Origin or "Playing Hookie"?

Factual Questions
1

Does this phrase “playing hookie” refer to fishing? Is “hookie” a cutesy way of refering to the fishing hook, perhaps? - Jinx

2

It’s always been my understanding that it was a country-bumpkin way of saying you were going fishing…TRM

3

The phrase has nothing to do with fish. From the OED:

Hooky-crooky:

So you were skipping school “by hook or by crook”; in other words, through dishonest methods.