Hook Anatomy

	Ringed Eye: An eye in which the wire diameter is constant and forms a circle perpendicular to the plane of the hook itself. The ball eye may be closed or open. The closed kind is tempered and therefore stronger; the open eye is usually found on cheap hooks.
	Brazed Eye: The gap of the eye of this hook is brazed to the hook shank. It makes a very strong eye, and one which will not cut the leader or line. Big-game hooks are usually brazed to ensure maximum strength.
	Tapered Eye: On a ‘tapered’ ring, the thickness of the wire is reduced. I t gradually tapers towards the end of the ring. This is done to reduce the weight of the hook and make it effective for dry-fly use.
	Looped Eye: The wire in the eye of the hoop runs back along the shank toward the rear of the hook. The end of this wire is usually tapered, although it can also be made untapered. Looped-eye hooks are traditionally used in making salmon wet flies.
	Needle Eye: So called because it is similar to the eye found on a needle. One advantage of the needle eye is that it may be easily strung through a natural bait without fouling. It is also strong.
	Flattened Eye: As an alternative to the eye, “Spade End” hooks are used. The end of the shank is flattened, and the fishing line is snelled/tied directly to the shank of the hook. The flattened area stops the knot from sliding off the hook. The flattened eye is used for medium-sized species in commercial fishing. Where natural bait, such as seaworm, is used, a hook may possess no eye at all, but simply a flattened end. Spade end hooks are extensively used by match anglers.

Ring	Brazed	Tapered	Looped	Looped Tapered	Open	Flattened	Swivel	Needle

	Turned Up:	the eye is turned up from the shank
	Turned Down:	the eye is turned down from the shank
	Parallel:	the eye is parallel to the hook bend

The Shank is the leg of a hook which extends from the bend up to the eye. Hook shanks are manufactured in many different shapes. The most commonly used are:
Straight Shank: The hook shank is straight from eye to bend.
Curved Shank: Shanks are often curved for specific reasons, e.g. to accommodate a special fly imitation. Various fly hooks require the shank to be shaped so as to imitate the body of a special insect.
Sliced Shank: In order to anchor baits, such as worms and soft baits, a barb or barbs are cut into the shank.
Specialised shank types: Jig Keel Offset Kink Bent back

Bend Forged: In order to increase the strength of the bend (by approx. 25%), the wire of the bend is slightly compressed sidewise.

The Point is
the sharpened end which penetrates the fish’s mouth.

The point of a fish hooks is expected to penetrate the fish’s mouth with as little force as possible being used.
In ddition, the point should stay sharp over a period of time.

The barb is the projection extending backwards from the point that secures your catch from
unhooking.

Total Penetration Process:

The point punctures

The point profile and its length influence penetration The barb, its angle and elevation , influences
total penetration and holding power.

The Puncturing Point

The key word is sharpness — the point ought to be sharp! Yet, making it too sharp,
the tip will easily bend or break..

If we look back in history, it used to be a real challenge to make sharp points. Grinding technology was rough
and inconsistent, so fish hook manufacturers used to make a “point” out of who could make the sharpest hooks.

Important development in Mustad in terms
of sharpness of the point:

• 1953 Chemical Sharpening
• 1960s Significant improvements on polishing processes
• 1985 Laser Point hooks
• 1990 Accu Point hooks
• 1998 Ultra Point Hooks

As a last step in the production of most Mustad fish hooks, the outer point is ground to obtain a perfect balance
between sharpness and durability. This is crucial when it comes to keeping sharpness throughout a long and exciting
fishing event where sand, rocks and fish are tearing on your hooks.

Point Profile to Ease Penetration

By grinding the outer point, Mustad also reduces the mass to be pushed through, hence reducing the force needed.
This fact in combination with a best possible angle up to the barb give the superior total penetration offered by Mustad hooks.

