by Tim Delamatter

Created on: September 18, 2009   Last Updated: September 20, 2009

The old adage of bigger is better, does not specifically apply to sport fishing. The hook is a very ingenious contraption, which has been modified and re-modified, colored, not colored, blackened, barbed, not barbed. You get the picture.

Hooks as we know them have been around since time immemorial. The earliest known hook ever found is 9000 years old, and belonged to someone in modern day Israel. Interestingly enough, it is in the almost exact shape as you would find today at your bait shop or fishing store. The old hooks uncovered at various archaeological digs are usually made of bone, claws of various raptors, horns of animals, and my favorite, thorn bush hooks. The most famous of these being the hawthorn in England, where people on the Thames still use this ancient hook to catch flounder.

I have seen circle hooks, the regular J shaped barbed hook, and the J shaped barb-less hook, and I've seen the ones which have a piece of metal from the end of the hook to the tip, which doesn't allow for the fish to wiggle out of it or it to be snagged by weeds. What I haven't found yet, is a specific hook for each species of fish. I know it's coming but thankfully there is still none yet.

The metal hook as we know it, has been around since the Persians ruled the world. The earliest known copper hook, of exquisite craftsmanship no matter where it is found, has shown up at various digs on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The dig at Pompeii revealed hooks made of bronze. Suffice it to say the metal hook has been around since man realized metal was available to him.

The interesting part of these hook finds of antiquity is they show how important fishing was as a business even back then. There are murals of rich men fighting the big one, with poles that look very similar to ones we have today. Fish, and catching them has always been a pastime for humans. The hook of course, lies at the heart of fishing, because without it you're stuck with no fish.

There are different sizes and usually recommendations for each hook on the package, but it is still incumbent upon the fisherman/women to understand what fish he is going for, and use the proper hook.

The first time I went Salmon fishing, I assumed you needed a big hook to catch the big salmon. I was wrong, it seems the smaller, and sharper the hook, the easier it is to get the fish in the boat or on the shore. Below is some practical tips on what sizes to use for different species of fish.

The best rule of thumb is to consider

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