G
Gaff - A steel hook of varying sizes, mounted on a pole or stick, used for snagging worn-out fish
that have been played to boatside by fishermen.
Game fish - A fish that is regulated by law for recreational harvest.
Gape - To open the mouth wide. In Zoological terms, it means the measurement of the widest
possible opening of a mouth.
Gear ratio - Retrieve speed of reel determines how much line is reeled in one revolution of the
reel's handle.
Gill rakers - A series of projections located along the front edge of the gill arch.
Gills - The fleshy, and highly vascular organs comparable to lungs used in aquatic respiration.
Golden rule - Gold color aluminum measuring device used in tournaments to measure bass in
order to easily determine the length of the fish.
GPS - Global Positioning Satellite, device used to accurately determine your location with in feet.
Grand slam - Some notable angling achievement, usually three popular species of fish from a
certain area.
Graphite - Material used to make rods. Good conductor thus graphite rods are sensitive.
Grass - Vegetation catch-all phrase. Refers to green plants growing in the water. Bass are
attracted to the grass, which is home to prey.
Gravel - See cobble.
Green Drake - A large, green-bodied mayfly found in many trout streams, a particular favorite food
for trout.
Grilse - Salmon less than 22 inches (56cm) Fork Length (FL).
Grinder - A device used to grind chum before tossing it overboard.
Growth overfishing -- The rate of fishing, as indicated by an equilibrium yield-per-recruit curve,
greater than which the losses in weight from total mortality exceed the gain in weight due to growth.
This point is defined as Fmax.
Grub - Small curl tail lure made of soft plastic.
Guides - Professional anglers who are paid to help other angler locate and catch fish.
H
Hackle - The series of extended fibers right behind the eye of a fly. The hackle is what allows a dry
fly to float.
Hair jig - Old-style jighead with the skirt fashioned out of hair and/or feathers.
Hatch box - A device used to incubate relatively small numbers of fish eggs. The hatch box is
usually located adjacent to a stream, which supplies the box with water.
Headboat - A government fisheries term for partyboat. Basically a fishing boat for hire that carries
more than six people. The average is more like 30 anglers, and sometimes more than 100. With
that many lines, you mostly fish straight down with heavy tackle for bottom fish.
Healthy stock - A stock of fish experiencing production levels consistent with its available habitat
and within the natural variations in survival for the stock.
Heterocercal - Said of the tail when the vertebrae curve upward into the upper lobe of the caudal
fin.
High-sticking - Holding the rod high to keep the line taut in a nymphing drift.
Hone - To sharpen hooks or knives with a stone.
Hoppers - A good-sized live shrimp sold at the marinas, usually a white shrimp.
Home range - The area that an animal traverses in the scope of normal activities. This is not to be
confused with territory, which is the area an animal defends.
Homing - The ability of a salmon or steelhead to correctly identify and return to their natal stream,
following maturation at sea.
Hula grub - Soft plastic curly-tailed grub, with a soft skirt type feature at the head of the grub.
Hump - Section of the lake bottom that rises vertically toward the surface, or is shallower than the
area around it. A submerged island would be considered a hump.
Husbandry - The scientific management and control of the hatchery environment for the
production of fish or wildlife.
I
Ichthyology - The scientific study of fishes.
Imbricated - Lying lapped over each other in regular order (like scales of a fish or shingles on a
roof).
Immigration - Referring to the movement of organisms into an area. See emigration and migrating.
Imprinting - The physiological and behavioral process by which migratory fish assimilate
environmental cues to aid their return to their stream of origin as adults.
Improved clinch knot - The suggested knot for tying a fly to the leader or tippet.
In-line - Commonly refers to in-line spinners where the blade, body, and hook are all in a straight
line. Example is a typical Mepp's spinner.
Inbreeding - Mating or crossing of individuals more closely related that average pairs in the
population.
Incoming tide - Water pushing inshore, generally caused by the moon's gravity pull. A strong wind
blowing out to sea can somewhat negate an incoming tide, however.
Incubation - The period of time from egg fertilization until hatching.
Indiana blade - Refers to a teardrop shaped blade used on spinnerbaits.
Indicator species - A species of plants or animals that suffers when pollution or environmental
stress begins, thus indicating environmental degradation.
Inferior mouth - The type of mouth that opens on the ventral surface (like sturgeon).
Inlet - A natural pass between ocean and bay. Unjettied inlets are more hazardous to boat traffic,
because of shifting sandbars that can be a hazard.Most inlets are now jettied with granite rocks, to
protect against erosion and to save dredging costs.
Inshore - A nebulous term that means perhaps within sight of land. "Let's head inshore" means
moving the boat from offshore back towards land.
Instantaneous Rate Of Fishing Mortality - When fishing and natural mortality act concurrently, F is
equal to the instantaneous total mortality rate, multiplied by the ratio of fishing deaths to all deaths.
Also called; rate of fishing; instan- taneous rate of fishing; *force of fishing mortality .
Instantaneous Rate Of Growth - The natural logarithm of the ratio of final weigl1t to initial weight of
a fish in a unit of time, usually a year. When applied collectively to all fish of a given age in a stock,
the possibility of selective morta lity must be considered .
Instantaneous Rate Of Mortality - The natural logarithm (with sign changed) of the survival rate.
The ratio of number of deaths per unit of time to population abundance during that time, if all
deceased fish were to be immediately replaced so that population does not change. Also called;
*coefficient of decrease.
Instantaneous Rate Of Natural Mortality - When natural and fishing mortality operate concurrently
it is equal to the instantaneous total mortality rate, multi- plied by the ratio of natural deaths to all
deaths. Also called; *force of natural mortality .
Instantaneous Rate Of Recruitment - "Number of fish that grow to catchable size per short interval
of time, divided by the number of catchable fish already present at that time. Usually given on a
yearly basis; that is, the figure just described is divided by the fraction of a year represented by
the ""short interval"" in question. This concept is used principally when the size of the vulnerable
stock is not changing or is changing only slowly, since among fishes recruitment is not usually
associated with stock size in the direct way in which mortality and growth are."
Instantaneous Rate Of Surplus Production - "Equal to rate of growth plus rate of recruitment less
rate of natural mortality--all in terms of weight and on an instantaneous basis. In a ""balanced"" or
equilibrium fishery, this increment replaces what is removed by fishing, and rate of surplus
production is numerically equal to rate of fishing. Also called; *instantaneous rate of natural
increase."
Interorbital - The space between the eyes.
Invertebrate drift - Stream and terrestrial invertebrates that float with the current.
Iteroparous - Species that reproduce repeatedly during their lifetime.
