Fishing — page 2 of 5

Fishing terms

101. crayfish or crawfish A small crustacean found in freshwater. Crayfish are not native to Arizona. Also called crawdads.
102. Creel A fish basket or personal fish carrier used to carry fish when fishing on or near shore.
103. creel limit The daily number of fish an angler can keep in possession as set by state regulations.
104. Crickhopper A brand of plastic lure resembling a grasshopper commonly used for trout and sometimes, for smallmouth bass.
105. Cube' powder Powdered root of a shrub of the legume family. The powder contains rotenone which is used to kill fish.
106. culling A method of removing and releasing lighter-weight fish from a livewell so the heaviest or tournament limit is retained.
107. Curly Tail A trademark for a brand of curved-tail soft-plastic lures.
108. curly-tailed grub A curved-tail soft plastic bait often fitted on a jighead.
109. cutthroat trout or cutthroat A species of salmonid characterized by a red or orange slash under the throat. They are stocked in Big Lake in the White Mountains and are not native to…
110. dabbing Working a lure up and down in the same spot a dozen or more times in a bush, or beside a tree or other structure.
111. Daily catch and possession limits Daily catch limits is the amount of fish, by species, that can be caught in one day.
112. damselfly A small member of the dragonfly family.
113. dapping A method of fly-fishing in which the fly is allowed to skip or dance on the water while line and leader are held above the water from a high rod.
114. Dardevle A trademark for a brand of spoons typically used for trout and northern pike fishing.
115. deadfall A tree that has fallen into the water.
116. deer-hair bug A floating fly-rodding lure made from hollow deer hair and used principally for bass and panfish.
117. depthfinder, depth recorder, or depth sounder A sonar device used to read the bottom structure, determine depth, and in some cases actually locate fish. Also called a fishfinder.
118. desert sucker A native Arizona fish typically found in rivers and streams that can weigh over four pounds.
119. Devle Dog A trademark for a brand of fishing lure.
120. die-off Refers to having many fish die at the same time, quite often baitfish; also referred to as a fish kill.
121. dillys A type of small earthworm popular for catching sunfish and trout.
122. dink A small bass, usually under 6 to 8 inches long (also called a subcatchable).
123. dip bait A smelly paste-type bait primarily used for catfish.
124. dip net A net with a handle used to capture baitfish.
125. disgorger Device for removing hooks deeply embedded in the throat of fish.
126. dissolved oxygen The amount of free (usable) oxygen in water. Usually designated in parts per million.
127. dobsonfly A large aquatic insect, the larva of which is the popular hellgrammite bait.
128. doll Fly A trademark for a brand of chenille-bodied, hackle-wrapped jig.
129. doodlesock or doodlesocking A method of cane-pole or long-pole fishing in which a lure or bait is repeatedly dipped and dragged through likely fish structures.
130. dorsal fin A median fin located along the back of a fish. It is usually supported by rays, which sometimes gives the fin a fan- or sail-like appearance.
131. doughball A ball of bait made from bread or specially prepared dough used for bait-fishing. Commonly used for carp.
132. downlake, downriver, downshore, and downstream, downcurrent All terms referring to directions.
133. Downrigger A fishing device used on boats that allows a troller to fish a lure at a constant specific depth.
134. Drag Device on fishing reels that allows line to pay out under pressure, even though the reel is engaged; set correctly, it ensures against line breakage.
135. Drawdown Lowering a lake level for a specific purpose.
136. drift-boating, drift-fishing Techniques used to fish by drifting with the current, sometimes in a drift boat.
137. drop shot A tackle rigging technique employing a hook tied to the line from four-inches to four-feet above the sinker.
138. drop-off A sudden increase in depth, often created by washes, small creek channels, canyons, pinnacles, and other submerged topographic features.
139. dry fly A fly which floats on the surface of the water by means of hackle (feather) fibers. An angler employing this technique is said to be dry-fly fishing.
140. earthworm A common term for any of the many different fishing worms, including night crawlers (two words), garden worms, leaf worms, dillys, and red wigglers.
141. Ecosystem A complex ecological community or environment forming a functioning whole.
142. Edge The borders created by a change in the structure or vegetation in a lake. Examples are edges of tree lines, weed lines, and the edges of a drop-off.
143. Edge effect Where two habitat types join together resulting in increased diversity for vegetation and wildlife.
144. egg sinker An egg-shaped fishing weight with a hole through the center for the line to pass through.
145. electro-fishing, electro-fish, electro-shocking A term used to describe using electrical current to temporarily stun fish, typically during fish surveys.
146. Epilimnion The warm layer of surface water.
147. Ethics Of or relating to moral action and conduct; professionally right; conforming to professional standards.
148. Eutrophic Highly fertile waters characterized by warm, nutrient-rich shallow basins.
149. eyelets The eyelets are the line guides or rings on a fishing rod through which line is passed.
150. Fall overturn A mixing or turning over of the water takes place in the fall and results in reoxygenation of the water.
