artificial fly; fly lure
A fishing lure made to imitate insects or small fish, used in fly fishing.
See also: フライ
I caught a yamame trout in the mountain stream using a fly lure.
He ties his own flies.
フライ is a more general loanword for 'fly' in fishing, while 毛針 specifically refers to the traditional Japanese artificial fly made with feathers and thread.
Standard kanji spelling for a fishing fly.
Alternate kanji spelling using 鉤 (hook).
Mixed kana spelling commonly seen in fishing contexts.
Mixed katakana spelling used in fishing magazines and packaging.
Rarely used kanji form with 鈎 (hook).
Compound of 毛 (ke, 'hair, feather') and 針 (hari, 'hook, needle'), referring to a hook dressed with feathers or fur. The reading けばり is a standard rendaku form.