nibble at a bait until a portion of the hook at least be
taken in, and immediately that the fish attempts to move away from the hook the
beards engage with the mouth, and the struggles of the fish to free himself cause
more of the hook to enter the mouth and finally the large barb commonly employed
is taken in and the catch is complete.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The herein described improved fish-hook, the same having one or more beards
located on the tapered inner side of the hook portion intermediately between its

page_text: point and the regular barb, and disposed outwardly and away from the point, and
inclined in the same direction as the said barb, but smaller in size than the latter,
substantially as specified.
Dated this 7th day of August 1891
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.