J
Jack plate - Device attached to the transom of a bass boat that allows the outboard motor to be
mounted farther back and higher that originally. Improves performance. Example, Rite Hite
Jackplate. Also used for shallow-running flats boats. This device jacks the motor straight up and
down, without tilting the lower unit, even while running.
Jack salmon - A young male salmon that matures precociously(earlier than other fish in its
age-class).
Jacobson downdrift - Feeding slack into the line as the fly emerges downstream to imitate an
emerging insect.
Jennie salmon - A young female salmon that matures precociously(earlier than other fish in its
age-class).
Jerkbait - There are two types: soft and hard. The soft style is similar to a baitfish profile and
rigged with a large worm hook. Example: Slug-Go. Hard jerkbaits resemble more of a minnow
baitfish. Examples are a Rapala or Smithwick Rogue. Both style lures are fished by twitching or
jerking the lure forward, hence the name.
Jetties - Granite boulders used to protect inlets and passes from sand erosion. An inlet protected
by jetties is much safer for boating traffic. The rocks attract many species of fish.
Jigging - Working a jig. That means popping the rod tip up and cranking in some line with the reel,
making the jig dart through the water. Very attractive to most fish species.
Jitterbug - Old wooden-body topwater lure with large metal lip. Makes a gurgle-type commotion
when retrieved.
Jugular pelvics - Pelvic fins in front of the pectoral fins.
Juvenile - Fish from one year of age until sexual maturity.
K
Kelt - A spent or spawned out steelhead salmon.
Keel guard - Handy device that is glued to the keel of a bass boat, so that it can be beached
without damage to the bottom of the boat.
Keeper - Legal size fish.
Kicker - Larger, heavier fish that really helps out the total weight of a tournament angler's catch.
Example; "I had a limit of 2-pounders, but was lucky and caught a 5 pound kicker."
Kite rig - Fishing a bait with a kite. Fishing kites are different from land kites, usually flat and
square. The live bait skips around on the surface, without the telltale line being visible.
Krill - Small abundant crustaceans that form an important part of the food chain in Antarctic waters.
Kype - The distinctive hooked jaw that male salmon develop during spawning.
L
Lagoon - Found mostly in the Pacific, lagoons are shallow, protected areas usually ringed by coral
reef.
Larva - The second, or "worm" phase of an insect's life cycle.
Lateral line - A series of sensory pores opening to the exterior along the side of fish.
Lead fly - The primary fly tied on the end of a fly line.
Leader - The piece of clear, tapered monofilament line attached to the fly line, usually between six
and 15 feet long.
Leadhead - Bare leadhead jig that is normally used to rig a grub body onto.
Leading (pronounced "leeding") - The act of keeping the rod tip and strike indicator downstream of
the drifting nymph.
Leech - A bloodsucking worm.
Length Frequency - An arrangement of recorded lengths which indicates the number of times each
length or length interval occurs.
Lentic - Characterizing aquatic communities found in standing water.
Lever drag - The serious offshore reels designed for ocean fish now use a very smooth lever drag,
as opposed to the older star drag.
Limit - Legal limit of bass, or other fish.
Limnetic - Referring to a standing water Ecosystem (ponds or lakes).
Limnology - The study of lakes, ponds and streams.
Line memory - When line, leader, or tippet stays in the same position in which is has been bent,
tied, spooled, or coiled.
Line weight - The relative weight of a fly line. A "1 weight" rod throws a thin, light line, while a "10
weight" rod throws a very heavy, thicker line.
Lipless crankbait - Shad-shaped crankbait that has no visible diving lip. The line attaches to the
top of the lure. Example; Rat-L-Trap.
Lit up - Pelagic fish such as the marlins, sailfish and wahoo have a tendency to "light up" with
neon, powder blue colors when excited or hooked.
Littoral zone - The region of land bordering a body of water.
Live bottom - Rocky bottom, sometimes very flat, where sponges and corals can find something
solid to grow on. This attracts various bottom fish, such as grouper.
Live box - A container filled with water and often equipped with accessories such as aeration
equipment that is used to hold and transport live fish.
Lizard - Soft plastic lures similar to a salamder. Used for Carolina Rigs, and fishing shallow water in
the spring.
Locators - Common nickname for depthfinders since they will often display images of fish as they
pass over them.
Longliner - Longliners are commercial fishing boats with a huge spool of heavy monofilament line
on their back deck, up to 40 miles long. Used mostly for targeting tuna and swordfish.
Long-term potential catch - The largest annual harvest in weight that could be removed from a fish
stock year after year, under existing environmental conditions. This can be estimated in various
ways, from maximum values from production models to average observed catches over a suitable
period of years.
Loop - The candy-cane pattern made by a fly line as it is cast. The tighter the loop, the more
accurate and powerful the cast.
Lotic - Meaning or regarding things in running water.
Lunker - Big or large-size bass. Also known as Hawg or monster.
Lunker Lure - Original designer of the buzzbait. Many anglers still refer to all buzzbaits as "Lunker
Lures."
Lure retrievers - Heavy devices designed to knock loose or retrieve snagged fishing lures.
M
Macroinvertebrate - Invertebrates visible to the naked eye, such as insect larvae and crayfish.
Maintainable Yield -The largest catch that can be maintained from the population, at whatever
level of stock size, over an indefinite period. It will be identical to the sustainable yield for
populations below the level giving the MSY, and equal to the MSY for populations at or above this
level""."
Mandibular - Pertaining to the lower jaw.
Mangroves - The only trees that grow in salt water. Mangroves protect tropical coastlines from
storm surges, and their extensive root system attracts a variety of shallow water gamefish.
Matching the hatch - Choosing the fly pattern that imitates the insects that are hatching nearby.
Mayfly - The mayfly is characterized by an upswept wing and long, delicate two- or three-stranded
tail. The mayfly goes through three stages -- egg, nymph, and adult -- then metamorphoses once
again from a sub-imago adult to a spinner.
Maxillae or maxillaries - The upper jaw, the upper jaw bones.
Maximum Sustainable Yield - The largest average catch or yield that can continuously be taken
from a stock under existing environmental conditions. (For species with fluctuating recruitment, the
maximum might be obtained by taking fewer fish in some years than in others.) Also called;
maximum equilibrium catch ; maximum sustained yield; sustainable catch.
Mending - The act of lifting the fly line off the water and flipping it either upstream or downstream
to eliminate drag and accomplish a more natural drift.
Merging currents - A dead spot of calm water created where two currents come together.
Mental - Pertaining to the chin or mentum.
Midge - A very small species of aquatic insects found in trout streams. Many species of midges
hatch into adults in the middle of winter. They have four stages of development, from egg to larva
to pupa to adult.
