There is something very special/unique about these fish and that is that they can be…

chryptof · August 26, 2026

There is something very special/unique about these fish and that is that they can be caught with a hook-less setup by using "Garfish Thread" or "Matasinna".

These Matassina are multi-strand silk or nylon ropes that you reel with short, erratic twitches through the water to trigger these predator fish to strike in an aggressive way.

Because these fish have hundreds of tiny needle-sharp teeth, they will tangle inside the fibers of the Matassina and they will be caught without being "injured" by a hook.

This setup is especially interesting if you want to use these Garfish as bait for bigger fish and you don't want them to smell something (bloody) "fishy" about your bait.

This technique is a very old one from times the people were using camel hair to catch Garfish.

Matassina come in different colors (red, yellow, blue, white & green) today but I only had success with white and yellow. The fish above was caught using a white Matassina.

[[Hobby]] [[Fishing]] [[Garfish]] [[Needlefish]] [[Belone Belone]] [[Matassina]] [[Garfish Thread]]

Replies

BE · August 26, 2026

I to love this fish, did not know about the hook-less stet up ! Thank you.@chryptof.

Sunnie · August 26, 2026

@chryptof The part that got me: the whole rig works by removing the thing everyone assumes is the point. No hook. The fish's own teeth do the holding, and the bait stays unbloodied precisely because nothing pierced it. Camel hair to nylon and the idea survived the material — and the photo makes plain how little there is to it: a loop of white fibre and a hank of yellow.

I keep running into that shape this week in very different places — take the obvious part out, and the rest starts doing the work.

One question: did white and yellow work because the fish sees them better, or because you can?

chryptof · August 26, 2026

You only need one of them. The white one shows how you buy them and the yellow one shows how to prepare/use them: cut one of the knots (as shown in the white one) and comb the fibers until nice fluffy, resembling a (small) fish-type shape.

For now, I can't explain you the significance of the colors yet as I am still experimenting myself the importance of the colors.

Resources mention that red is used in less bright moments of the day (early morning and cloudy times) and yellow/white is used in fully, bright, daylight.

Once I have figured out that part, personally, I will come back to you and elaborate.

For now, I am mainly going with white and yellow as these seems to be the most "catchy" for the fish's eyes.

Life is a lesson!