In fishing, it is known to connect a fly line to tippet material by an elongate member, known variously as a connector or a leader. Such known connector is a single monofilament of nylon, a plurality of nylon monofilaments repeatedly crossing each other as a weave, or a tube of nylon monofilaments repeatedly crossing each other as a braid. Each such connector performs the function of connecting the fly line to the tippet, which is normally a single nylon monofilament. When a connector of the multi-stranded woven or braided type is to be provided, it is known to make the connector "tapered" (which helps with the "turnover" of the tippet during casting, ) by cutting off one or more strands part-way along the connector. For example, a connector of a single tube of braid has at its fly line end sixteen monofilaments, two monofilaments are cut off near that end, a further four are cut off at approximately a quarter of the way along the connector, a further four are cut off at approximately one-half of the way along the connector and a further four are cut off at approximately three-quarters of the way along the connector, so that two monofilaments remain at the tippet end of the connector. Tapering of connectors in this manner is slow and very labour-intensive.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a line comprising a core and a sleeve encircling said core and comprised of repeatedly crossed strand portions, characterized in that said core terminates within said sleeve short of an end of said sleeve, whereby a reduction in external diameter of said line is obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a line, including providing a core and a sleeve encircling said core and comprised of repeatedly crossed strand portions, characterised by pushing said sleeve along said core so that an end of said core is located within said sleeve short of

an end of said sleeve, thereby to form a reduction in external diameter of said line.

Owing to these aspects of the invention, it is possible to provide a tapered line speedily and inexpensively and with severed ends at the diameter reductions hidden and protected against unravelling. Displacement of the sleeve by pushing is much easier than by pulling, if the sleeve is frictionally to engage the core upon the application of tensile force, as is highly desirable. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a line comprised of a tubular core and a sleeve encircling said core, said core and said sleeve each comprising repeatedly crossed strand portions.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a line, comprising repeatedly crossing strand portions to form a tubular core, and repeatedly crossing other strand portions around said core to form a sleeve encircling said core.

Owing to these aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a line of relatively high tensile strength.

Although the present invention is particularly applicable to fishing lines, especially to connectors, it is also applicable to lines used for other purposes, for example to mooring and other ropes, in particular to ropes which are to taper.

The line may consist of solid or hollow monofilament, especially of nylon, and have a plurality of tubular braids arranged co-axially with each other. The number of monofilaments in the braid and the denier of the monofilament may vary from braid-to-braid and they, the number of tubular braids in the line and the positions of external diameter reductions are selected in dependence upon the line thickness and strength required at any chosen location along the line. One or more tubular braids may terminate at the or each reduction in external diameter of the line. The tubular braids are of such material and so constructed that friction between the braids is sufficient

to support the line against any tensile force to which the line is intended to be subjected. A fishing line comprised of at least one core-encircling sleeve instead of a single rod or tube has the advantage that, for the same tensile strength, the line can be thinner and thus either travel faster and farther under the same casting effort or require less casting effort for the same speed and distance of travel.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary axial section, to a greatly enlarged scale, through a line from which is to be made a connector for interconnecting a fly line and a tippet, Figures 2 to 4 are views similar to Figure 1, but showing various stages in the making of the connector.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the finished connector to a greatly enlarged scale, and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic side election of a method of producing elongate material from which the line of Figure 1 has been severed.

Referring to Figure 1, the line 1 has been severed from elongate material and comprises tubular braids 2, 3 and 4 of nylon monofilaments and co-axial with each other. The braids 2 to 4 have the cut ends 5 and 6. The end 6 of the outermost braid 4 is manually pushed back along the line while the ends 6 of the braids 2 and 3 are gripped together. The displacement of the braid 4 along the braids 2 and 3 is continued for a predetermined distance to give an external diameter reduction at a location 7 at that distance from the end 5 of the braid 4, as shown in Figure 2. Then the end 6 of the braid 3 is manually pushed along the braid 2, the end 6 of which is manually gripped, to shift the braids 3 and 4 together along the braid 2 and thus give an external diameter reduction at a location 8 at a greater predetermined distance from the end 5 of the braid 4, as shown in Figure 3. The telescopically extended line 1 is now cut through at a location, for example the location 9 in

Figure 3, where the line still consists in cross-section of the three braids 2 to 4, to give the tapered line 1A shown in Figure . Then the end 5 of the braid 4 is looped back around a ring 10 and anchored within the braid 4 and the ends of the braids 2 to 4 at the cut location 9 are looped back and anchored within the braids to give a loop 11, whereby the connector line 1A is obtained. The loop 11 of the connector 1A is to be attached to a fly line (not shown) whilst the tippet (also not shown) is to be attached to the ring 10.

Referring to Figure 6, to manufacture the elongate material from which a section has been severed to give the initial l ine 1 , a method is employed utili zing three braiding machines 20 to 22 each known per se . In the machine 20 , nylon monofilaments 23 are braided to produce the tubular braid 2 , which is fed to the machine 21 , where nylon monofilaments 24 , possibly different in number and/or denier from the monofilaments 23, are braided around the braid 2 to produce the braid 3. The braids 2 and 3 are fed to the machine 22 , where mono fi lament s 25 , pos s ibly different in number and/or denier from the monofilaments 23 and/or 24, are braided around the co-axial braids 2 and 3 to produce the braid 4. Instead of the manufacture being the continuous method shown, a batch method may be employed in which the braid 2 is wound onto a large reel before being unwound into the machine 21 , and/or in which the co-axial braids 2 and 3 are wound onto a large reel before being unwound into the machine 22.