ganging

ganging n |ˈgænǰɪŋ| Also (now more freq) sp gangion, occas gangeon [ gange v 1] formerly NEng; now more widespread

A leader by which a fishhook is attached to the main line; esp, in commercial fishing, one of a number of such leaders attached at intervals to a much longer line; occas a string of hooks attached to the end of a fishline.

1854 ME Farmer (Augusta) 12 Oct [4]/3 MA, With admirable presence of mind, a quality which never forsakes me, shipmates, in any strait, I thrust a fish-hook into each of his jowls, just forward of his eyes, and held hard on the ganging! 1884 U.S. Natl. Museum Bulletin 27.864 neMA, Squid line and jig. White cotton line on wooden reel; blue cotton ganging; jig made of brass pins molded to lead sinker 3½ inches long. 1887 Goode Fisheries U.S. 5.1.10, A trawl [for halibut] is composed of several parts: (1) the “ground-line,” which is anchored at each end and lies on the bottom; (2) the “gangings” (pronounced ganjings), which are about 5 feet long, have the hooks attached to one end of them, while the other end is bent into the “beckets” on the ground-line; [etc]. 1889 Century Dict. 2450, Ganging (gan′jing [= [ˈgænǰɪŋ]]). . . A section or part of a fishing-line to the free end of which a hook is ganged. 1916 Sun. Oregonian (Portland OR) 24 Sept sec 5 3/2, The main unit or set of lines is called a “skate.” . . Each skate is composed of seven “lines,” each 300 feet in length, with an eye splice at each end for knotting and unknotting of the lines. . . Along the skate at distances of nine feet, fastened by a gangion or leader, is a hook. 1988 Orange Co. Reg. (Santa Ana CA) 25 Feb sec C 15/1, Who can predict what is happening . . on the other end of 80- to 100-pound test Dacron line tied to a string (gangion) of baited hooks and a 3- to 5-pound sinker? 1997 Junger Perfect Storm 52 MA, Each gangion has a #10 hook at one end and a stainless steel snap on the other. The baiter reaches behind him and takes a gangion from his back-up man, who’s peeling them off the leader cart one at a time. The baiter impales a squid or mackerel onto the hook, snaps the gangion onto the mainline, and throws the whole thing over the side. 2009 Ecological Applications 19.921, Pelagic longlines consist of a mainline from which secondary lines, called gangions, hang. Hooks are found at the end of each gangion.

also ganging line: Line suitable for making such a leader.

1845 Spirit of Times 15.14 MA, If it [=the angler’s pocket-book] be not already well stocked, no time should be lost in supplying it with hooks, ganging, gut, lines, flies, wax, thread, swivels, shot, needles, etc. etc. 1887 Goode Fisheries U.S. 5.1.265 ME, In 1877 the schooner Alice, of Swan’s Island, had a bag-net made of haddock ganging-line, into which the fish were transferred when there were too many to be cared for at once. [1925 DN 5.332 Nfld, Ganging line (ǰ). A strong, small cotton line, like herring net twine.] 1950 Newport Daily News (RI) 27 Oct 13/7, [Advt:] Gangion in Skeins—All Sizes. 1950 Moore Candlemas Bay 127 ME, The fishhouse was a junk heap of old and new rope, canvas, laths, engine parts, bolts and screws, gangion, open cans of paint with brushes dried up in them. 1975 Gould ME Lingo 106, Ganging—Pronounced gan-jing or gain-jing. . . Today in Maine it means the twine from which a fishing line is made. . . Ganging makes a cod line in one size, and in the smaller cunner-size it’s great for kite strings. . . The final g of ganging is always carefully pronounced . . even though ganging is often misspelled (as seldom as Mainers write it) as gangion and gangeon. 2009 Daily Sitka Sentinel (AK) 27 Nov 7/4, [Advt:] 7.5% off Longline Tubs & Gangion.