Fishing

Fishing terms

1. A.C. Plug A brand name of a large trout-imitating, jointed topwater lure made of wood.
2. acidity The degree of sourness of a usually water soluble substance. Acidity is measured in pH, with 7 being neutral and 2 being a strong acid.
3. Acre-foot One surface acre of water 1 foot deep or 43,560 cubic feet of water. The total acre-feet of water in a pond is determined by multiplying the number of…
4. Action Case, cause, suit or controversy disputed or contested before a court.
5. active fish Fish that are feeding heavily and striking aggressively.
6. adipose fin On some species, the fatty fin located between the dorsal and tail fin.
7. air bladder A gas-filled sac in the upper part of the body cavity of many bony fishes. It is located just beneath the vertebral column; its principal function is to…
8. Algae Simple plant organism (typically a single cell) commonly found in water.
9. Alkalinity The total concentration of bases in water.
10. amur A member of the carp family found in China's Amur River. Commonly called a white amur or grass carp.
11. Anadromous Fish that live most of their adult life in saltwater but spawn in freshwater.
12. anal fin The unpaired fin that lies along the midline of the body beneath the anus, usually on the back half of the fish.
13. anchovy or anchovies A species of 4- to 8-inch baitfish found in the ocean that is also a popular bait used for striped bass at places like Lake Powell, Lake Mead, Lake Mohave…
14. angler Person using a fishing pole or rod and reel to catch fish.
15. angleworm Any live earthworm placed on a fishing hook.
16. Angling Usually refers to the recreational catching of fish (sport-fishing) by hook and line.
17. anti-reverse System that prevents reels (typically bait casters) from spinning in reverse and causing tangles.
18. Apache trout One of Arizona's two native trout species. Body color is yellowish-gold, with dark, bold spots on dorsal and tail fin, and sparse body spotting that may…
19. Aquatic Having to do with water.
20. artificial lures and flies Means man-made devices intended as visual attractants for fish and does not include living or dead organisms or edible parts thereof, natural or prepared…
21. attractant Liquid, solid or power form of scent applied to fishing lures for increased productivity.
22. back cast (n.) or back-cast (v.) - Part of the cast in which the fishing rod (usually a fly rod) and the fishing line is moved from a position in front to one in back of the angler.
23. back-trolling A method of boat control utilizing a motor to make a series of maneuvers in the presentation of a lure or bait.
24. back-wash Rough water resulting from boat wakes rebounding off fixed objects such as canyon walls, docks or anchored boats.
25. Backing Any type of line used to partially fill a reel before the main fishing line is added; commonly used in fly-fishing or by bass anglers who use many of the…
26. backlash An overrun of a revolving-spool reel, such as a bait-cast reel, which in turn causes the line to billow off the reel and tangle.
27. Backwater Shallow area of a river that is sometimes isolated, often being located behind a sand bar or other obstruction in the river.
28. bag limit Restriction in the number of fish an angler may retain, generally on a daily basis.
29. Bail Money or other security (such as a bail bond) provided to the court to temporarily allow a person's release from jail and assure their appearance in court.
30. bait Can mean live bait or artificial bait, such as a lure.
31. Bait restrictions Limitations to the type of bait sport anglers may use.
32. baitcasting Fishing with a revolving-spool reel and baitcasting rod, with the reel mounted on the topside of the rod.
33. baitfish Small fish, such as threadfin shad, that are often eaten by predatory fish, such as largemouth bass.
34. baitwell A special well or livewell in a boat to hold bait.
35. Balance We put each charge on your account, including interest or fees, into a balance category.
36. bank-fishing, bank-fish A method of fishing by casting from an area on a bank of water.
37. Bar 1. Historically, the partition separating the general public from the space occupied by the judges, lawyers and other participants in a trial. 2.
38. Barb A sharp projection on a fishing hook that holds a hooked fish.
39. barbless A hook manufactured without a barb, or one made barbless by cutting it off, filing it off or flattening the barb (typically with pliers).
40. Bass Common name for several spiny-finned fishes. Used in this booklet to denote the largemouth bass.
41. Bass Assassin A brand of soft-plastic jerkbait.
42. bass boat A design of shallow-drafting boat developed for modern, competitive bass fishing.
43. Bay A regularly repeating division of a façade, marked by fenestration.
44. bead-headed midges A type of fly used for fly-fishing.
45. Bedding In fishing, this term refers to bedding fish during the spawning period.
46. bell sinker A bell-shaped fishing weight.
47. Belly Boat A trademark for a brand of rubber inner tube boat used for fishing in quiet water.
48. Benthic Occurring at or near the bottom of a body of water.
49. Biology the science that studies living organisms.
50. Biomass The aggregate amount of living matter or a specific species within a specific habitat, or the total number of a specific species in a specific habitat.
51. BITE When a fish takes or touches a bait so that the fisherman feels it.
52. bite indicator A device which activates or signals when a fish is on the line. It can be as simple as a bell placed on the line between two fishing pole guides that…
53. black bass Common term used to describe several types of bass of the sunfish family, including the largemouth and smallmouth bass.
