"Ballestilla", "Coral" or "Yumbo" and "Palancana"

• Three types of hook-and-line tackle that are very similar to one another, made of wire No. 18 and usually more than 200 m long. The fishermen usually prefer to use wire because it is stronger and is scarcely bent by the current, whereas nylon can form a pronounced curve.
• The "ballestilla" is a heavy wire line with terminals that have gangions (short nylon lines) and hooks, and also has a copper "spring", from the center of which hangs a plummet or sinker, which can weigh up to half a kilo. According to the fishermen, this device absorbs the shocks produced by the fish when they suddenly pull the lines taught and also prevents the fish from getting tangled in the plummet. The lower end of the spring is attached to the mother line, from which between 5 and 8 gangions, each with its hook, are hung.
• The "coral" or "yumbo" is similar to the "ballestilla", except that the wire is joined directly to a swivel or block and, then, to a nylon mother line from which 3 to 5 gangions, each with its hook, hang. On the lower end a one-kilo plummet in the form of a double pyramid is hung. This type of tackle is used by fishermen who are just starting or have little experience. As sardines are usually used for bait, salted sardines are taken from Margarita or from the coasts of Sucre State. They are also taken live on board the boat.
• The "palancana" is a simpler hook-and-line tackle. It consists of a nylon line that ends in a small plummet and a swivel or block from which a copper wire with two identical arms hangs, with a small hook on each arm. This tackle is used to catch small fish. It is a type of artisanal fishing tackle for catching small quantities.

Return to hall 6