Migrant - Life stage of anadromous and resident fish species which moves from one locale, habitat
or system (river or ocean) to another.
Migrating - Moving from one area of residence to another.
Milt - The sperm of fishes.
Mixed stock - A stock whose individuals originated from commingled native and non-native parents;
or a previously native stock that has undergone substantial genetic alteration.
Mojo rig - Technique similar to a Carolina Rig except that it is rigged on a spinning rod. Thus it is a
finesse-type method. The sinkers are cylindrical or pencil-shaped to come through rocks without
snagging.
Mono leader - Leader made of monofilament. Mono leaders are of course heavier grade than the
line on your reel.
Monofilament - The clear style fishing line most commonly used by anglers.
Mortality - The number of fish lost or the rate of loss.
Muds - Created by a bottom-grubbing school of fish. For instance, a school of bonefish rooting on
the bottom will gradually muddy the water in a large patch, easily visible on a sunny day.
Myomeres - The muscle segments.
Mysis - A type of silvery freshwater shrimp found in cold mountain lakes and reservoirs.
N
Nail knot - The knot used to attach a leader to the fly line or to the butt section.
Natal - Birth place.
Natal stream - Stream of birth.
Natural Mortality - Deaths in a fish stock caused by predation, pollution, senility, etc., but not
fishing.
Natural Reproduction - As opposed to hatchery-raised fish, this term refers to fish that are hatched
and mature in a wild environment.
Naturally spawning populations - Populations of fish that have completed their entire life cycle in
the natural environment without human intervention.
Neoprene - The material that divers' wetsuits is made of. It is also a popular material for
cold-weather waders.
Net - Cloth or rubber device used to land fish.
Net Increase (or decrease) - New body substance elaborated in a stock, less the loss from all
forms of mortality.
Nominal catch - The sum of the catches that are landed (expressed as live weight or equivalents).
Nominal catches do not include unreported discards.
Nymph phase - The immature phase of an aquatic insect's life cycle that occurs underwater.
O
Odd-year run - A population of fish that returns to its natural spawning grounds in odd numbered
years, such as the pink salmon.
Opercle - Refers to the largest bone in the operculum.
Operculum - The gill cover.
Optimum Yield - (OY) The yield from a fishery which provides the greatest overall benefit to the
nation with particular reference to food production and recreational opportunities; it is based on
MSY as modified by economic, social or ecological factors. Precision and Accuracy Precision is the
closeness to each other of repeated measurements of the same quantity or object, while accuracy
is closeness of a measured or computed value to its true value.
Old salt - Some crusty old fisherman who has survived many storms offshore, and seen many fish.
Organizers - Clear plastic tackle boxes that can be taken out or added to a boat or tackle bag.
Example; Plano Stowaway boxes.
Outgoing tide - Water flowing back out, often a good time to fish the inlets that drain the bays into
the Gulf or Ocean.
Outmigration - The migration of fish down the river system to the ocean.
Outplanting - Hatchery reared fish released into streams for rearing and maturing away from the
hatchery sites.
Outrigger - Long metal or fiberglass poles, used for trolling baits far to the sides of a boat.
Overhand cast - A nymphing cast where the fisherman rotates the rod directly overhand while
casting.
Oyster bar - A shallow reef, often exposed at low tide, made up of countless oysters.
P
Palatines - Paired bones in the roof of the mouth, lateral to vomer; may bear teeth.
Papilla - A small fleshy projection.
Papillose - Covered with papilla.
Parameter - "A ""constant"" or numerical description of some property of a population (which may
be real or imaginary). Cf. statistic."
Parietals - Pared bones on posterior roof of skull, lateral to supraoccipital.
Parr - The developmental life stage of salmon and trout between alevin and smolt, when the young
have developed parr marks and are actively feeding in fresh water.
Parr marks - Distinctive vertical bars on the sides of young salmonids.
Partyboat - Charter vessel carrying more than six fishermen. The norm is 30 to 100 people.
Pass - Same as an inlet, a natural water passage between the bays and ocean.
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags -- Passive Integrated Transponder tags are used for
identifying individual salmon for monitoring and research purposes. This miniaturized tag consists
of an integrated microchip that is programmed to include specific fish information. The tag is
inserted into the body cavity of the fish and decoded at selected monitoring sites.
Patch reef - A patch of coral reef inshore of the main reef line.
Pattern - A generic name for the recipe to tie a fly.
Pawl - The "clicker" mechanism inside a lower-end fly reel.
Pectoral fins - The anterior(front) paired fins, attached to pectoral (shoulder) girdle.
Pegging - Method of worm fishing where the slip sinker has an object like a toothpick stuck into it to
keep the sinker from sliding up the line.
Pelagic - Of or in the open ocean or open water.
Pelvic fins - Posterior paired fins, located in the abdominal position or towards the rear.
Peritoneum - Membrane lining the body cavity.
Pharyngeal teeth - Teeth located behind the gills and before the esophagus, and anchored in
bone.
Phytoplankton - Microscopic floating plants, mainly algae, that live suspended in bodies of water
and that drift about because they cannot move by themselves or because they are too small or too
weak to swim effectively against a current.
Piano wire - Single-strand fishing leader that closely resembles the wire inside a piano.
Pieces - Individual fish.
Pier rats - Crusty fishermen who spend many hours and days on the big surf piers, waiting until the
fish begin biting. These people have the art of pier fishing down to a science, with their own
customs.
Pinfish trap - A small wire box designed to be left at the marina or under a moored boat, and baited
with fish scraps.
Pistol grip - Rod featuring a short rubber or cork handle similar to that of a pistol. These type rods
are good for close range, accurate casting.
Pitching - Method of longer-range flipping, where the lure is tossed in an underhand motion very
close to the water's surface.
Placoid scale - Small plate-like scales that have a rough exterior edge found on sharks and related
species.
Plane - Term describing when a boat gets onto the surface of the lake, rather than being in the
water the boat in planning on top of the water.
Planer - A flat, metal device used to troll deep. The planer dives, dragging an attached line with
hook and bait. Not as cumbersome or heavy as a downrigger's cannonball.
Plankton - Minute floating forms of microscopic plants and animals in water which cannot get about
to any extent under their own power. They form the important beginnings of food chains for larger
animals.
Pocket water - Where fast current rushes around boulders and other obstructions, creating
pockets of calmer water.
Pogey - Menhaden shad.
Pogey Oil - Rich, golden oil from menhaden, also called pogey, used for chum.
Polarized glasses - Polarized glasses eliminate glare reflected from water and allow a fisherman to
see into the water.
Pond - A body of water smaller than a lake, often artificially formed.
Popper - Topwater lure that makes a popping, or spitting commotion when retrieved. Example;
Rebel Pop-R.