54. blind cast Casting at no particular target.
55. bluebird skies A term used to describe bright, sunny, blue sky conditions that often make catching fish tough.
56. Bluegill Common name for Lepomis macrochirus (Rafinesque), also called bream. Bluegill are stocked in ponds in combination with redear sunfish and largemouth bass.
57. bluegill or bluegills A common species of sunfish. Not synonymous with sunfish or panfish.
58. bobber A float attached to the line under which a hook and sometimes a sinker hang. The bobber holds the bait or lure at a predetermined depth and also signals…
59. Bomber Long "A" A brand name of crankbait.
60. bottom feeder or bottom-fish A bottom-feeding fish, such as a catfish or carp. Refers to a fish that feeds predominantly on the bottom, not just one that is sometimes caught on the…
61. bow-fishing Using a bow and arrow, typically with a reel attached to the bow, to harvest fish.
62. Brackish Water of intermediate salinity between seawater and freshwater.
63. break Distinct variation in otherwise constant stretches of cover, structure, or bottom type. Basically anything that "breaks up" the underwater terrain.
64. break-off A fish lost when the line breaks, as opposed to losing fish when the hook breaks, straightens or pulls out.
65. Bream Common name of several centrarchid fishes. Bream is used in this booklet to denote bluegill, redear sunfish, or a combination of these two fish.
66. broodfish A large sexually mature fish capable of breeding. In hatcheries, these are the large egg-producing fish.
67. brookie, brookies, brook trout A species of trout stocked in selected waters in Arizona's high country (they are not native to the state).
68. brown trout A nonnative species of trout stocked in some of Arizona's high elevation trout waters. Sometimes referred to as a German brown.
69. brownie Term can refer to a smallmouth bass or a brown trout.
70. brush pile Usually refers to a mass of small- to medium-sized tree limbs lying in the water.
71. brushline The inside or the outside edge of a stretch of brush.
72. bucketmouth A slang term for largemouth bass, aka bigmouth bass.
73. buffalofish A heavy bodied carp-like fish that can weigh up to 39 pounds that are found in some of the Salt River chain of lakes.
74. bullet sinker A cone-shaped piece of lead, zinc or steel of varying weights that slides up and down the line.
75. bumping Refers to the act of making a lure hit an object, such as a log, tree or rock, in a controlled manner (either intentionally or unintentionally), which can…
76. buzzbait Top-water bait with large, propeller-type blades that churn the water during a retrieve.
77. buzzing Retrieving a spinnerbait or buzzbait along the water's surface to create a splash effect to resemble a wounded baitfish.
78. caddis fly an aquatic insect of major importance, along with the mayfly and stonefly, for the trout fly-fisherman.
79. California rig or California-rigged A method of deep-water fishing in which a plastic worm is placed at the end of a leader trailing behind a sinker.
80. cane pole A pole of natural cane, often made from Calcutta or Tonkin bamboo, used for fishing. No reel is used; the line is tied to the pole.
81. Carolina rig or Carolina-rigged A special rig in which an exposed or hidden hook is used with a soft plastic lure placed 2 to 3 feet behind an egg or barrel sinker and swivel.
82. carp A member of the minnow family, introduced to the United States in the late 1800s.
83. Carrying capacity The theoretical maximum weight of fish that can be maintained in a pond without depleting the food supply.
84. cartop or cartopper - Refers to a boat small enough to be carried on the top of a car and hand-launched, especially at fisheries with limited or no boat…
85. Catch and release Refers to catching a fish and immediately releasing it. Many anglers practice catch-and-release as a way to help conserve the resource.
86. catfish A term for any of the many species of catfish, including black, blue, flathead, channel and yellow species.
87. Channel The bed of a stream or river. This can also refer to a submerged stream or river channel in a reservoir.
88. chugger Topwater plug with a dished-out, concave or cupped head designed to make a splash when pulled sharply.
89. chum To throw chum (typically cut up pieces of bait fish or other bait) overboard to attract fish.
90. clarity Refers to the depth you are able to see an object, such as your lure, under the water.
91. clearwater Describes a lake or stream with good visibility.
92. cold front A weather condition accompanied by high, clear skies, and a sudden drop in temperature.
93. coldwater fishery Refers to waters typically in the higher elevations that can be predominately trout fisheries.
94. Core trench A trench dug into the soil at the base of dam site and later filled with clay to bond the above-ground portion of the dam to the subsoil of the pond…
95. cosmic clock The sun's seasonal effect on water and weather conditions relating to barometric pressure, wind, and cloud cover.
96. cove An indentation along a shoreline. A very small indentation a few feet or so across is often referred to as a "pocket cove."
97. cover Natural or manmade objects on the bottom of lakes, rivers, or impoundments, especially those that influence fish behavior.
98. cowbells A flashing, multi-bladed lure that resembles a small school of bait fish that is commonly used to troll for trout.
99. crankbait Any of a wide number of hard plastic or wooden lures that dive when retrieved (cranked with a reel) through the water.
100. crappie or crappies Two species, white and black, are popular game fish. In Arizona, white crappies are only found in Lake Pleasant.