Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Fishing for food had been around for a very long time. There are artifacts found in caves both in China and Egypt that indicate that fishing was a common activity and one that primitive peoples depended upon as one source of food. There were also artificial lures, either to directly catch fish or to lure them close for the fisherman to use a spear to capture them. Some of these items were found as part of the funerary items in tombs to ensure that the departed would have a means of capturing their food in their next life.

In one case, contradicting the thought that only men were fishermen, a female burial proved that women were fishers also since a female body was discovered with both hooks and line were discovered under her chin, so she would be able to immediately find it. Also, the use of circle hooks, now only recently making a reappearance, have been in use for more than 20,000 years. There are clear examples of circle hooks found in archaeological digs in both China and Egypt, where this type of early hook was used with hand lines to catch fish, some date back to 2,000 B.C. The Chinese were the first with fishing line made from spun silk.

English tackle shops were selling minnows in the middle of the 18th century, along with bugs and grubs, all made from molten rubber and painted in realistic colors. Spoons appeared in Scandinavia as early as the beginning of the 1700’s. Metal spoons along with metal spinners were being used in the United States as early at the first part of the 19th century.

Modern lure production appeared and marketed by Julio T. Buell, Riley Hastell, W. D. Chapman, and the Enterprise Manufacturing Company. Plugs were commercially made by the Heddon in Michigan and by Pflueger in Ohio. Before this, most lures were hand made by individual craftsmen.

The types of lures were designed to be either the fish’s prey, their curiosity aroused by the offering, or an invasion of their territory, an injured, dying, or fast-moving bait fish. These lures could take the form of jigs, spoons, plugs, artificial flies, LED lures, soft plastic, spinner baits, swimming baits, fish decoys, frogs, rodents, or insects.
Some of the latest include a daisy chain of bait fish as if swimming in a school.

On September 20, 2016, some old circle hooks made from snail shells were found in Okinawa that were dated to be almost 23,000 years old. Radiocarbon dating of some charcoal found in the same layer as these hooks placed the date between 22,380 and 22,770 years old.

In Australia, Archaeologists from the Australian National University found some circle hooks from the Pleistocene era, on Aloi Island, Indonesia, that were dated approximately 12,000-year-old and found as part of grave goods of a female body, which were wrapped around her neck and chin.

These Aloi Island hooks bear an uncanny resemblance to the rotating hooks found in Japan, Australia, Arabia, California, Chile, Mexico and Oceania. It is agreed the same sort of artifacts was developed independently because it was the most fitting form to suit the ecology, rather than being a cultural diffusion.

In modern times, the circle hook has become the more suitable choice because it will only make a connection around the lip or mouth of the fish, thus preventing the deep ingestion of the J type hook and eventual result in a fatality. Second, the hook does not require being jerked hard to be set in the jaw of the fish, but only that the line be pulled quickly that the allows the circle hook to snag the lip or jaw. After the fish has been landed, if the fisherman does not choose to keep it, the removal of the circle hook is much easier and less likely to permanently harm the fish leading to its death.

When I was a pharmaceutical salesman in the Rio Grande Valley, I called on one doctor in San Benito TX, a Dr. Parker, who regularly fished down on the coast of Mexico in and around the mouth of some jungle rivers. Once, while down there fishing for snook, he wasn’t having much luck but did observe two Indians who were fishing in a dugout canoe. One in the front was paddling the canoe along while the Indian in back was fishing or trolling with a line held in his hand.

They were regularly catching snook on their home-made lure which had a balsa body and feathers which Dr. Parker assumed looked like an injured jungle bird. After being allowed to examine their lure, Dr. Parker tried to buy their lure to no avail. They would not take any amount of money for their special, and effective lure. Whether they believed it held some magical, therefore potent, fish appeal, he was unable to determine. They were probably Mayan and spoke a different language than Spanish.

As a sports fisherman, I had always wanted to catch a “keeper” snook but did not have any success until I was 60 years or older, fishing in Florida with my son, Brad. We had put his boat in and motored out past the jetties on the Atlantic side of Florida. We decided to catch some bait by using a Sibike rig. This is a Japanese invention very small monofiliment line with a “daisy-chain” of small flies and hooks.
The idea is to approach a school of bait fish and cast the rig in among the school and rapidly retrieve it and usually you will be able to land 3 to 6 bait fish on each cast, which you then put in a live well on board the boat.