Popping cork - A Styrofoam cork with the top shaped to make it gurgle when yanked. The noise is
supposed to imitate sounds of fish feeding on top, thereby attracting the attention of gamefish.
Pork chunk - Trailer for jigs or spinnerbaits made originally from pork rinds.
Pre-smolt - A juvenile salmon or steelhead that has not yet reached the physiological state known
as a smolt.
Pre-spawning mortality - Generally refers to non-fishery mortality of adult salmon and steelhead
between the time the fish enter the Columbia River and the completion of spawning.
Precocious - Fish that have matured quickly, or faster than the remaining fish of its age-class.
Predation - Hunting and killing another animal for food.
Premaxilla - The paired bones forming the front of the upper jaw.
Preopercle - The large membrane bone lying in front of and parallel to the opercle.
Preorbital - The membrane bone lying in front of and below the eye.
Presentation - The act of delivering a fly or lure to a fish.
Priest - A short, wooden club used for subduing wild fish thrashing in the boat.
Production - 1. The total elaboration of new body substance in a stock in a unit of time,
irrespective of whether or not it survives to the end of that time. Also called; *net production ; *total
production. 2. *Yield.
Professional - Angler who makes his/her living from fishing tournaments.
Professional overrun - Fancy nickname for backlash or bird's nest in baitcasting reels.
Prop - Common term for the propeller of a trolling or outboard motor.
Prop bait - Topwater lure with a metal propeller on one or both ends.
Pteryhoids - Bones of the roof of the mouth lying behind and articulating with the palatines.
Pumpkinseed - Light brownish color used often in soft plastic lures. Very natural hue.
Pupa - The third phase of an insect's life cycle, when wings are beginning to grow.
Push pole - A long, 20-foot pole made of wood or graphite, used for silently pushing the boat
across the flats, easing within casting ranger of various fish.
Pyloric - Pertaining to that part of the stomach from which the intestine leads.
Pyloric caecum - A projection in the form of a blind sac attached to the intestine near the posterior
end of the stomach.
Q
Qualifier - One or series of tournaments that must be fished in order to make it to a fish-off.
Example; B.A.S.S. Invitational tournaments are qualifiers for the BASS Masters Classic.
R
Radio-telemetry - Automatic measurement and transmission of data from remote sources via radio
to a receiving station for recording and analysis.
Ramus - A branch; a projecting part.
Rate Of Exploitation - The fraction, by number, of the fish in a population at a given time, which is
caught and killed by man during the year immediately following . The term may also be applied to
separate parts of the stock distinguished by size, sex, etc. Also called; *fishing coefficient .
Rate Of Removal - An inexactly-defined term that can mean either rate of exploitation or rate of
fishing--depending on the context .
Rate Of Utilization - Similar to rate of exploitation, except that only the fish landed are considered.
The distinction between catch and landings is important when considerable quantities of fish are
discarded at sea.
Rat-L-Trap - Original type of lipless crankbait. Thus, most anglers refer to all similar lures by this
name.
Rattles - Glass or metal noisemakers added to lures in order to help bass find the lure easier.
Ray - One of the supports of a fin.
Re-spool - To replace the old line on a reel with new line.
Reach cast - A cast with a built-in mend accomplished by extending the arm and placing the line
upstream of where it would have landed with a normal cast.
Reaper - Soft plastic lure that resembles a leach. Popular on the west coast.
Rear - To feed and grow in a natural or artificial environment.
Rearing - Refers to the amount of time that juvenile fish spend feeding in nursery areas of rivers,
lakes, streams and estuaries before migration.
Recruitment overfishing - The rate of fishing above which the recruitment to the exploitable stock
becomes significantly reduced. This is characterized by a greatly reduced spawning stock, a
decreasing proportion of older fish in the catch, and generally very low recruitment year after year.
Recruits - The total numbers of fish of a specific stock available at a particular stage of their life
history.
Red reel - The common baitcasting reel used back in the 1960s was the red Ambassadeur reel.
The reel has changed colors and owners since then.
Redd - A nest of fish eggs covered with gravel.
Reds - Reds is short for redfish.
Reflex strikes - Drawing a bite from fish that have no intention of feeding. Example; by bumping the
crankbait into the stump (where the bass was hiding) the angler triggered the fish into a reflex
strike even though it had just eaten a crawfish.
Relative Abundance - An estimate of actual or absolute abundance; usually stated as some kind of
index; for example, as bottom trawl survey stratified mean catch per tow.
Reproduce - To produce offspring.
Resident species - Species of fish which spend their entire lives in freshwater.
Retrieval - The act of bringing in slack line (also called "stripping" by many fly fishermen.)
Reverse cast - The nymphing cast made by casting across the body on the "off" hand side of the
stream. (For a right-handed fisherman, the right side of the stream. For a left-handed fisherman,
the left bank.) Also called the "Western roll cast."
Ribbon tail - Style of plastic worm that has a long ribbon type tail that ripples when the worm is
retrieved.
Riffle - Where the current rolls over a rocky bar and then slows down.
Rig hook - A steel pipe, eight feet long, one inch in diameter, shaped like a candy cane. The
curved end is about two feet across, and slips over various protrusions on offshore production
platforms. The hook is attached to a 30-foot rope, which is attached to the boat. The rope can be
stuffed through the pipe, and knotted at the end. A shock cord should be added.
Ring worm - Brand of plastic worm that features rings or ribs over the outside of the body. The
texture is believed to feel soft and lifelike to fish.
Rip tide - On the beach, this is the water that flows back offshore, after the waves have piled so
much water next to the sand.
Rocket launcher - A rack of tubes designed to hold five or six fishing rods in a boat, easily
accessible and protective from damage in rough seas -- though not from corrosive salt spray.
Rod belt - A leather or (in more modern times) a plastic belt that fits around an angler's waist while
fighting a fish. The belt socket keeps the rod butt snug, and saves weary arm muscles and that
lower back during a long fight.
Roe - The eggs of fishes.
Roughfish - Undesired and often nuisance fish that have no gamefish qualities.
Run (of fish) - A group of fish of the same species that migrate together up a stream to spawn,
usually associated with the seasons, e.g., fall, spring, summer, and winter runs. Members of a run
interbreed, and may be genetically distinguishable from other individuals of the same species.
Run - A smooth, deep glide of water that usually follows a riffle.
Run & Gun - Method of fishing where the angler is only attempting to catch those aggressive fish
that will quickly strike the lures cast. Then the angler "runs" or motors to the next spot and quickly
fishes it, repeating the process numerous times.
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Gaff - A steel hook of varying sizes, mounted on a pole or stick, used for snagging worn-out fish
that have been played to boatside by fishermen.
