made of high-grade Hikita hemp dyed indigOj with two strands loosely twisted 

 to the lefto It is about 13 inches longo Instead of hemp for the main 

 line some fishermen use artificial gut of 8 to 9 momme weight £ 1<,06 to 

 lol9 ounces per five=foot fathom_7si with NOo 28 or 29 cotton for the 

 leader o 



(5) An example from the Kochi area 



The main line is high-grade Noshu hempp two =■ strand, righthand twisty 

 diameter o06 to o096 inchp length 12 to 16 feet, undyedo The leader is 

 made of the same kind of hemp either dyed with indigo or made of a mixture 

 of undyed and indigo-dyed hemp fiberSo It is two^strand, righthand twist, 

 and from 1 to 1„2 feet in length„ The thickness depends on the size cf 

 hooks to be used, ranging from oOlS to about o096 inch. In seme excep= 

 tional cases -ohe leader is ser-ved. 



The above data on the materials used for skipjack fishing lead to 

 the following conclusionSo 



(1) Not much attention is paidj as in other types of angling, to the 

 fineness of the line, strength to withstand the skipjack's vigorous 

 strikes being more sought after^ and therefore material which is unlikely 

 to break is Ghosen„ In order not to alarm the fish, the leader, the part 

 of the line which is in the water, is dyed with indigo to the same color 

 as the waters of the KuroshiOo This practice has been carried on since 

 rather ancient times and has spread all over the country, for which reason 

 it is thought that it must be fairly effectiveo There is a need for further 

 investigation on this pointo 



(2) The fishing line is replaced constantly during the fishing season so 

 that it will have its maximum tensile strength at all timeSo The work of 

 hooking fish is very Tiolent so a great strain is placed on the line and 

 excessive force is applied to ito When the school is large, the operation 

 continues for a f&lrly long time during which the fishermen must bring in 

 as many fish &.2 >,o^ssible„ To make sure that the line does not break during 

 this time they shange the leader frequently^ keeping a supply of spare 

 ones handy„ The main line will last for about ten days of fishingo The 

 leader ne- -'.s to be strong enough to stand up under a whole day of use, 



no matter how many fish may be caught during the day,, "HTie best material 

 is one which, even though it may weaken considerably when soaked with water 

 for a long time, can be unconditionally guaranteed for a short period of 

 timeo On this score hemp is the most suitableo The use of wire for leaders 

 is n x a question of strength or weakness, but rather of what will catch 

 the ffiost fisho Aside from the effect on the catch there is no pressing 

 reason for using it„ In fact wire which is not completely rustproof 

 probably has an adverse effect on the catch. In the last analysis this 

 is a point which should be investigated on the basis of the catch ratios„ 



(3) The question cf vihat kind of fishing line is best has hitherto been 

 taken up only from the po''-r.'" of ^iew,, not cf the effect on the catch, but 

 of how a hooked skipja"^- could be got into the boat without being dropped, 

 in other words, caly the strength of the line was considered, and the 



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