Organic Fish Hooks

I was just wondering, has anybody tried using a rose bush thorn for a hook? My wife bought a bunch of rosebushes and I was pondering if it would work. Does anybody have any ideas or have people tried it?

That's a good thought but I don't know how you would use it. The thorns snap off the branch with little side pressure so you would have to remove them from the stem. Then you are just left with the barb. I've never heard of anyone using them. Mulitflora rose would be the wild equivalent.

EDIT: I was typing while Woodwose posted. Sorry.

I was researching in the internet and in britan the natives would take a rosebush thorn, pry it off the stem, and wrap it in mud. They would let the mud dry then put the lump in the fire to bake. I guess this hardened the thorn. Then, using very fine spruce root twine, they wraped it on a small twig. Then they tied it to astick and let the tide come it and go back out. they baited the hooks with worm and presto they cought a flounder or halubut, i'm not exactly sure. It looked like a fish that swam on its side and lives in the bottom.

Sounds logical. That would circumvent the problem of them breaking off. For the coast I think I'd build a tidal trap and not go to all of that work, though.:rolleyes:

I have seen it done by prying off the thorn, using pine pitch or some other type of glue to attach the thorn to a small stick then wrap it together with some sort of small string or plant fiber.

I have even made fish hooks out of small chicken bones ( the ones that look like a check mark ), twigs, and pull tabs off of soup cans and soda cans.

I'll be straight with all of you. I've tried that stuff, gorge hooks and what not. It creates the most incredible phenomenon I've ever seen. The fish all seem to rise to the surface at one time and laugh me off the lake. One package of Eagle Claw hooks please.

I've never tried this rose thorn method but one thing I've come to learn from my time fly fishing is that the wild roses around here are 10x tougher than garden/commercial roses. The thorns are larger and stronger and can make short work of a pair of lightweight waders. There may be some potential if given some thought.

LOL.............Rick's answer is best:)

and he is right on

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Originally Posted by flandersander

I was researching in the internet and in britan the natives would take a rosebush thorn, pry it off the stem, and wrap it in mud. They would let the mud dry then put the lump in the fire to bake. I guess this hardened the thorn. Then, using very fine spruce root twine, they wraped it on a small twig. Then they tied it to astick and let the tide come it and go back out. they baited the hooks with worm and presto they cought a flounder or halubut, i'm not exactly sure. It looked like a fish that swam on its side and lives in the bottom.

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Sounds like possibly a flounder

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tfisher

LOL.............Rick's answer is best:)

and he is right on

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In agreement here! Rather hunt at the store than in the woods, it's quicker, easier, and the product is made for the job at hand!:cool:

I've tried gorges too and and they didn't stick in the perch's throat. Do you know why?

Try using dynamite.

Most likely, too small of a hook. It just pulls through their mouth. You may be ripping through them, too. Perch are a bit of a paper mouth. Very thin skin around the mouth. You might try playing them a bit softer. You could also try that hook on bluegill and see if you can catch any. They shouldn't tear as easy as perch. Also, make certain your bait is on very well and your hook is parallel with the line. In the picture below, the gorge hook is baited. Notice how the hook is parallel to the line? That allows the fish to swallow it. Once you "set" the hook the gorge will turn cross ways and wedge inside the fish. that's the second picture.

http://www.the-ultralight-site.com/fig8-17.gif

http://www.primitiveways.com/images/pt-toggle.jpeg

With a lot of practice and experimenting you'll come to the same conclusion I did. One package of Eagle Claw hooks, please.

Really, good luck.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...ndid=140019386

The first video on his myspace (*shudder*) page shows how to use thorns for hooks. Even catches some fish on a tide line.

I just got a new book that is on this Indian Fishing By Hilary Stewart www.amazon.com/Indian-Fishing-Methods-Northwest/dp/0295958030 and it looks like just what I and most of you are looking for..

I used to have a thorn hook like the one Rick posted but not made from rose bushes, but now I use the ones that Smok sent me and they're grrrrrrrreat! I've caught several nice fish with them.

here is a toggle gouge made from a rose thorn. they can of course be made from other sturdy thorns.

the cordage i used in the pic was synthetic [it's what i had on hand] but the principal is sound. this and similar methods have been effective for passive fishing throughout history. though undoubtably inferior to commercial hooks, the improvised equiptment you have always beats out the professional gear you don't.

Here is a pic of a fish hook (fishook is the Huron name for it) made of bone, I'll be trying to make one this weekend. He has also made several out of wood but they tend to last only a short while.
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/4...hookzb6.th.png
Doesn't seem like it'd be to hard but then again who knows, it said to boil the bone to soften it and the marrow on the inside, then using wood carving tools the guy makes these. While this one is a two piece tied at the bottom with old deer sinew, he has made several single piece and work very well.

If you might want a nice catfish and since they are bottom feeders you can always bait with something tasty like chicken guts on a sharpened X on all points and let it take the bait and swallow it, then haul her in. Traps are best or doing a little catfish loggin' and maybe get a big cat, turtle or snake. A supermarket just waiting for you to run your arm in a hollow log or hole in the bank. Whatever you get is served as Redneck Surprise.