Game fish - A fish that is regulated by law for recreational harvest.
Gape - To open the mouth wide. In Zoological terms, it means the measurement of the widest
possible opening of a mouth.
Gear ratio - Retrieve speed of reel determines how much line is reeled in one revolution of the
reel's handle.
Gill rakers - A series of projections located along the front edge of the gill arch.
Gills - The fleshy, and highly vascular organs comparable to lungs used in aquatic respiration.
Golden rule - Gold color aluminum measuring device used in tournaments to measure bass in
order to easily determine the length of the fish.
GPS - Global Positioning Satellite, device used to accurately determine your location with in feet.
Grand slam - Some notable angling achievement, usually three popular species of fish from a
certain area.
Graphite - Material used to make rods. Good conductor thus graphite rods are sensitive.
Grass - Vegetation catch-all phrase. Refers to green plants growing in the water. Bass are
attracted to the grass, which is home to prey.
Gravel - See cobble.
Green Drake - A large, green-bodied mayfly found in many trout streams, a particular favorite food
for trout.
Grilse - Salmon less than 22 inches (56cm) Fork Length (FL).
Grinder - A device used to grind chum before tossing it overboard.
Growth overfishing -- The rate of fishing, as indicated by an equilibrium yield-per-recruit curve,
greater than which the losses in weight from total mortality exceed the gain in weight due to growth.
This point is defined as Fmax.
Grub - Small curl tail lure made of soft plastic.
Guides - Professional anglers who are paid to help other angler locate and catch fish.
H
Hackle - The series of extended fibers right behind the eye of a fly. The hackle is what allows a dry
fly to float.
Hair jig - Old-style jighead with the skirt fashioned out of hair and/or feathers.
Hatch box - A device used to incubate relatively small numbers of fish eggs. The hatch box is
usually located adjacent to a stream, which supplies the box with water.
Headboat - A government fisheries term for partyboat. Basically a fishing boat for hire that carries
more than six people. The average is more like 30 anglers, and sometimes more than 100. With
that many lines, you mostly fish straight down with heavy tackle for bottom fish.
Healthy stock - A stock of fish experiencing production levels consistent with its available habitat
and within the natural variations in survival for the stock.
Heterocercal - Said of the tail when the vertebrae curve upward into the upper lobe of the caudal
fin.
High-sticking - Holding the rod high to keep the line taut in a nymphing drift.
Hone - To sharpen hooks or knives with a stone.
Hoppers - A good-sized live shrimp sold at the marinas, usually a white shrimp.
Home range - The area that an animal traverses in the scope of normal activities. This is not to be
confused with territory, which is the area an animal defends.
Homing - The ability of a salmon or steelhead to correctly identify and return to their natal stream,
following maturation at sea.
Hula grub - Soft plastic curly-tailed grub, with a soft skirt type feature at the head of the grub.
Hump - Section of the lake bottom that rises vertically toward the surface, or is shallower than the
area around it. A submerged island would be considered a hump.
Husbandry - The scientific management and control of the hatchery environment for the
production of fish or wildlife.
I
Ichthyology - The scientific study of fishes.
Imbricated - Lying lapped over each other in regular order (like scales of a fish or shingles on a
roof).
Immigration - Referring to the movement of organisms into an area. See emigration and migrating.
Imprinting - The physiological and behavioral process by which migratory fish assimilate
environmental cues to aid their return to their stream of origin as adults.
Improved clinch knot - The suggested knot for tying a fly to the leader or tippet.
In-line - Commonly refers to in-line spinners where the blade, body, and hook are all in a straight
line. Example is a typical Mepp's spinner.
Inbreeding - Mating or crossing of individuals more closely related that average pairs in the
population.
Incoming tide - Water pushing inshore, generally caused by the moon's gravity pull. A strong wind
blowing out to sea can somewhat negate an incoming tide, however.
Incubation - The period of time from egg fertilization until hatching.
Indiana blade - Refers to a teardrop shaped blade used on spinnerbaits.
Indicator species - A species of plants or animals that suffers when pollution or environmental
stress begins, thus indicating environmental degradation.
Inferior mouth - The type of mouth that opens on the ventral surface (like sturgeon).
Inlet - A natural pass between ocean and bay. Unjettied inlets are more hazardous to boat traffic,
because of shifting sandbars that can be a hazard.Most inlets are now jettied with granite rocks, to
protect against erosion and to save dredging costs.
Inshore - A nebulous term that means perhaps within sight of land. "Let's head inshore" means
moving the boat from offshore back towards land.
Instantaneous Rate Of Fishing Mortality - When fishing and natural mortality act concurrently, F is
equal to the instantaneous total mortality rate, multiplied by the ratio of fishing deaths to all deaths.
Also called; rate of fishing; instan- taneous rate of fishing; *force of fishing mortality .
Instantaneous Rate Of Growth - The natural logarithm of the ratio of final weigl1t to initial weight of
a fish in a unit of time, usually a year. When applied collectively to all fish of a given age in a stock,
the possibility of selective morta lity must be considered .
Instantaneous Rate Of Mortality - The natural logarithm (with sign changed) of the survival rate.
The ratio of number of deaths per unit of time to population abundance during that time, if all
deceased fish were to be immediately replaced so that population does not change. Also called;
*coefficient of decrease.
Instantaneous Rate Of Natural Mortality - When natural and fishing mortality operate concurrently
it is equal to the instantaneous total mortality rate, multi- plied by the ratio of natural deaths to all
deaths. Also called; *force of natural mortality .
Instantaneous Rate Of Recruitment - "Number of fish that grow to catchable size per short interval
of time, divided by the number of catchable fish already present at that time. Usually given on a
yearly basis; that is, the figure just described is divided by the fraction of a year represented by
the ""short interval"" in question. This concept is used principally when the size of the vulnerable
stock is not changing or is changing only slowly, since among fishes recruitment is not usually
associated with stock size in the direct way in which mortality and growth are."
Instantaneous Rate Of Surplus Production - "Equal to rate of growth plus rate of recruitment less
rate of natural mortality--all in terms of weight and on an instantaneous basis. In a ""balanced"" or
equilibrium fishery, this increment replaces what is removed by fishing, and rate of surplus
production is numerically equal to rate of fishing. Also called; *instantaneous rate of natural
increase."
Interorbital - The space between the eyes.
Invertebrate drift - Stream and terrestrial invertebrates that float with the current.
Iteroparous - Species that reproduce repeatedly during their lifetime.
J
Jack plate - Device attached to the transom of a bass boat that allows the outboard motor to be
mounted farther back and higher that originally. Improves performance. Example, Rite Hite
Jackplate. Also used for shallow-running flats boats. This device jacks the motor straight up and
down, without tilting the lower unit, even while running.
