FISHING GLOSSARY AND TERMINOLOGY
Copyright © 2009 Women Fishing
Website Design by Advantage Website Designs
THE BASICS OF FISHING TERMINOLOGY
Artificial Lures - Lures made of wood, plastic, metal, feathers, or similar inert material
Bag
Limit - Restriction in the number of fish that an angler may retain, generally on a per trip or daily basis
Baitcasting - Fishing with
a revolving-spool reel and baitcasting rod; reel mounted on topside of rod
Bullet Sinker - A cone shaped piece of lead, zinc or steel
of varying weights that slides up and down the line
Buzzbait - An artificial lure with propeller-style blades that stirs up the water
surface upon retrieve; a type of topwater lure
C & R or CnR - Catch and Release
Carolina Rig - A deep-water assembly comprised of
a heavy slip sinker, plastic bead, barrel swivel, 16-to 18-inch leader, hook, and soft-plastic bait such as a worm, lizard, or crawfish.
Rigged weedless with the hook buried in the body of the bait, this combination is excellent for fishing ledges, points, sandbars,
and humps
Cover - Natural or manmade objects on the bottom of lakes, rivers, or impoundments, especially those that influence fish
behavior. Examples include stick-ups, tree lines, stumps, rocks, logs, pilings, docks, and weed patches
Crankbait - A plug with a lip
that causes it to dive. The bigger the lip, the deeper it dives
Creel limit - The number of fish an angler can keep as set by local
or state regulations
Depthfinder - A sonar device, either a flasher unit or LCR recorder, used to read the bottom structure, determine
depth, and in some cases actually spot the fish; also called a fishfinder
Drag - The device on reels that puts pressure on the line
as it plays out and prevents the line from breaking
Drop-Off - A sudden increase in depth, associated with a flat, point, gulley washes,
small creek channels, land points, and the general lay of the land
Eyelets - The eyelets, line guides or rings on a rod through which
fishing line is passed
Feeding Cycle - Certain regular intervals during which fish satisfy their appetites. Examples: Major or Minor
Solunar periods; sunrise, sunset
Fishfinder - A sonar device, either a flasher unit or LCR recorder, used to read the bottom structure,
determine depth, and in some cases actually spot the fish; also called a Depth Finder
Flat - A bottom that does not change more than
a couple feet in depth. The flat can be near the shore or far away from it. A topo map shows the contour lines very far apart
Fly Fishing -
A method of fishing that utilizes an artificial fly, a long flexible rod, a reel, and line
Flytier - One who makes his own artificial
flies for fishing
Forage - Something eaten; the act of eating
Grub - A short, plastic type of worm usually rigged with a weighted jig
hook
Habitat - The natural environment where fish, animals, and plants live
Honey Hole - A slang term used to describe a specific hole
or an area containing big fish and/or a high number of fish
Hump - An underwater island that generally rises gradually. On a topographical
(topo) map, a hump will be signified by contour lines that make a circle, oval, or other similar shape
Jerkbait - plugs that move with
no built-in action of their own; any action comes from the fisherman's maneuvering the rod and line
Jig - a hook with a leadhead that
is usually dressed with hair, silicone, or plastic
Keeper - Any fish that conforms to a specific minimum length limit established by
the state fisheries department
Ledge - A severe drop-off. In my opinion, one that is anywhere from 75 - 90 degrees in angle and lasts
more than 20 vertical feet. On a topo map, the contour lines will look as if they are touching each other
Line Guides - The eyelets
or rings on a rod through which fishing line is passed
Lipless Crankbaits - Artificial baits designed to resemble a swimming baitfish.
Such plugs vibrate and/or wobble during retrieve; some have built-in rattles. Also called swimming baits
Livewell - Compartment in
a boat designed to keep fish alive
Lunker - A slang term used to describe a very large fish
Monofilament or mono - A single, untwisted,
synthetic filament
Oxbow - A U shaped bend in a river or stream
Pattern - A defined set of location and presentation factors that consistently produce
fish
Point - A finger of land jutting into the water. A shoreline feature where the shoreline makes a turn out into the lake and cuts
back on itself forming a peninsula. These can be large main-lake features at the opening of a creek arm or as small as a boat. In
natural lakes, a point may not be that obvious. It may only be discernable by weed growth outlining the point underwater. In this
case, look at the weeds as if they were the shoreline
Presentation - A collective term referring to choice of type of lure, color,
and size; structure targeted; amount of disturbance a bait makes when entering the water; and retrieval technique, speed, and depth
used to catch fish
Ramp - A term used to denote the launch/retreive area for a boat
Riprap - Loose rock, stacked on a bank by mother
nature or man that transitions into the water to help prevent erosion. This is a great place where crustaceans like to hide
Selective
Harvest - Deciding to release or harvest fish, based on species, size, and relative abundance
Shoal - A submerged ridge, bank, or bar
consisting of, or covered by, unconsolidated sediments (mud, sand, gravel)
Size Limit - The legal length a fish must be if it is in
possession
Slip Sinker - A lead, zinc or steel weight with a hole through the center. Threaded on line, a slip sinker slides freely
up and down
Slot Limit - Dictates that fish within a specified mininum and maximum size range which must be released immediately
Spawning -
Release or deposition of spermatozoa or ova, of which some will fertilize or be fertilized to produce offspring; fish reproduction
process characterized by females and males depositing eggs and sperm into the water simultaneously or in succession so as to fertilize
the eggs
Spincaster - A manner of fishing employing a push-button, closed-face spinning reel and baitcasting rod
Spinnerbait - A type
of artificial lure that consists of one or two rotating blades and either a straight or safety-pin style shaft dressed with material
Spinning -
A manner of fishing employing an open-face or closed-face spinning reel an spinning rod; reel is mounted on the underside of the rod;
rod guides are on the underside of the rod
Split Shot Sinker - A small ball of lead of varying weights that is split open on one side
and can be placed directly on the line
Spook - The act of alarming a fish in a negative way. Examples: excessive noise, casting a human
shadow
Stained - A discoloration of the water usually occurring after a heavy rain
Stocking - The practice of releasing artificially
reared fry or fingerlings into ponds, reservoirs, or open waters
Structure - Changes in the shape of the bottom of lakes, rivers, or
impoundments, especially those that influence fish behavior. Examples include manmade cribs, flooded roadbeds, humps, ledges, and
drop-offs
Suspended Fish - Fish at mid-level depths, neither near the surface nor on the bottom
Terminal Tackle - A term that refers
collectively to bobbers, sinkers, leaders, hooks, lures, snaps, swivels, and other gear that go at the end of a line
Texas Rig - The
method of securing a hook to a soft-plastic bait - worm, lizard, crawfish, by burying the hook point into the body of the lure
Thermocline -
The distinct interface between surface waters and cooler, deeper waters; region below the surface layer of the sea or lake, where
temperature declines abruptly with increasing depth
Topwater Lure - A lure that floats and is designed to be used to create some degree
of disturbance on the surface during retrieve
Treble Hook - Hook with single or bundled shaft and three points
Turnover - The period
when the cold water on the surface of a body of water descends and is replaced by warmer water from below
Weedless - A description
of a lure designed to be fished in heavy cover with a minimum amount of snagging
Weedline - Abrupt edge of a weedbed caused by a change
in depth, bottom type, or other factor
Year Class - Individuals spawned in the same year (or spawning season, when that spans the end
of one year and the beginning of the next)