Fishing glossary

Action (rod)

How much and where a rod bends under load. A fast-action rod flexes near the tip for sensitivity and casting punch; a slow-action rod bends deep into the butt for a softer, forgiving feel.

Backing

Thin, strong line wound onto the reel spool beneath the main line, giving extra capacity for a long run and filling the spool to the right diameter.

Backlash

A tangle of line on a baitcasting reel (a 'bird's nest') when the spool spins faster than the line leaves it. Thumb pressure prevents it.

Bail

The wire arm on a spinning reel that flips over to release or hold the line for casting and retrieving.

Barb

The backward-facing point on a hook that stops a fish sliding off. Pinch it down for easier release.

Bobber / float

A buoyant marker on the line that suspends bait at a set depth and signals a bite when it dips or moves.

Braid

A thin, very strong, low-stretch line woven from fibres. Superb sensitivity and strength, usually fished with a leader.

Carolina rig

A bottom rig with the weight sliding on the main line above a swivel, leader and hook, letting the bait move naturally.

Catch and release

Landing a fish and returning it unharmed. Use barbless hooks, wet your hands, and keep it in the water as much as you can.

Chum

Bait scattered in the water to attract fish to your spot. Check local rules - it's restricted in many places.

Cover

Anything a fish hides in or around - weeds, timber, docks, rocks. Fish tight to cover and you find fish.

Crankbait

A lipped, diving lure that wobbles and dives to a set depth when retrieved, imitating a swimming baitfish.

Disgorger

A simple tool for removing a hook that a fish has taken deep, sliding down the line to free the hook quickly and cleanly so the fish can be returned unharmed.

Drag

The reel's adjustable braking system that lets line slip under tension so a big fish can't simply snap it.

Drop shot

A finesse rig with the hook tied above a weight on the end of the line, suspending a small bait just off the bottom.

Ferrule

The joint where two sections of a rod fit together. A snug, clean ferrule matters for the rod's action and strength; keep it free of grit.

Fluorocarbon

A nearly invisible, abrasion-resistant line, often used as a leader because it disappears underwater.

Fly fishing

Casting a near-weightless artificial fly using the weight of the line itself, with a specialised rod and reel.

Groundbait

Bait scattered or catapulted into a swim to draw fish in and hold them there, from loose maggots and corn to a mixed, dampened ball of feed.

Guides (rod rings)

The rings along a rod that the line runs through. Their number, size and spacing control how smoothly line flows on the cast and how load spreads along the blank.

Hook set

The sharp lift or sweep of the rod that drives the hook home when a fish bites.

Hooklength

A short length of line, often finer than the main line, that connects the hook to the rig. Being weaker, it breaks first if snagged, so you lose only the hook, not the whole setup.

Jerkbait

A long, slender lure twitched to dart and pause like a wounded baitfish - deadly in cooler water.

Jig

A weighted hook, usually dressed with a soft body or bait, fished with a lift-and-drop motion - deadly for many species.

Leader

A length of stronger or less-visible line between the main line and the hook or lure, for abrasion or stealth.

Ledgering

Fishing a bait on or near the bottom with a weight and no float, feeling or watching for bites through the line, rod tip or a bite indicator.

Limit

The legal number of fish of a species you may keep in a day. Always know it before you go.

Live bait

Natural bait fished alive - worms, minnows, leeches - often the most convincing offering of all.

Lure

Any artificial bait designed to imitate prey and trigger a strike.

Monofilament

A single-strand nylon line - cheap, stretchy and forgiving. A great all-round beginner line.

PFD

Personal flotation device, or life jacket. Wear one on any boat or hard wading - the most important piece of fishing safety gear.

Presentation

How naturally and convincingly you put your bait or lure in front of the fish - often more important than the lure itself.

Reel

The mechanism that stores line and lets you cast and retrieve. Spinning reels are easiest for beginners; baitcasters offer more control.

Rig

The arrangement of hooks, weights and swivels on your line, set up for a particular method or species.

Sinker / weight

A lead or tungsten weight that takes your bait down and holds it at depth.

Slot limit

A rule that protects fish within a certain length range - you must release fish inside the 'slot' and may keep those outside it.

Snood

In sea and multi-hook fishing, a short length of line that holds a hook off the main trace or rig body - the sea-angling equivalent of a hooklength.

Soft plastic

A flexible, lifelike lure - worm, grub or swimbait - rigged on a hook or jig head. Hugely versatile.

Spawn

The breeding season when fish move shallow to lay eggs. Patterns change fast, and many waters protect fish during it.

Spinnerbait

A lure with one or more spinning metal blades that flash and vibrate to draw strikes.

Spool

The part of the reel the line is wound onto.

Structure

Underwater features - rocks, weed beds, drop-offs, timber - that hold fish. Find structure, find fish.

Swivel

A small connector that lets line rotate freely, preventing twist - handy with spinning lures.

Tackle

A catch-all term for your fishing gear: rods, reels, line, hooks, lures and the rest.

Test curve

A rough measure of a rod's power, being the weight needed to pull the tip round to 90 degrees. Higher test curves suit bigger fish and heavier casting.

Texas rig

A weedless setup with a bullet weight ahead of a soft plastic and the hook point tucked back in - made for heavy cover.

Thermocline

A layer where water temperature drops sharply with depth. Fish often hold right along it in summer.

Tippet

In fly fishing, the fine end section of the leader that ties to the fly.

Trace

A length of line, sometimes wire, between the main line and the hook or lure. Wire traces are essential for toothy fish like pike that would bite through nylon.

Trolling

Dragging lures or bait behind a moving boat to cover water and find fish.

Trotting

Letting a float and bait drift naturally downstream with the current in a river, running line off the reel so the bait travels at the pace of the flow.

Wade

To fish while standing in the water, common in rivers and on flats. Move slowly and quietly.

No terms match that search. Try a different word.