Jack salmon - A young male salmon that matures precociously(earlier than other fish in its
age-class).
Jacobson downdrift - Feeding slack into the line as the fly emerges downstream to imitate an
emerging insect.
Jennie salmon - A young female salmon that matures precociously(earlier than other fish in its
age-class).
Jerkbait - There are two types: soft and hard. The soft style is similar to a baitfish profile and
rigged with a large worm hook. Example: Slug-Go. Hard jerkbaits resemble more of a minnow
baitfish. Examples are a Rapala or Smithwick Rogue. Both style lures are fished by twitching or
jerking the lure forward, hence the name.
Jetties - Granite boulders used to protect inlets and passes from sand erosion. An inlet protected
by jetties is much safer for boating traffic. The rocks attract many species of fish.
Jigging - Working a jig. That means popping the rod tip up and cranking in some line with the reel,
making the jig dart through the water. Very attractive to most fish species.
Jitterbug - Old wooden-body topwater lure with large metal lip. Makes a gurgle-type commotion
when retrieved.
Jugular pelvics - Pelvic fins in front of the pectoral fins.
Juvenile - Fish from one year of age until sexual maturity.
K
Kelt - A spent or spawned out steelhead salmon.
Keel guard - Handy device that is glued to the keel of a bass boat, so that it can be beached
without damage to the bottom of the boat.
Keeper - Legal size fish.
Kicker - Larger, heavier fish that really helps out the total weight of a tournament angler's catch.
Example; "I had a limit of 2-pounders, but was lucky and caught a 5 pound kicker."
Kite rig - Fishing a bait with a kite. Fishing kites are different from land kites, usually flat and
square. The live bait skips around on the surface, without the telltale line being visible.
Krill - Small abundant crustaceans that form an important part of the food chain in Antarctic waters.
Kype - The distinctive hooked jaw that male salmon develop during spawning.
L
Lagoon - Found mostly in the Pacific, lagoons are shallow, protected areas usually ringed by coral
reef.
Larva - The second, or "worm" phase of an insect's life cycle.
Lateral line - A series of sensory pores opening to the exterior along the side of fish.
Lead fly - The primary fly tied on the end of a fly line.
Leader - The piece of clear, tapered monofilament line attached to the fly line, usually between six
and 15 feet long.
Leadhead - Bare leadhead jig that is normally used to rig a grub body onto.
Leading (pronounced "leeding") - The act of keeping the rod tip and strike indicator downstream of
the drifting nymph.
Leech - A bloodsucking worm.
Length Frequency - An arrangement of recorded lengths which indicates the number of times each
length or length interval occurs.
Lentic - Characterizing aquatic communities found in standing water.
Lever drag - The serious offshore reels designed for ocean fish now use a very smooth lever drag,
as opposed to the older star drag.
Limit - Legal limit of bass, or other fish.
Limnetic - Referring to a standing water Ecosystem (ponds or lakes).
Limnology - The study of lakes, ponds and streams.
Line memory - When line, leader, or tippet stays in the same position in which is has been bent,
tied, spooled, or coiled.
Line weight - The relative weight of a fly line. A "1 weight" rod throws a thin, light line, while a "10
weight" rod throws a very heavy, thicker line.
Lipless crankbait - Shad-shaped crankbait that has no visible diving lip. The line attaches to the
top of the lure. Example; Rat-L-Trap.
Lit up - Pelagic fish such as the marlins, sailfish and wahoo have a tendency to "light up" with
neon, powder blue colors when excited or hooked.
Littoral zone - The region of land bordering a body of water.
Live bottom - Rocky bottom, sometimes very flat, where sponges and corals can find something
solid to grow on. This attracts various bottom fish, such as grouper.
Live box - A container filled with water and often equipped with accessories such as aeration
equipment that is used to hold and transport live fish.
Lizard - Soft plastic lures similar to a salamder. Used for Carolina Rigs, and fishing shallow water in
the spring.
Locators - Common nickname for depthfinders since they will often display images of fish as they
pass over them.
Longliner - Longliners are commercial fishing boats with a huge spool of heavy monofilament line
on their back deck, up to 40 miles long. Used mostly for targeting tuna and swordfish.
Long-term potential catch - The largest annual harvest in weight that could be removed from a fish
stock year after year, under existing environmental conditions. This can be estimated in various
ways, from maximum values from production models to average observed catches over a suitable
period of years.
Loop - The candy-cane pattern made by a fly line as it is cast. The tighter the loop, the more
accurate and powerful the cast.
Lotic - Meaning or regarding things in running water.
Lunker - Big or large-size bass. Also known as Hawg or monster.
Lunker Lure - Original designer of the buzzbait. Many anglers still refer to all buzzbaits as "Lunker
Lures."
Lure retrievers - Heavy devices designed to knock loose or retrieve snagged fishing lures.
M
Macroinvertebrate - Invertebrates visible to the naked eye, such as insect larvae and crayfish.
Maintainable Yield -The largest catch that can be maintained from the population, at whatever
level of stock size, over an indefinite period. It will be identical to the sustainable yield for
populations below the level giving the MSY, and equal to the MSY for populations at or above this
level""."
Mandibular - Pertaining to the lower jaw.
Mangroves - The only trees that grow in salt water. Mangroves protect tropical coastlines from
storm surges, and their extensive root system attracts a variety of shallow water gamefish.
Matching the hatch - Choosing the fly pattern that imitates the insects that are hatching nearby.
Mayfly - The mayfly is characterized by an upswept wing and long, delicate two- or three-stranded
tail. The mayfly goes through three stages -- egg, nymph, and adult -- then metamorphoses once
again from a sub-imago adult to a spinner.
Maxillae or maxillaries - The upper jaw, the upper jaw bones.
Maximum Sustainable Yield - The largest average catch or yield that can continuously be taken
from a stock under existing environmental conditions. (For species with fluctuating recruitment, the
maximum might be obtained by taking fewer fish in some years than in others.) Also called;
maximum equilibrium catch ; maximum sustained yield; sustainable catch.
Mending - The act of lifting the fly line off the water and flipping it either upstream or downstream
to eliminate drag and accomplish a more natural drift.
Merging currents - A dead spot of calm water created where two currents come together.
Mental - Pertaining to the chin or mentum.
Midge - A very small species of aquatic insects found in trout streams. Many species of midges
hatch into adults in the middle of winter. They have four stages of development, from egg to larva
to pupa to adult.
Migrant - Life stage of anadromous and resident fish species which moves from one locale, habitat
or system (river or ocean) to another.
Migrating - Moving from one area of residence to another.
