By : Tiya Rabb
A spot where a hungry fish hides and waits, often near cover or structure, so it can jump out and grab its food by surprise.
A tangled mess of fishing line that happens when a reel spins faster than the line can come off it. This usually happens if you don’t slow the spool with your thumb while casting.
A rule that tells you the most fish of one kind you’re allowed to keep in a single day. Every state sets its own rules for this.
Something natural used on a hook to attract fish, like worms, small fish, or bits of food. Fish smell or see it and want to eat it.
A flat, heavy metal shape that looks like a small fish and has a hook that swings free. It’s made for fishing down deep in the water.
A round object that sits on top of the water and dips down when a fish grabs your hook. It lets you know when a fish is biting.
A way of fishing where you use a weight to keep your hook near the floor of a lake, river, or ocean. Many fish like to swim close to the floor.
A mix of water that has a little salt and water that has a lot of salt. It's often found where a river meets the ocean.
A type of fishing line made by weaving many thin strands together. It’s thinner and stronger than other lines of the same size, and it barely stretches at all.
A lure with a spinning blade on top that splashes and makes noise as it moves across the water. Fish notice the noise and come up to bite it.
A shiny, curved piece of metal or plastic that wobbles through the water to catch a fish’s eye, with a hook attached. You throw it out and reel it back in to use it.
When you set a fish free back into the water after reeling it in, instead of keeping it. This helps keep plenty of fish in the water for next time.
Tossing small bits of food or scent into the water to bring fish closer to where you’re fishing.
Plants, logs, docks, or rocks in the water where fish like to hide. Fish use these spots to stay safe or to surprise their food.
A hard lure shaped like a small fish that dives and wiggles underwater when you reel it in.
The way water moves in a river, lake, or ocean because of wind, tides, or the shape of the land. Fish often use it to help them swim and find food.
A part on your reel that you can tighten or loosen. It controls how hard a fish has to pull to take out line, which helps you land a big fish without snapping your line.
Letting your boat, bait, or lure move naturally with the wind or moving water, instead of reeling it in or holding it still.
A certain time of day when fish are hungry and eating the most. This can depend on light, weather, or tides.
A gentle, slow way of fishing that uses light gear and small movements. It’s often used to trick fish that are shy or hard to catch.
A type of fishing line that’s hard to see underwater and doesn’t wear out easily when it rubs against rocks or other rough spots.
Small fish, bugs, or other tiny creatures that bigger fish like to eat.
Water with little to no salt in it, like most lakes, rivers, and ponds.
A small, curved piece of metal with a sharp point that catches in a fish’s mouth. Your bait or lure attaches to it.
A quick, short pull of your fishing rod right after a fish bites, to make sure the point is stuck firmly in its mouth.
Fishing close to the coast, in bays or shallow water near land.
A lure with a weighted head and a hook, often dressed with hair, feathers, or soft plastic to look like something a fish wants to eat.
Moving your lure up and down in the water to make it look alive and get a fish’s attention.
A short piece of strong line tied between your main line and your hook or lure. It helps stop sharp teeth or rough surfaces from cutting your line.
The long, thin string that connects your rod to your hook or lure. It comes in different materials and strengths.
A number that tells you how much weight your fishing string can hold before it snaps, measured in pounds.
A man-made object shaped and colored to look like something fish want to eat. It usually has one or more hooks attached.
A single strand of fishing line, usually made from a type of plastic called nylon. It’s affordable, easy to tie knots with, and stretches a bit more than other lines.
Fishing far out in deep water, usually away from land and reached by boat.
The part of your fishing gear that holds your line and lets you cast it out or bring it back in by turning a handle.
Bringing your line back in after you cast, often at different speeds or with pauses, to make your lure look alive.
The long pole you hold to fish. It’s usually made of fiberglass or a similar material, and your reel attaches near the handle.
How much a fishing pole bends, and where along its length it bends the most. Some poles bend a lot, and some only bend near the tip.
How much strength it takes to bend a fishing pole, and how heavy a fish it can help you handle. Poles range from very light to very strong.
Water found in oceans and seas that has a lot of salt in it.
A big group of fish swimming and feeding close together.
A small weight, usually made of lead or another heavy metal, that pulls your bait or lure down into the water.
A rule that says how long a fish has to be before you’re allowed to keep it. This gives young fish time to grow up and have babies of their own.
When there’s no tightness in your fishing string between the rod and your bait or lure. It can make it hard to feel – or hook – a fish.
A rule that says you have to let go of any fish caught inside a certain size range, so fish get a chance to grow bigger.
A small metal clip, kind of like a tiny dog leash hook, that lets you quickly attach or swap hooks and lures on your line.
Bendy, rubber-like fishing gear shaped like worms, bugs, or small fish. Anglers thread them onto a hook themselves.
The time when fish lay and fertilize their eggs to make baby fish. This usually happens at a certain time of year, depending on how warm or cold the water is.
A lure with a small metal blade that turns around a straight wire as you reel it in, flashing light to catch a fish’s eye.
A wire lure shaped like a safety pin, with a turning blade on one side and a hook covered in a skirt on the other.
A tiny round weight with a notch cut into it, so you can pinch it right onto your line without tying a knot.
In knot tying, this is the long part of your fishing string that leads back to your reel, not the short part you use to tie the knot.
The shape of the bottom of a lake, river, or ocean, like drop-offs, humps, or ledges, where fish often gather.
A heavy, curved piece of metal made for fishing near drop-offs and other spots on the lake or river floor. You can cast it out or drop it straight down.
A small piece of gear with a part that spins freely, used to connect your line to a lure or hook. It helps stop your line from twisting.
A container with different compartments for holding hooks, weights, lures, and other small fishing gear.
In knot tying, the short leftover piece of string you’re using to tie the knot. You usually trim this off once you finish.
A general name for the small gear at the end of your fishing line, like weights, hooks, clips, and swivels.
A layer deep in the water where the temperature changes quickly. Warm water stays near the top, and cooler water sits below it. Fish often stay near this layer.
A lure that floats and stays on top of the water, made to twitch or pop on the surface to grab a fish’s attention.
A single piece of metal with three sharp points that meet at one spot, used to catch a fish’s mouth. Often found on crankbaits and other lures.
Driving a boat slowly while pulling a lure or bait behind it, used to cover a lot of water and find fish.
A large, shiny, curved piece of metal that’s pulled behind a slow-moving boat to catch fish.
A soft plastic lure shaped like a hollow cylinder, with a weighted hook placed inside it before fishing.
A way of moving a floating lure so it zig-zags back and forth across the water’s surface, done by snapping your rod tip side to side.
A wobbling, curved piece of metal with a guard that helps keep it from getting stuck in weeds.
