Frequently Asked Questions

A1.There is no strict definition, but they differ in shape and in how they are used. An egi is said to have originally been modelled on a shrimp; it is usually fished on its own, cast or worked tip-run style. A sutte has a cloth-wrapped body and is often used several at a time, on a dropper rig or as a dropper. KEYSTONE also groups its products into “egi for aori squid” and “egi and sutte for kensaki, spear and Japanese common squid”. When targeting kensaki, spear or Japanese common squid, both egi and sutte are used.

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A2.A squid lure with a cloth-wrapped body. It is used from boats for kensaki, spear and Japanese common squid, often several at a time on a dropper rig or as a dropper. There are floating sutte that stay up in the water, lead sutte that sink, and bait-wrapped sutte.

See the KS Lead Sutte

A3.A sutte that does not sink. Tied to a branch line of a dropper rig, it takes the current and sways in the water. KEYSTONE makes two: the Vivin Sutte, blow-moulded in the traditional way, and the Hard Foam Floating Sutte, made of rigid urethane foam. The Vivin Sutte has a thick body rated to a depth of 200 m; the Hard Foam Floating Sutte has a slim body that still carries a dedicated “yari-ika” crown hook.

See the Hard Foam Floating Sutte

A4.A puradzuno is usually made of polycarbonate or ABS resin. Most of them have very little buoyancy, and they work by the reflection and colour of the body itself to attract kensaki squid, Japanese common squid and the like. A sutte has a cloth-wrapped body, and comes in floating and sinking types. KEYSTONE’s Ukipla Hybrid Hook is 110 mm long and as slim as a puradzuno, yet made buoyant with rigid urethane foam and finished with cloth like a sutte — which is why it is called a hybrid.

See the Ukipla Hybrid Hook

A5.Squid fishing done at night from a boat. It targets kensaki, spear and Japanese common squid, using a dropper rig carrying several sutte. Line, branch line and sinker sizes differ from one ground to another — the Genkai Sea, Wakasa Bay and Kanto each have their own.

See the Hard Foam Floating Sutte

A6.Kensaki squid are fished at night from March through August. From October to November the target is budou-ika, regarded as a seasonal form of the kensaki squid.

A7.A rig with a sinker at the bottom of the main line and branch lines coming off it, each carrying a sutte. Ika-metal (the lead-sutte game) is fished with light tackle: you work the lead sutte and strike the moment a squid touches it.

See the KS Lead Sutte

A8.It depends on the ground and on the size of the squid. In Kanto and Kansai, anglers after kensaki squid most often use size 2.5 to 3.0. The standard yodaki rig for the Genkai Sea uses the Vivin Sutte in size 4.0. The Vivin Sutte alone comes in seven sizes.

See the Vivin Sutte

A9.Budou-ika is regarded as a seasonal form of the kensaki squid. Compared with a kensaki squid it is rounder overall, and its tentacles are longer and thicker. It is found on the western side of the Sea of Japan, from the Genkai Sea to the San’in coast, and from northern Kyushu to Yamaguchi it is treated as a separate squid.

A10.Thank you for your interest in KEYSTONE. We are sorry to say that we are not recruiting for any position at present. We will announce it on this website when we are. (As of 1 March 2026)