Milt - The sperm of fishes.
Mixed stock - A stock whose individuals originated from commingled native and non-native parents;
or a previously native stock that has undergone substantial genetic alteration.
Mojo rig - Technique similar to a Carolina Rig except that it is rigged on a spinning rod. Thus it is a
finesse-type method. The sinkers are cylindrical or pencil-shaped to come through rocks without
snagging.
Mono leader - Leader made of monofilament. Mono leaders are of course heavier grade than the
line on your reel.
Monofilament - The clear style fishing line most commonly used by anglers.
Mortality - The number of fish lost or the rate of loss.
Muds - Created by a bottom-grubbing school of fish. For instance, a school of bonefish rooting on
the bottom will gradually muddy the water in a large patch, easily visible on a sunny day.
Myomeres - The muscle segments.
Mysis - A type of silvery freshwater shrimp found in cold mountain lakes and reservoirs.
N
Nail knot - The knot used to attach a leader to the fly line or to the butt section.
Natal - Birth place.
Natal stream - Stream of birth.
Natural Mortality - Deaths in a fish stock caused by predation, pollution, senility, etc., but not
fishing.
Natural Reproduction - As opposed to hatchery-raised fish, this term refers to fish that are hatched
and mature in a wild environment.
Naturally spawning populations - Populations of fish that have completed their entire life cycle in
the natural environment without human intervention.
Neoprene - The material that divers' wetsuits is made of. It is also a popular material for
cold-weather waders.
Net - Cloth or rubber device used to land fish.
Net Increase (or decrease) - New body substance elaborated in a stock, less the loss from all
forms of mortality.
Nominal catch - The sum of the catches that are landed (expressed as live weight or equivalents).
Nominal catches do not include unreported discards.
Nymph phase - The immature phase of an aquatic insect's life cycle that occurs underwater.
O
Odd-year run - A population of fish that returns to its natural spawning grounds in odd numbered
years, such as the pink salmon.
Opercle - Refers to the largest bone in the operculum.
Operculum - The gill cover.
Optimum Yield - (OY) The yield from a fishery which provides the greatest overall benefit to the
nation with particular reference to food production and recreational opportunities; it is based on
MSY as modified by economic, social or ecological factors. Precision and Accuracy Precision is the
closeness to each other of repeated measurements of the same quantity or object, while accuracy
is closeness of a measured or computed value to its true value.
Old salt - Some crusty old fisherman who has survived many storms offshore, and seen many fish.
Organizers - Clear plastic tackle boxes that can be taken out or added to a boat or tackle bag.
Example; Plano Stowaway boxes.
Outgoing tide - Water flowing back out, often a good time to fish the inlets that drain the bays into
the Gulf or Ocean.
Outmigration - The migration of fish down the river system to the ocean.
Outplanting - Hatchery reared fish released into streams for rearing and maturing away from the
hatchery sites.
Outrigger - Long metal or fiberglass poles, used for trolling baits far to the sides of a boat.
Overhand cast - A nymphing cast where the fisherman rotates the rod directly overhand while
casting.
Oyster bar - A shallow reef, often exposed at low tide, made up of countless oysters.
P
Palatines - Paired bones in the roof of the mouth, lateral to vomer; may bear teeth.
Papilla - A small fleshy projection.
Papillose - Covered with papilla.
Parameter - "A ""constant"" or numerical description of some property of a population (which may
be real or imaginary). Cf. statistic."
Parietals - Pared bones on posterior roof of skull, lateral to supraoccipital.
Parr - The developmental life stage of salmon and trout between alevin and smolt, when the young
have developed parr marks and are actively feeding in fresh water.
Parr marks - Distinctive vertical bars on the sides of young salmonids.
Partyboat - Charter vessel carrying more than six fishermen. The norm is 30 to 100 people.
Pass - Same as an inlet, a natural water passage between the bays and ocean.
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags -- Passive Integrated Transponder tags are used for
identifying individual salmon for monitoring and research purposes. This miniaturized tag consists
of an integrated microchip that is programmed to include specific fish information. The tag is
inserted into the body cavity of the fish and decoded at selected monitoring sites.
Patch reef - A patch of coral reef inshore of the main reef line.
Pattern - A generic name for the recipe to tie a fly.
Pawl - The "clicker" mechanism inside a lower-end fly reel.
Pectoral fins - The anterior(front) paired fins, attached to pectoral (shoulder) girdle.
Pegging - Method of worm fishing where the slip sinker has an object like a toothpick stuck into it to
keep the sinker from sliding up the line.
Pelagic - Of or in the open ocean or open water.
Pelvic fins - Posterior paired fins, located in the abdominal position or towards the rear.
Peritoneum - Membrane lining the body cavity.
Pharyngeal teeth - Teeth located behind the gills and before the esophagus, and anchored in
bone.
Phytoplankton - Microscopic floating plants, mainly algae, that live suspended in bodies of water
and that drift about because they cannot move by themselves or because they are too small or too
weak to swim effectively against a current.
Piano wire - Single-strand fishing leader that closely resembles the wire inside a piano.
Pieces - Individual fish.
Pier rats - Crusty fishermen who spend many hours and days on the big surf piers, waiting until the
fish begin biting. These people have the art of pier fishing down to a science, with their own
customs.
Pinfish trap - A small wire box designed to be left at the marina or under a moored boat, and baited
with fish scraps.
Pistol grip - Rod featuring a short rubber or cork handle similar to that of a pistol. These type rods
are good for close range, accurate casting.
Pitching - Method of longer-range flipping, where the lure is tossed in an underhand motion very
close to the water's surface.
Placoid scale - Small plate-like scales that have a rough exterior edge found on sharks and related
species.
Plane - Term describing when a boat gets onto the surface of the lake, rather than being in the
water the boat in planning on top of the water.
Planer - A flat, metal device used to troll deep. The planer dives, dragging an attached line with
hook and bait. Not as cumbersome or heavy as a downrigger's cannonball.
Plankton - Minute floating forms of microscopic plants and animals in water which cannot get about
to any extent under their own power. They form the important beginnings of food chains for larger
animals.
Pocket water - Where fast current rushes around boulders and other obstructions, creating
pockets of calmer water.
Pogey - Menhaden shad.
Pogey Oil - Rich, golden oil from menhaden, also called pogey, used for chum.
Polarized glasses - Polarized glasses eliminate glare reflected from water and allow a fisherman to
see into the water.
Pond - A body of water smaller than a lake, often artificially formed.
Popper - Topwater lure that makes a popping, or spitting commotion when retrieved. Example;
Rebel Pop-R.