151. false-casting, false-cast Fly-casting line in the air (not touching the water) to increase length of line and perfect accuracy to the target.
152. fan cast Making a series of casts only a few degrees apart to cover a half circle (more or less). Often used to locate actively feeding fish.
153. feeding times Certain times of day when fish are most active. These are often associated with the position of the sun and moon and are referred to as solunar tables.
154. filamentous algae Type of algae characterized by long chains of attached cells that give it a stringy feel and appearance.
155. Fillet A method of using a sharp knife to separate the meaty portion of the fish from the bones and skeleton and/or skin for human consumption.
156. finesse fishing An angling technique characterized by the use of light tackle - line, rods, reels and artificial baits.
157. fingerling A young fish about a finger long, usually 2 inches or so in length.
158. fisherman One who engages in fishing for sport or occupation, or for food.
159. Fishery A term used for a lake, river or stream where people can catch fish, or even a particular kind of fish, such as a bass or trout fishery.
160. fishhook A barbed or barbless hook used for catching fish. For fish hook sizes, always use numerals: No. 2, No. 4 etc.
161. Fishing closures Waters closed to fishing due to special biological, social or safety concerns.
162. flat In fishing, a shallow section of water where game fish feed or spawn.
163. flipping A method of fishing by which the lure is swung, not cast, to the target or structure, often with as little disturbance of the water as possible.
164. flipping stick Heavy action fishing rod (usually a baitcasting rod and reel), 7 to 8 feet long, designed for bass fishing using the flipping and or pitching techniques.
165. float tube A special fishing tube in which an inner tube is covered by a casing fitted with a seat to allow an angler to float free.
166. floating or float fishing To traverse a river, stream or lake by some type of watercraft while fishing, most commonly in a tube, raft, canoe, or kayak.
167. Florida rig Very similar to the Texas rig, the only difference is the weight is secured by "screwing" it into the bait.
168. flutterbait Any type of bait that is cast and then allowed to "flutter" down, resembles a dying bait fish. Typically used in bass fishing.
169. fly line, fly-line A line specifically designed to be used with fly-fishing tackle and a fly rod, the act of which would be termed fly-rodding.
170. fly, flies A natural insect used by fish as food or an imitation of a natural insect used by fly-anglers.
171. fly-casting, fly-cast A method for a fly-fishermen to cast flies to fish or to spots likely to hold fish.
172. Food chain The chain of organisms in a community that produce food and consume it.
173. Forage Small baitfish, crayfish and other creatures that bass or other predator fish eat.
174. foul-hook To hook a fish other than in the mouth where it should take a bait or lure.
175. free spool, or free-spool A reel that allows line to feed freely to the fish or current, or the method of feeding line without drag or resistance to fish or current.
176. Freeboard Portion of the dam above spillway level to protect the dam against washout.
177. freshwater A term referring to bodies of water that do not have salt.
178. Front Weather system that causes changes in temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, wind and barometric pressure.
179. Fry Immature fish from the time they hatch to the time they become fingerlings.
180. Gamakatsu A brand name of hooks.
181. Game fish Fish that are fished for as sport and subject to regulations of take.
182. game fish or game-fish Species of fish caught for sport that fights hard when hooked. In Arizona, includes trout of all species, bass of all species, catfish of all species…
183. gear Any tools used to catch fish, such as rod and reel, hook and line, nets, traps, spears and baits.
184. Gila trout One of Arizona's two native trout species. Gila trout had been extirpated (eliminated) from Arizona, but were reintroduced in the mid 1990s.
185. gill Respiratory organ of many aquatic animals, such as fish.
186. gill net, gill-net A commercial (not sport-fishing) net used to harvest fish. So named because of the mesh sizes designed to catch the intended species by the gill.
187. gill opening an opening behind the head that connects the gill chamber to the exterior.
188. Gizit A brand name of tube bait (the original).
189. Grass carp Common name for Ctenopharyngodon idella, also called "grass carp." Grass carp are often stocked in ponds for weed control.
190. grayline The grayline on a fish finder lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes.
191. grayling A northern species of freshwater game fish; a member of the trout family. In Arizona, typically found at Lee Valley Lake in the White Mountains.
192. grub A short, plastic type of worm, usually rigged with a weighed jig hook.
193. Habitat The natural environment where people, animals and plants live. In an aquatic environment, it includes the water, topography, structure and cover present…
194. handline A fishing line used without a rod or reel; a line held in the hand.
195. hard bottom Usually a type of bottom that you would not sink far, if at all, were you to walk on it and can consist of clay, gravel, rock or sand.
196. Harvestable-sized fish A fish of a size normally kept by sport anglers. This size for bream is about 6 inches and larger and for largemouth bass it is about 10 inches and larger.
197. Hatchery A facility where fish and raised for stocking.
198. hawg A slang term describing a large lunker-size or heavyweight bass weighing 4 pounds or more.
199. hellgramite The larvae of the dobsonfly.
200. holding area Structure that habitually attracts and holds bass.