Ahi gyotaku by Dwight Hwang
I am fascinated by the intersection of Japanese culture and fishing because they treat the sport as both a science and an art – deserving of both massive attention to detail and a bit of whimsy. That perfect mix appears not just in their tackle and publications, but also manifests itself in the centuries’ old craft of gyotaku, which uses fish as “printing plates” for ink artistry. While we’re huge fans of fiberglass replicas, at some point we’ll also add a gyotaku print to our increasingly limited wall space. In the meantime, here are some modern apparel options if you too are wowed by the feel of this craft from the 1800s.
For many of us, the Improved Clinch Knot was the first one we learned. Some of us still use it. It may not test stronger than some other, but it’s remarkably easy to tie correctly. You can improve your chances of landing big fish to the boat with the Double Clinch Knot.