Close, Sol.

A hook almost never hits a fish perpendicular to the axis of the hook point. The cutting edge of the Owners uses the force not in the direction of penetration to cut the fish and help the hook get to the point where the fish is pulling against the bend.

Here is a picture to help explain.



F is the overall hooksetting force. It can only be in the direction of the line connected to it as the line has no stiffness.

Fp is the penetrating force to which Sol refers.
FN is the force perpendicular to the penetrating force.

Since force has a magnitude and direction, FN > zero if F is not in the same direction as FP. A cutting hooks uses FN to cut into the fish. For a conical hook, FN just translates into resistance to hook penetration in the form of friction.

Any questions?