This section of Old Hooks deals with snelled fish hooks. Snelled hooks were in wide use likely since man used fish hooks. It wouldn’t come as a big surprise that like modern hook makers, hook makers hundreds and even thousands of years ago would find a ready market for their hooks with a bit of line already attached. It is a fairly fussy job to attach a line to a blind eye hook whether it be tapered or flatted. One must make wrap after wrap to do so and let’s face it, not all fishermen are all that handy. Plus, a snelled hook could save time when fishing. If all there is to attaching a new hook is to attach the snell to a loop on the end of the leader, fishing time is increased. A fly or bait in the water stands a much better chance of attracting a fish in the water rather than out.

Most fly fishers these days don’t use snelled flies but it was common only a few decades ago.

Virtually all hook makers made loose and snelled hooks for all manners of fish. We’ve all seen the paper packets that hold usually six snelled hooks. These days the snells are nylon but not too long ago, silk gut was used. As you might imagine there are hundreds if not thousands of different packages of snelled hooks. A great many tackle and hardware stores had their own packages made up and hook companies often put out more than one line of packages. A hook collector could just focus on snelled hooks and end up with a huge collection of hooks over time. As you would expect, the graphics on many of the packages is really art and it changed as times did.

Unfortunately, time and the environment is not always kind to silk gut and old paper. Fish hooks were and are usually kept in a garage or basement where humidity can be a problem. Humidity and heat are terrible for these fragile items. Often the paper crumbles and the gut breaks. Add to that that the hooks themselves will be prone to rusting even when one thinks humidity is not a problem. The old tinning that was used on hooks might as well not even be on them. I have hooks that had been tinned that have never been used and still, they have rust and much if not all the tin is off the hooks.

Like everything else in the collectable world, the survivors are special and the fewer the number, the higher the value.

What follows are gut, nylon and wire snelled hooks. Most of the wire snelled hooks will be found in the saltwater section but there are some here as well.

Where does one start a section on snelled hooks? I guess just reach into the bag and pull out a packet of hooks. I think most of us have a soft spot in our collecting hearts for the triangular hook packets. Usually containing six snelled hooks, these and of course other packages too, these were made by virtually all hook makers. What is more important, these were usually made under the hook maker’s name and label while the more common folded paper packets were made under countless different names, usually especially made for the store where they were sold. This means a collector could have a never ending quest for every last packaging made.

1. Empire City, sproat, japanned, double gut, 3/0, #214 Reinhold collection, author’s.

2. a, b, c Grand Central, three ply gut snells, bronzed. Interesting, the hooks appear to be correct for the packet but it says single gut while these are triple.

3. Henry Milward & Sons, 1/0, bronzed, double gut, hollow point, made in Redditch England.

4. a & b Henry Milward & Sons, Package says 9/0 but the hooks are more like a contemporary 5/0, blued, double gut.

5. a & b R, Harrison Bartleet & Co., #22, bronzed, cincinnati bass, hollow point, double gut. From Stearns, author’s.

6. S. Allcock & Co., #4555, Limerick, down eye, bronzed, double gut.

7. a & b S. Allcock & Co., #5525, kirby, down eye, triple gut.

8. a, b, c Celebrated, transparent, sproat, 3/0, hollow point, bronzed, double gut.

9. a & b No maker’s name on this package or the hooks. O’Shaughnessy, 6/0, double gut, hollow point, forged, bronzed, package says “guaranteed Superfine”. Has an acetate window.

10. a & b W. Woodfield & Sons, #12 (about a 2/0), Kinsey, double gut, japanned. “Superfine” Could the hooks above (#9) be W. Woodfield & Sons hooks?

11. a & b Victory trade mark, Chestertown hooks. No size or other details on the “package”. In fact, this “package”, which came with the hooks, is unlike any other I have seen. It has no slots for the hooks and doesn’t even fold in a manner to keep the hooks confined. The hooks are wonderful japanned hooks. I would say about a #1 hook, double gut.

12. No maker name, LS Chestertown, #9 (one size smaller than #11), 3 ply nylon, japanned. Interesting how they used three ply nylon like would have been done with gut. Must have been made right at the time of transition from gut to nylon snells.

13. Gold Medal, kirby, double gut, were tinned but most of the tin is gone and hooks have surface rust. The hook on the card has been cleaned and japanned.

14. Best Quality, sproat, 4/o, double gut, japanned.

15. a & b Gold Medal, #2, double gut, hollow point, japanned.

16. Unknown make, Cincinatti Bass hooks, about 1/0, kirbed, single nylon.

17. a & b R. Harrison Bartleet & Co, Harrison’s, #5, down eye, bronzed, double gut.

