The other day, I had an email inquiry about the Durnanickel Salmon Clawpoint Hook. The Duranickel Company closed their business and stopped production over 30 years ago. The Duranickel Company invented the clawpoint design on the Salmon Siwash hook for the Commercial Salmon Fleet.
I replied to the Customer because I was curious to know why and how he knew about the hook. He responded by telling me that he is a Sports Fisherman from Comox, B.C. The 6/0 Durnanickel hook is his favorite hook. His "OLD MAN" was a Commercial B.C. Salmon Trollers and when he retired, he got all of his Trolling Gear.
Currently, the Clawpoint Salmon Hooks are the most popular siwash style hooks used by the Commercial Salmon Trollers. They are the Mustad Stainless Steel Clawpoint Hooks 95170 series and the North Pacific Clawpoint Hooks made in Japan. The North Pacific Clawpoint Hooks are the exact replicas of the DURANICKEL CP hooks. Unlike the Duranickels which was made from Monel, North Pacific Clawpoint Hook is made from Hi Carbon Steel which is stronger and lighter than Monel and Stainless Steel. Sizes available are from 3/0 to 9/0. For Sports Fisherman, the size 3/0 hook is ideal for small fishing spoons like AP, Skinny G, Coyote and Kingfisher because of its' strength and lightness creating more action on the spoon.
This got me thinking about all the fishing lures that the Commercial Salmon Trollers used in the 1970, 1980, 1990 and into early 2000 before Fred Mifflen who was the Fishery Minister for Canada at that time changed the regulations for Commercial Fishing which was in my opinion totally misguided and destroyed which was once "a way of life" for participants in the industry. Prior to the Mifflen Report, an individual would apply for a Commercial Fishing Licence at the Department of Fishery as it is done in the U.S.A. After Mifflen instituted his Report into the fishery regulations, individuals could no longer apply to the Department of Fishery for a fishing licence. The individual would have to find it on the open market at the going market price. Fishing licences became a commodity which commanded a high price worth much more than the vessel. This prevent and discouraged potential fisherman who worked as a deckhand on a Troller from participating in our Fishery.
With the exception of a few OLD TIMER Salmon Trollers left in B.C. and in Alaska, all the popular hoochies colors used by the Commercial Salmon Trollers in the past have been forgotten. Some of the popular Golden Bait colors in Cuttlefish and in Octopus are:
For Golden Bait Cuttlefish, SC22R, SMW22R, SC14R, SC34R, SC69R, SMW69R, S111R
In Golden Bait Octopus, OC22R, OMW34R, OC39R, OMW29R, OC40R, OC60R, OMW60R, OC69R, OC72R, OC109R, OG152R, OG152L