Fishing hooks and lures

Abstract

Fishhooks include a wire element which encircles the shank rearwardly of the fishhook's main barb. The wire element is preferably in the form of an elongate loop having a slide element capable of slidable movements therealong to allow for size adjustment of the wire element loop and thereby prevent it from becoming disengaged. The wire element thus retains its weed-guard position when being trolled through even relatively dense underwater vegetation. At the same time, however, the reduced-size wire element loop allows the wire element to pivot laterally in response to increased pressure thereagainst (e.g., as occurs when a fish strikes the hook) and thereby expose the point for penetration into the striking fish. Alternatively or optionally, the fishhooks include significantly longer and larger shank barbs than those capable of being obtained through conventional fabrication techniques. Thus, an enlarged shank barb may be provided by a separate auxiliary wire member which is bent so as to include shorter and longer legs positioned adjacently parallel to one another. The terminal end of the longer leg includes a rearwardly bent portion forming the shank barb. The longer and shorter legs are then secured to the fishhook shank by a section of heat-shrunk tubing.