learn the lingo

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Artificial Lure: An artificial bait, usually constructed from wood, plastic, metal, or foam to trigger a strike from a predatory fish. Lures use vibration, flash, and/or color to mimic prey.

Bag Limit: A bag limit is the number of fish that an angler is allowed to keep on any given day.

Bait: Any organic or live material used to entice a fish into biting a hook. Common examples include worms, small fish, or hot dogs.

Bead: When rigged against a weight, beads create a sound that adds to the attraction power of any fishing rig. In trout and salmon fishing, a bead can be used as an artificial lure that mimics an egg.

Bobber: Otherwise known as “floats,” a bobber is a floating object meant to keep a bait suspended in the water column, and to indicate bites. Usually made of foam, cork, or hollow plastic or wood in bright colors for high visibility.

Carolina Rig: A Carolina rig features a sliding weight tied above a swivel which is tied to a leader with a hook tied at the end. This allows fish to pick up the bait without feeling any resistance on the line.

Chum: Cut or ground-up pieces of baitfish that are thrown overboard. The oils and scent of the chum are used to entice game fish to come close to the boat for a better chance of a hook-up.

Downrigger: A device used while trolling that brings the line and bait down to a desired depth. Downriggers are secured to a boat and consist of a large weight connected to a down line (usually wire), and a reel.

Drop shot: A common and simple rig consisting of a hook tied to be suspended above a weight at the bottom.

Dry Fly: A dry fly imitates a fly or insect floating on the surface of the water.

Fly Fishing: A technique that uses heavily weighted line to cast lightweight lures called flies. Fly fishing is most often done in rivers for trout.

Fly Line: The wide diameter, usually colored, line that allows for the casting of flies.

Hook: Probably a no-brainer, but hooks are bent pieces of metal with a sharp point, typically featuring a barb so the fish will stay on the hook. They come in many shapes and sizes.

Line: The cordage that you tie on to lures or rigs to catch fish. Countless colors and line strengths are available these days to take on just about anything that swims. Fishing line is made most commonly from monofilament, fluorocarbon, or braided nylon. Each line material has its own attributes and downsides depending on the application. Read How to Choose the Right Fishing Line for more information.

Nymph: A nymph is a type of sub-surface fly fishing lure that is designed to imitate an insect.

Outrigger: In offshore fishing, outriggers extend away from either side of the boat. Usually made of fiberglass or aluminum, these poles allow anglers to troll live bait or artificial lures at varying distances away from the boat.

Planer Board: A floating board attached to a fishing line in order to move or “plane” multiple lines away from the boat while trolling to cover a wider area.

Plug: Plugs are hardbody fishing lures designed to mimic a wounded baitfish. A crankbait could be considered a plug, but the term "plug" is usually used to describe lures that are used in saltwater.

Reaction Bait: Reaction baits are designed to trigger instinctual reactions from predatory gamefish. Examples of reaction baits include spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and chatterbaits.

Retrieve: The retrieve refers to the way an angler cranks the handle of the reel and moves the bait or lure through the water. This can be slow and steady or it can be fast and include some pauses.

Rig: Basically anything that is tied with a fishing knot onto a main line with the intention of catching a fish. Rigs can be as simple as a line tied to a hook with some bait on it, or as complicated as multiple hooks, weights, lines, and floats.

Sinker: A weight used to help a rig sink. Often made of lead or tungsten.

Skirt: A skirt is comprised of thin rubber strands tied around a jig head. A skirt adds secondary action to a jig while filling out the profile of the lure.

Spinner Blades: Usually found on a spinnerbait, a spinner blade is a thin metal blade that rotates underwater which reflects light and creates a commotion that attracts fish.

Tackle: The bits and pieces, or odds and ends, of fishing gear. Things like hooks, sinkers, swivels, and other essentials for rigging are all considered tackle (a.k.a terminal tackle).

Texas Rig: A Texas rig consists of a bullet weight, glass or plastic bead, and a hook that can be rigged up with a variety of soft plastic baits. A Texas rig is most commonly used with a worm or craw-style bait.

Trailer: Usually imitating a baitfish, a trailer is a soft plastic lure rigged on a jig head or reaction bait to fill out the profile of the lure.

Trolling: Trolling is a technique that involves pulling a rig or lure (or multiple at a time) through the water at a specific speed and depth via the use of a boat.

Umbrella Rig: An umbrella rig is a system of wires, blades, hooks, and swimbaits designed to imitate a school of baitfish. Umbrella rigs are commonly used to catch largemouth and smallmouth bass along with striper.

Wacky Rig: A wacky rig is a finesse presentation, usually used in bass fishing. A wacky rig features a soft plastic worm rigged through the center. The ends of the worm wave as it sinks which appeals to bass and other species of fish.

Waders: Waders are designed to allow anglers to enter shallow water while protecting their clothes and shoes from getting wet. Waders are often used when fly fishing for salmon, steelhead, and trout.