Fishing rigs

[stuart f]

Hi folks,after reading Pignuts thread http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40834 over on Bushcraft and Survival skills section, i thought you might like a look at a couple of primitive fish hooks and gorge droppers that i made today.

The penny is for scale.

The hooks are Willow shanks with bone points bound with split Spruce roots,the gorges are also bone. I've also been trying out different methods for the cordage,the large hook is ordinary twisted cordage,the small hook is three strand braid, the same goes for the gorges,one braided one twisted.

Thanks for looking
Cheers Stuart.

 

[Gailainne]

Lovely stuff as usual Stuart , the small hook is a delicate piece of work.

Nice one

Stephen

 

[stooboy]

Top quality stuff, let us know how you get on using them.

 

[Peter_t]

very nice but don't the hooks float being made of wood?

pete

 

[Neanderthal]

Lovely work there. Let us know how how well they work.

Stu

 

[stuart f]

Hi folks,thanks for the kind comments.

very nice but don't the hooks float being made of wood?

pete

Hi Peter,yeah they probably will float but these are droppers which are attached to a main line which in turn will be held on the bottom by a stone sinker,just like modern fishing rigs.But if you only wanted to fish using the one hook and you wanted said hook right on the bottom,and without having to use sinkers,you could just make the shaft of the hook out of stone,ideally a soft worked stone such as Slate.I am going to be making a few with stone shafts,when finished i could post up some pics if anyone wants to have a look.

Cheers Stuart.

 

[sapling]

They look awesome. Mind if I ask a couple of questions as after seeing patrickm's fishing stuff in the flesh Im determined to catch a fish using a handcrafted, all natural fishing rig. Im in the process of braiding up lime bark cordage (tedious!) long enough for a line so that angle is covered. However Im new to working with bone/antler, and like you, I plan to make some composite hooks. Did you use stone or steel to work with your bone hooks? And any tips on working with the material?

 

[sapling]

Oh yeah, and what fiber are you using for your lines?

 

[bushscout1]

They look fantastic, I've never even contemplated making something so delicate.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but is there not a weekness making bound composite hooks? I read somewhere that you could use hawthorn / similar, which is surely simpler to create & stronger as it isn't bound?

I'm sure you'll tell me I'm wrong, I assure you I'm asking out of interest - not a critism in the slightest.

 

[sapling]

Bushscout, the problem with wooden hooks is that they soften up in the water after a short period of time!

 

[stuart f]

Hi folks,sorry its taken so long to reply,i've been busy working.

Anyway.

They look awesome. Mind if I ask a couple of questions as after seeing patrickm's fishing stuff in the flesh Im determined to catch a fish using a handcrafted, all natural fishing rig. Im in the process of braiding up lime bark cordage (tedious!) long enough for a line so that angle is covered. However Im new to working with bone/antler, and like you, I plan to make some composite hooks. Did you use stone or steel to work with your bone hooks? And any tips on working with the material?

Hi Sapling,working with bone/antler is'nt as hard as you might think,i try to use stone tools when making bushy gear as my thinking is, if i can make kit using only stone tools,then when making them with a steel knife it should be a piece of cake.

I use a variety of different stones for making stuff,i have got about three grades of sand stone blocks that i use the most,for abrading all materials ie wood,slate bone etc. I also use flint for cutting/scrapping jobs. Most of my work is done by abrading on the sandstone blocks.

Also check out Patricks tutorials here http://www.bushcraftuk.com/index.php/DIY/Fishing-Hook-Tutorial.html to give you an idea on the working methods.

PS nearly forgot when abrading antler or bone remember to wear a face mask,you don't want to be breathing in dead animal matter,do you!

Oh yeah, and what fiber are you using for your lines?

I have been using Nettle,Flax and i'm in the middle of processing Willow bark to turn into cordage.

They look fantastic, I've never even contemplated making something so delicate.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but is there not a weekness making bound composite hooks? I read somewhere that you could use hawthorn / similar, which is surely simpler to create & stronger as it isn't bound?

I'm sure you'll tell me I'm wrong, I assure you I'm asking out of interest - not a critism in the slightest.

Hi Bushscout, its fine no critism taken, i have seen the Hawthorn hooks that you mention and i do plan to make/use these types too,i just have'nt got round to it yet.As for the bound hooks,i think they must be fairly strong as the Native American tribes such as the Nootka,Kwagiutl etc used bound hooks when trolling for Salmon.
Have a look at this link http://books.google.ca/books?id=fud...a=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPP1,M1

Sorry folks if you've seen this before, this is the third time i,ve linked this

I hope this helps and again sorry for the delay.

Cheers Stuart.

 

[sapling]

Thanks Stuart!
Very helpful. Will begin a hook shortly once the main line is complete.
Tight lines!!!
Sapling.