Barb Elevation

The view of “right & wrong” when it comes to barb has changed radically during the last decades, and still it depends very
much on what kind of fishing situations we are talking about. As a result of increasing sophistication in both anglers’ skills
and fishing tackle in general, there is an evident trend in consumer preference towards smaller and smaller barbs.

Mustad applies microbarbs on a wide range of hooks for light weight and ultra light weight fishing. You can also find somewhat
larger barbs on hooks for the really tough and challenging situations, where you need maximum holding power to secure the
wildest quarry!

Roughly, fish hooks are manufactured according to two different principles: Pressed and Cut Point and Needle Point.

Pressed and Cut Point:

In the Mustad terminology we call such hooks Mustpoint hooks since Mustad
developed this technique as far back as 1877. The product is finished directly
from a wire coil in a machine through a series of operations.

The following points are made using such
a technique:

	Spear Point/Superior Point: This is our standard type of point. The precise shape of a spear point varies with different manufacturers.
	Knife Edge Point : This is a very sharp point used mainly for big-game fish. Two sides of the point are ground. The inner surface of the barb is flat and wider than normal, thus making it difficult for a big fish to throw the hook.
	Needle Point: This is a high-tech process used for making high-grade points. The wire is straightened and cut in one machine, then transferred to a grinding machine where the point is formed, then it is fed as pointed blanks into a bending machine. The needle point is ground on all sides so as to get a conical shape, and when properly made it has the best penetrating quality.
	Ultra Point: Ultra Point is a new hook concept that combines the benefits of the needle point — quick and easy penetration and ultra sharpness– with demands for strength and durability.

Mustad’s three-step grinding method makes it possible to remove
less metal from the point without compromising sharpness.
The result is a hook featuring sticky sharp, true needle points
that are stronger and more durable for easy penetration and
longer performance.

Barbless Hooks: Although barbless hooks were in use long before anyone had the idea of making barbs to secure the catch, this type did not become popular until late 20th century, when ecology and sustainable management of fish populations were put on the agenda.

“Catch and Release” fishing is now quite popular in many countries, and in some areas regulations have been
introduced in order to protect vulnerable fish populations forcing you to release the fish you catch. By using “barbless”
hooks it will be easier to unhook the fish and the damage to the fish’s mouth will be minimal. Instead of buying a barbless
point it is very common to use a pair of pliers to pinch down the barb. Nor-tempering of Mustad hooks allows you to pinch
down the barb without any risk of breaking the barb.

Common Hook-Point Positions: The following categories are used to define the position of the point either
curved in towards the shank or away from the shank:

	Hollow Point: This type, like the needle point, is designed for fast penetration, being hollowed or rounded out between the tip of the barb and the tip of the point. The outer side of the point is straight.
	Beak Point: Sometimes called a rolled-in point, this type has the point bent in toward the shank of the hook. The rolled point is excellent for baitfishing in saltwater. Besides being a description of how the point looks like, Beak Point is also a registered Mustad Trade Mark.

Curved-in Point:

There is no clear distinction between a Beak Point and
a Curved-in Point, in as much as a Beak Point is curved in.
But some specialists distinguish between them by saying that
the Curved-in Point differs from the Beak point in that the
entire spear is bent toward the hook shank. Although such
a point achieves a small bite, it is difficult for a fish
to disgorge.

Dublin Point/Out Point: In this position the hook point is bent away from the shank to achieve a quick penetration. A slight degree of out-point is sometimes considered desirable in small flies and also on big-game hooks.

The following categories below are used to
define sideways position of the point:

	Reversed: Which means that the point is bent towards the left (18-20°), (as shown by the icon) — or
	Kirbed: Which means that the point is bent towards the right (18-20°), (as shown by the icon)

The reason for bending the point sideways in relation to the shank-line is that it will more easily hook on to a fish’s lip or mouth
than is the case with a straight hook. In addition, it facilitates easier baiting of the hook.

Hook Coatings – Mustad Hook Coating Icons

Mustad Wire Diameter Icons

Hook Finishes: Mustad Hook Finish Icons