18. a & b PW, Perfection Warranted, made in America, Carlisle, #6, X quality, made in America, spear point, blued, double gut.

19. a, b UTK, Superfine, best by test, 2/0, #585, sneck, double gut, bronzed

20. a & b W Woodfield & Sons, extra quality, Pennell's down eye sproat hooks, 2/0, double gut, bronzed.

21. a & b W Woodfield & Sons, Rival Brand, sneck, Double stamped over single gut, #3, kirbed, bronzed.

22. Gold Medal kirby hooks, 7.0, tinned but the tin is almost gone and there is surface rust, double gut, kirby.

23. a & b William Mills & Son, O’Shaughnessy, #2, hollow point, japanned, double gut.

24. a, b & c UTK snelled hooks, dealer pack, Carlisle, 4/0, saltwater, kirbed, bronzed, double gut.

25. Unidentified trot line hooks. Sproat (rt.) 9/0, centripetal (lt.) 8/0, japanned, linen line.

26. a & b Francis Sporting Goods, 3/0, sproat, japanned.

27. a & b Abercrombie & Fitch, Co., snelled hook package. The package contains small snelled hooks. Trout hooks.

28. a & b Gillen's Sure Catch, Extra Quality snelled hooks, sproat, 3/0, double gut, bronzed.

29. a & b Gillen's Sure Catch, Otter Brand, Extra Quality snelled hooks, carlisle, 3/0, double gut, bronzed.

30. a & b Gillen's Sure Catch, Extra Quality snelled hooks, sneck, 3.0, double gut, bronzed.

31. a, b & c Skilton & Sons snelled hook packets, Kinsey, #12 (about a 4/0), bronzed & japanned, treble gut (tight twist).

32. a & b Pequea snelled hooks, #21 (1/0), Pennell, Cincinnati bass, Cable wire snells, bronzed.

33. a & b Portage hooks, 3X, carlisle, #3, double gut, bronzed.

34. Here’s a couple hook packets, one Gold Medal and the other, Gold Seal. Obviously made by the same hook company but different names, yet, not with the real name of the maker. For now, I don’t know who that is. Just an interesting situation where hook making waters get a bit murky. Both hooks 1.0, double gut, bronzed, one a sproat and the other, Carlisle.

35. a & b Crest Brand, Harrison's, #2 & #3, blued, single gut.

36. a & b Best Quality, sneck, #4, single gut, bronzed. They didn’t even bother to print Best on this packet of hooks.

37. I just had to put at least one of these up. Wright & McGill, Eagle Claw hooks, 139, #6

38. Sears, Roebuck & Co., snelled hooks, Perfect Viking, hollow point, single gut.

39. a & b Weber, Webs snelled hooks, Carlisle, #4, single gut dyed bright green, bronzed, cover.

40. S Allcock & Co, model perfect hooks, 2.0, down eye, braided triple gut, #6574, hooks.

41. S. Allcock & Co., Model perfect, 6570, #7, single gut, bronzed, kirbed.

42. Sears, Roebuck & Co., snelled hooks, Perfect Viking, hollow point, single gut.

43. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlet & Co., OVB, Gold Standard, Cinn bass, 1320, #21, hollow point, double gut.

44. X-Pert snelled hooks, Pennell, Cincinati Bass, #22, no 3628, hook side.

45. Atlas, Bruck Tackle & Mfg. Co., Portland OR, doubles, #8 l & #12 r, nylon snells, bronzed.

46. G W Frost & Sons, Frost Grip, 905, #6, down eye, bronzed, forged, single nylon, hooks.

47. S. Allcock & Co., O'Shaughnnessey, #1, 6560, down eye, bronzed, forged, double gut.

48. S. Allcock & Co., O'Shaughnnessey, #3.0, 6560, down eye, bronzed, forged, double gut.

49. Skilton's, #5, sneck, single gut, gut quality AS, hollow point, bronzed.

50. UTK, Mohawk Brand, Horrocks-Ibbotson, Co., 1504, #3.0,m carlisle, double gut, bronzed, kirbed.

51. a, b & c William Rosgen, nylon snelled hooks, #18, kinsey Minnow.

52. Hawco, sneck, #1, hollow point, kirbed, single gut, bronzed.

53. Horrocks & Ibbotson, Co., Bob Smith Sporting Goods hooks.

54. Skilton & Sons, special short gut (double), 2.0, Carlisle.

55. Skilton's, #5, sneck, twiste splinter proof snells, snell number BD, hollow point, bronzed.

56. a & b Wm. Bartleet & Sons, Cornhill, Hollow point Pennell, sproat, single gut, #14, bronzed. This is a pretty shabby packet of hooks but until I get a better one, it will have to do.