Fish hook designs, shapes, and materials are all variable depending on the intended purpose of the fish hook. Fish hooks are manufactured for a range of purposes from general fishing to extremely limited and specialized applications. Fish hooks are designed to hold various types of artificial, processed, dead or live baits (bait fishing); to act as the foundation for artificial representations of fish prey (fly fishing); or to be attached to or integrated into other devices that represent fish prey (lure fishing). The fish hook or similar device has been made by man for many thousands of years. The world's oldest fish
Fly tying call them Wulffs and he started tying them under that name— Lee Wulff in the tribute in "Mist on the River-Remembrances of Dan Bailey". The typical fly pattern appears something like one of the illustrative patterns below for the "Adams dry fly" (without tying instructions) or the Clouser Deep Minnow (with tying instructions). Based on the fly pattern, a knowledgeable fly tyer can reproduce the fly with the materials specified. Historically, fly pattern types have evolved along with fly fishing itself and today there are generally recognized pattern types. However, none are absolute, as there is much crossover in patterns