Te lou palu

Te lou palu. Ruvettus deep sea fishing hook. This lou palu is used for deep sea fishing of the palu fish species (oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus). Often, a fish head is used for bait. Fishermen attach it to the maga (hook point) and tug it in the water in order to attract the palu. The lou palu is sourced from a section of tree branch, possibly from the gie tree (Pemphis acidula). The maga is separate, and attached to the main shaft with lashing of kafa (3-ply coconut sennit). Kafa is tied to the top of the lou palu. The lou palu is brown in colour and has a matte surface treatment.