This morning on about the second cast, something much larger hit and broke off his Sibike rig. He told me to quickly get another rod, put on one of the bait fish we had already caught and cast it out in the same area. I hooked up with a larger fish and after fighting it for several minutes landed a snook that was between 10 and 15 pounds and perhaps 30 inches long. I quickly landed this snook and repeated the process. This time I caught another snook of equal size and it jumped a time or two before threw the hook and escaped.

That was the first time I had ever caught a keeper snook, fulfilling a life long dream. Snook are a schooling fish but are very wary of any lure or attempt to be caught. This morning, they were lurking below the school of bait that we were also attempting to harvest for bait. By my offering one of the very fishes on which they were currently feeding, it was much easier to attract them. Just Sayin...RJS

Rutinbuck Loc: Haysville, Kansas

RJS, that was a great story and ya couldn’t have done better in nailing a life long dream that you have been chasing for what seems like one hell of a long time. Good job and congrats to you!😎👍

wave37 Loc: Roseburg, Oregon

Thank you. Very interesting.

Ronniejw Loc: West Point MS

When I was on a charter back in 1996 out on the great barrier reef in Australia we were jigging for bait fish, the owners wife had been catching 4 to 6 each drop. One time something took one of the fish and broke the line. She said to me to put one on my rod and feed it out, was running the line out and within a few seconds had a hook up, small black marlin around 40 lb. Was a buzz on light gear, fought it in and removed the hook and sent it back. Over the week we were out there I had 4 of them on. Every day except the last day we had 30 kn winds and were onto fish constantly. Altogether we would have hooked up 30 different species including 1 protected barramundi cod I caught.

Joefishmaga Loc: Port Saint Lucie Florida

Thank u for sharing that info. Plus the Snook story was informative. I chase them every night I can. I see they needed to keep the hook and line under the woman's chin. Probley to remind her to bring home supper.

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Joefishmaga: Yes, either that or maybe she was a great catch? Just Sayin...RJS

Er1c Loc: Ocean City, Md.

That was great reading, thanks very much!!!

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

ERIC: Thank you! I post about 3 a day for the amusement of Stage readers. I don't know if there's any easy way to access older posting. Keeps me out of pool halls, Just Sayin...RJS

Er1c Loc: Ocean City, Md.

I may be able to pull them up by your name, I'll give it a try. History was always my favorite class to go to. :) Ty, again.

Dadeaux Loc: Florida Panhandle

Thank you very much for the history lesson. But? Did any of the snook you caught have your sabiki rig with them???

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

ERIC: Here's a list of the top 10 by number of people who at least clicked on the story.
1. Attacked by Gar
2. Alligators, Oh My!
3. Two Fishermen....
4. School of Experience
5. Invention of Fishing Reel
6. Monster Alligator Gar
7. Mob Assissination
8. Country Bumpkin
9. Authentic Texas BBQ
10 The Invention of Ice Cream

Good Luck, Send me some feedback, I'm a big boy and can stand negative comments. Just sayin...RJS

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

No, we never recovered the rig. Obviously, there were more than two snook stalking the school of bait fish. Also, we were unable to catch any more, but I was quite happy with the one I caught. Just Sayin...RJS

Dadeaux Loc: Florida Panhandle

Hey Robert & I was just harassing...had a buddy up here with a $132 rod & an expensive reel, unlike me, had a gold plated lure on that sucker. You know a lure that catches fish just hanging around the garage the house etc. Had it leaning on the gunnel with the lure hanging over the side just a swinging in the breeze. Well something went & took the lure pulled the rod & reel overboard. He never heard the end of that, he really didn't appreciate our sense of humor...but there is a moral to the story...
Obviously those gold plated lures do work...

Able Man Loc: North Coast (Cleveland, Ohio)

Regarding circle hooks, (we used to call them: "Jap-Hooks")
it is my understanding, that they are illegal in certain areas &/or used to capture certain species (+/or, certain times of the year).
I recommend anyone ✓✓ / their local fish cops, before getting any wet.
It is my understanding that they are highly effective at putting protein on ice.

Er1c Loc: Ocean City, Md.

I'll start with those in the morning. Before I went into the service I was a chef. I was getting tired of steak and seafood, so I decided to start making Chinese dishes. My better half loves Chinese food, but we feel making it at home during these times is safer. Tonight it was spare ribs and Kung pow chicken, came out very well.