Descriptionary

flutterbait a lure that when dropped into the water, flutters down to the bottom like a dying baitfish.

fly specifically an aquatic fly of interest to trout fish­ermen, specifically caddis flies, mayflies, and stoneflies.

fly reel used in fly fishing, a reel designed to hold heavy line.

fly fishing a method of fishing with imitation flies at the end of a heavy, buoyant line.

forage fish small fish who produce in large numbers and serve as prey for predator fish.

fry baby or very young fish.

gaff a heavy metal hook used to haul in large fish.

game fish any sport fish or fish eagerly sought after by fishermen and usually subject to strict catch limits.

grub a plastic lure resembling a short worm.

hackle in fly fishing, small chicken feathers used in tying flies.

hatchery a kind of fish farm where fish are raised for later stocking ponds, lakes, and rivers.

hawg slang for any very large bass.

hip boots rubber boots that go all the way up the legs, used for wading.

jig a lure that may be in the shape of a frog, grub, insect, or fish, or which may have eye-catching hairs or feathers.

jig and pig a jig and a pork rind.

jigging moving a lure up and down in the water to attract fish.

leader an extrastrong line attached to the end of the fishing line and to the lure, for added resistance against a fish's cutting teeth.

livebox any container designed to keep either bait or fish alive.

lunker any very large bass.

lure any artificial bait used to attract and catch fish.

mat a vegetation canopy covering the surface of the water, a hideout for bass.

mealworm a small beetle larva, used to catch crap- pies and sunfish.

nest any area in which fish lay their eggs.

nightcrawler a large worm used for bait for a vari­ety of fish.

nongame fish any fish not considered a sport fish and usually less regulated than a game fish.

outrigger a setup of polls that allows trolling with multiple lines, and without tangling.

poaching illegal fishing.

redd a trout or salmon nest, often just a depression in gravel, where eggs are deposited.

reel on a fishing pole, a spooling mechanism that holds the line.

rise rippling water at the surface, evidence of a fish rising to the bait.

roe fish eggs.

school any group of fish swimming together.

sinker a small, heavy weight attached to the end of a line to make it sink with the bait.

skipping a casting technique in which a lure is skimmed over the surface of the water, to make it skip like a flat rock.

slot limit a size range of fish that can be kept, as regulated by law on a particular body of water.

smolt freshwater preadult stage of an anadromous fish.

smoltification the physical changes that occur in anadromous fish to allow them to thrive in salt water.

snap a small, metal pin that can be easily latched and unlatched for the quick attachment or release of hooks, sinkers, lures, etc.

spawning the issuing of eggs into the water by a female fish and fertilization by the males.

spincaster a push-button, closed reel with a small frontal opening through which the line passes and is prevented from tangling.

spinning reel a reel on which line is cast from a stationary spool.

spook to scare off fish by making noise or casting moving shadows over the water.

spoon resembling a spoon, a lure that wobbles in the water to attract fish.

stock to load a body of water with fish from a hatchery.

strike a taking or biting of the bait by a fish.

swivel a small, twin-ringed, swiveling device that attaches between a lure or leader and line, to prevent tangling of the line.

tackle box a multi-compartment box for holding lures, hooks, swivels, sinkers, etc.

test referring to the strength of a fishing line.

tower on a large sport-fishing boat, a tower that can be climbed to look out for tuna or other schools of sport fish.

treble a three-point hook, used on many lures.

trolling running a long length of line behind a slow- moving boat, in order to cover more than one area where fish may be.

trolling motor a very small, electric motor used to quietly propel a boat around areas of fish.

trotline a line with several hooks run across a stream.

weedless spoon a spoon with a guard for fishing in weedy waters.

weir a fence constructed to trap fish.

winter kill a die-off of fish in small bodies of water, due to oxygen depletion.

football

air it out to throw a long pass.

armchair quarterback a know-it-all fan who criti­cizes play from the stands or while watching a game on TV.

arm tackle to tackle solely with the arm or arms.

audible a play called verbally at the line of scrimmage, often to change a planned play made in a huddle.