Vince,

No worries. I'm just yanking chains because I'm bored. These guys are easy to incite.

As for hook designs, the reason most hooks are simple, constant-diameter wire with a few simple bends is because it is easy and cheap to manufacture. More expensive big game hooks display the designs you suggested. Some have flat sides at the bend because they have been pressed to put material in the plane where the forces are applied and to harden the material. Actually, if you look at bone hooks, you can see where they have little material at the point and a lot at the bend as you suggested. Bone hooks are carved with a design derived from trial and error which would optimize over time without the considerations of mass production. Also since bone is more brittle than metal for the most part, a design failure means losing the time to make a hook and the fish, so it's probably a better design.