Fishing terms starting with B

56 terms

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.
back-trolling A method of boat control utilizing a motor to make a series of maneuvers in the presentation of a lure or bait.
back-wash Rough water resulting from boat wakes rebounding off fixed objects such as canyon walls, docks or anchored boats.
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…
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.
Backwater Shallow area of a river that is sometimes isolated, often being located behind a sand bar or other obstruction in the river.
bag limit Restriction in the number of fish an angler may retain, generally on a daily basis.
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.
bait Can mean live bait or artificial bait, such as a lure.
Bait restrictions Limitations to the type of bait sport anglers may use.
baitcasting Fishing with a revolving-spool reel and baitcasting rod, with the reel mounted on the topside of the rod.
baitfish Small fish, such as threadfin shad, that are often eaten by predatory fish, such as largemouth bass.
baitwell A special well or livewell in a boat to hold bait.
Balance We put each charge on your account, including interest or fees, into a balance category.
bank-fishing, bank-fish A method of fishing by casting from an area on a bank of water.
Bar 1. Historically, the partition separating the general public from the space occupied by the judges, lawyers and other participants in a trial. 2.
Barb A sharp projection on a fishing hook that holds a hooked fish.
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).
Bass Common name for several spiny-finned fishes. Used in this booklet to denote the largemouth bass.
Bass Assassin A brand of soft-plastic jerkbait.
bass boat A design of shallow-drafting boat developed for modern, competitive bass fishing.
Bay A regularly repeating division of a façade, marked by fenestration.
bead-headed midges A type of fly used for fly-fishing.
Bedding In fishing, this term refers to bedding fish during the spawning period.
bell sinker A bell-shaped fishing weight.
Belly Boat A trademark for a brand of rubber inner tube boat used for fishing in quiet water.
Benthic Occurring at or near the bottom of a body of water.
Biology the science that studies living organisms.
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.
BITE When a fish takes or touches a bait so that the fisherman feels it.
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…
black bass Common term used to describe several types of bass of the sunfish family, including the largemouth and smallmouth bass.
blind cast Casting at no particular target.
bluebird skies A term used to describe bright, sunny, blue sky conditions that often make catching fish tough.
Bluegill Common name for Lepomis macrochirus (Rafinesque), also called bream. Bluegill are stocked in ponds in combination with redear sunfish and largemouth bass.
bluegill or bluegills A common species of sunfish. Not synonymous with sunfish or panfish.
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…
Bomber Long "A" A brand name of crankbait.
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…
bow-fishing Using a bow and arrow, typically with a reel attached to the bow, to harvest fish.
Brackish Water of intermediate salinity between seawater and freshwater.
break Distinct variation in otherwise constant stretches of cover, structure, or bottom type. Basically anything that "breaks up" the underwater terrain.
break-off A fish lost when the line breaks, as opposed to losing fish when the hook breaks, straightens or pulls out.
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.
broodfish A large sexually mature fish capable of breeding. In hatcheries, these are the large egg-producing fish.
brookie, brookies, brook trout A species of trout stocked in selected waters in Arizona's high country (they are not native to the state).
brown trout A nonnative species of trout stocked in some of Arizona's high elevation trout waters. Sometimes referred to as a German brown.
brownie Term can refer to a smallmouth bass or a brown trout.
brush pile Usually refers to a mass of small- to medium-sized tree limbs lying in the water.
brushline The inside or the outside edge of a stretch of brush.
bucketmouth A slang term for largemouth bass, aka bigmouth bass.
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.
bullet sinker A cone-shaped piece of lead, zinc or steel of varying weights that slides up and down the line.
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…
buzzbait Top-water bait with large, propeller-type blades that churn the water during a retrieve.
buzzing Retrieving a spinnerbait or buzzbait along the water's surface to create a splash effect to resemble a wounded baitfish.