Popping cork - A Styrofoam cork with the top shaped to make it gurgle when yanked. The noise is
supposed to imitate sounds of fish feeding on top, thereby attracting the attention of gamefish.
Pork chunk - Trailer for jigs or spinnerbaits made originally from pork rinds.
Pre-smolt - A juvenile salmon or steelhead that has not yet reached the physiological state known
as a smolt.
Pre-spawning mortality - Generally refers to non-fishery mortality of adult salmon and steelhead
between the time the fish enter the Columbia River and the completion of spawning.
Precocious - Fish that have matured quickly, or faster than the remaining fish of its age-class.
Predation - Hunting and killing another animal for food.
Premaxilla - The paired bones forming the front of the upper jaw.
Preopercle - The large membrane bone lying in front of and parallel to the opercle.
Preorbital - The membrane bone lying in front of and below the eye.
Presentation - The act of delivering a fly or lure to a fish.
Priest - A short, wooden club used for subduing wild fish thrashing in the boat.
Production - 1. The total elaboration of new body substance in a stock in a unit of time,
irrespective of whether or not it survives to the end of that time. Also called; *net production ; *total
production. 2. *Yield.
Professional - Angler who makes his/her living from fishing tournaments.
Professional overrun - Fancy nickname for backlash or bird's nest in baitcasting reels.
Prop - Common term for the propeller of a trolling or outboard motor.
Prop bait - Topwater lure with a metal propeller on one or both ends.
Pteryhoids - Bones of the roof of the mouth lying behind and articulating with the palatines.
Pumpkinseed - Light brownish color used often in soft plastic lures. Very natural hue.
Pupa - The third phase of an insect's life cycle, when wings are beginning to grow.
Push pole - A long, 20-foot pole made of wood or graphite, used for silently pushing the boat
across the flats, easing within casting ranger of various fish.
Pyloric - Pertaining to that part of the stomach from which the intestine leads.
Pyloric caecum - A projection in the form of a blind sac attached to the intestine near the posterior
end of the stomach.
Q
Qualifier - One or series of tournaments that must be fished in order to make it to a fish-off.
Example; B.A.S.S. Invitational tournaments are qualifiers for the BASS Masters Classic.
R
Radio-telemetry - Automatic measurement and transmission of data from remote sources via radio
to a receiving station for recording and analysis.
Ramus - A branch; a projecting part.
Rate Of Exploitation - The fraction, by number, of the fish in a population at a given time, which is
caught and killed by man during the year immediately following . The term may also be applied to
separate parts of the stock distinguished by size, sex, etc. Also called; *fishing coefficient .
Rate Of Removal - An inexactly-defined term that can mean either rate of exploitation or rate of
fishing--depending on the context .
Rate Of Utilization - Similar to rate of exploitation, except that only the fish landed are considered.
The distinction between catch and landings is important when considerable quantities of fish are
discarded at sea.
Rat-L-Trap - Original type of lipless crankbait. Thus, most anglers refer to all similar lures by this
name.
Rattles - Glass or metal noisemakers added to lures in order to help bass find the lure easier.
Ray - One of the supports of a fin.
Re-spool - To replace the old line on a reel with new line.
Reach cast - A cast with a built-in mend accomplished by extending the arm and placing the line
upstream of where it would have landed with a normal cast.
Reaper - Soft plastic lure that resembles a leach. Popular on the west coast.
Rear - To feed and grow in a natural or artificial environment.
Rearing - Refers to the amount of time that juvenile fish spend feeding in nursery areas of rivers,
lakes, streams and estuaries before migration.
Recruitment overfishing - The rate of fishing above which the recruitment to the exploitable stock
becomes significantly reduced. This is characterized by a greatly reduced spawning stock, a
decreasing proportion of older fish in the catch, and generally very low recruitment year after year.
Recruits - The total numbers of fish of a specific stock available at a particular stage of their life
history.
Red reel - The common baitcasting reel used back in the 1960s was the red Ambassadeur reel.
The reel has changed colors and owners since then.
Redd - A nest of fish eggs covered with gravel.
Reds - Reds is short for redfish.
Reflex strikes - Drawing a bite from fish that have no intention of feeding. Example; by bumping the
crankbait into the stump (where the bass was hiding) the angler triggered the fish into a reflex
strike even though it had just eaten a crawfish.
Relative Abundance - An estimate of actual or absolute abundance; usually stated as some kind of
index; for example, as bottom trawl survey stratified mean catch per tow.
Reproduce - To produce offspring.
Resident species - Species of fish which spend their entire lives in freshwater.
Retrieval - The act of bringing in slack line (also called "stripping" by many fly fishermen.)
Reverse cast - The nymphing cast made by casting across the body on the "off" hand side of the
stream. (For a right-handed fisherman, the right side of the stream. For a left-handed fisherman,
the left bank.) Also called the "Western roll cast."
Ribbon tail - Style of plastic worm that has a long ribbon type tail that ripples when the worm is
retrieved.
Riffle - Where the current rolls over a rocky bar and then slows down.
Rig hook - A steel pipe, eight feet long, one inch in diameter, shaped like a candy cane. The
curved end is about two feet across, and slips over various protrusions on offshore production
platforms. The hook is attached to a 30-foot rope, which is attached to the boat. The rope can be
stuffed through the pipe, and knotted at the end. A shock cord should be added.
Ring worm - Brand of plastic worm that features rings or ribs over the outside of the body. The
texture is believed to feel soft and lifelike to fish.
Rip tide - On the beach, this is the water that flows back offshore, after the waves have piled so
much water next to the sand.
Rocket launcher - A rack of tubes designed to hold five or six fishing rods in a boat, easily
accessible and protective from damage in rough seas -- though not from corrosive salt spray.
Rod belt - A leather or (in more modern times) a plastic belt that fits around an angler's waist while
fighting a fish. The belt socket keeps the rod butt snug, and saves weary arm muscles and that
lower back during a long fight.
Roe - The eggs of fishes.
Roughfish - Undesired and often nuisance fish that have no gamefish qualities.
Run (of fish) - A group of fish of the same species that migrate together up a stream to spawn,
usually associated with the seasons, e.g., fall, spring, summer, and winter runs. Members of a run
interbreed, and may be genetically distinguishable from other individuals of the same species.
Run - A smooth, deep glide of water that usually follows a riffle.
Run & Gun - Method of fishing where the angler is only attempting to catch those aggressive fish
that will quickly strike the lures cast. Then the angler "runs" or motors to the next spot and quickly
fishes it, repeating the process numerous times.
Copyright© 2006 - 2009 BobberStop.com
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| Glossary of Fishing Terms |
| "You must lose a fly to catch a trout." George Herbert |
| "Gone fishin', be back at dark-thirty!" Author Unknown |
