In fishing, a short piece of line or wire between the main line and the hook or lure; often used to prevent bite-offs or to present the bait naturally.
I tied on a new leader and attached the hook.
Using a fluorocarbon leader makes it less visible to fish.
I retied the leader and resumed fishing.
A big fish snapped my leader.
The leader was damaged, so I replaced it.
Today I'm using a No. 3 leader.
道糸 is the main fishing line running from the reel, while ハリス is the short leader section tied near the hook, so learners often mix up which part of the rig each term refers to.
テグス refers to the fishing line material itself (nylon or silk gut thread), whereas ハリス specifically means the leader piece cut from such line and tied near the hook.
Katakana spelling is standard for this fishing term; usually written in kana.
Rare kanji form; 鉤 means 'hook' and 素 means 'element/thread', but this spelling is seldom used.
Rare kanji form; 針 means 'needle/hook' and 素 means 'element/thread', but this spelling is seldom used.
The word ハリス is likely derived from English 'harris' or a similar term used in angling, but the exact origin is uncertain. The kanji forms 鉤素 and 針素 are rare and probably ateji.