The full guide
Read straight through, or use the fishing notes above to keep marks, tides and tackle easier to follow.
Some of the most common fishing terms explained ....
PARTS OF A FISH
FISHING TERMS
CASTING
Casting is throwing a fishing lure or baited hook on the end of fishing line out over the sea.
RETRIEVE
Reeling the line back in using the handle on the fishing reel
SINK AND DRAW
When fishing with a lure, as the lure is retrieved, the rod is slowly raised and lowered to make it look like the fish is dying and therefore an easier target for the predator
SPINNING
Spinning involves casting out a fish shaped lure and then retrieving it so that your target fish thinks it is a small swimming fish.
TROLLING
This is slowly dragging a lure behind a boat to mimic a small fish swimming
FISHING MARK
This is a fishing location such as a rocky headland - most fishing people will keep their marks secret!
LURES
A lure is a man made bait that is designed to resemble a small fish or other marine animal. When lures are pulled through the water they look like a small fish swimming and attract predatory fish like bass, mackerel and pollock. Lures come in different forms....
SOFT LURE
Fish shaped lure that is soft to touch with realistic colours and markings - weedless shads have the end of the hook inside the lure to avoid getting the hook tangled up in weed.
PLUG
A hard lure designed for casting. Plugs can come as a single fish or made up of different sections.
SPINNER
Metal lure designed to spin around and imitate a prey fish when retrieved
FEATHERS
Rigs made up of a string of hooks with feathers, real fish skin or other materials in varying colours to look like a small shoal of fish
TERMINAL TACKLE
The term used for the tackle found at the end of a fishing line including weights, floats, hooks, swivels, beads etc
SWIVEL
A fishing swivel is a small device consisting of two rings connected to a pivoting joint. ... The line from a rod and reel is tied to one end, and a length of fishing line, often terminated by a hook, lure or sinker, is tied to the other.
BEADS
Beads are used to trap swivels, protect knots and are also used to attract fish.
WEIGHT
Used to help casting and to get the hook down to the bottom on its own or to the chosen fishing depth, if using a float. Weights come in all shapes and sizes - barrel, ball, bullet...
SINKER
Another name for a fishing weight
HOOKS
Circle Hook
Circular shaped hook that is safe to handle and easier to remove from the fish.
Treble Hook
A hook made up of 3 hooks used with lures rather than bait
Barbed Hook
Barbed hooks have a barb at the end of the hook that make it more difficult for the fish to escape so if you are planning to 'catch and release' it is better to use non-barbed hooks that are easier to remove.
FISHING LINE
Monofilament
Also known as mono line, monofilament is a synthetic nylon line
Breaking Strain
This is the amount of weight that a line can take before it snaps. The breaking strain reduces as the line ages so it is recommended that line is replaced regularly.
DEMERSAL FISH
Fish that live on or near to the bottom of the sea. For example, flatfish.
PELAGIC FISH
Open ocean fish that swim in mid waters, not necessarily at the top or bottom. For example, mackerel.
ACCESSORIES
PRIEST
A priest is a tool for killing fish. The term priest originates from the idea of administering the last rites to the fish.
DISGORGER
A tool used to remove the hook from inside the mouth of a fish
TIP LIGHT
A light that clips to the top of the rod while bottom fishing in the dark to enable you to see the rod move which hopefully means a fish has taken the bait
SEA FISHING RODS
SPINNING ROD
A rod designed for spinning with spinners, feathers or lures that are pulled through the water imitating a small fish, thus attracting predators such as pollock, mackerel, bass etc.
BEACH / SURF ROD
A larger, heavy duty rod designed for casting longer distances and durable enough to cope with rough ground.
BOAT ROD
Boat rods do not need to be able to cast a long way as most boat fishing involves dropping the bait or lures over the side of the boat.
SEA FISHING REELS
FIXED SPOOL REEL / SPINNING REEL
A fixed spool reel has a bail arm that is released allowing the line to flow freely from the fixed spool during casting. When retrieving, the bail arm rotates, winding the line back on to the fixed spool.
MULTIPLIER
Multiplier reels have a revolving spool which can be disengaged to spin freely when casting.
RETRIEVAL RATE / GEAR RATIO
Put simply, these numbers let you know how many times the spool rotates for each turn of the handle – for example, 5.2:1 means that the spool rotates 5.2 times for each turn of the handle.
DRAG
The drag is the tension of the spool and can be adjusted to allow you to change how tightly or loosely the spool moves.
ANTI REVERSE
A reel that has anti-reverse prevents the spool from turning backwards.
BALL BEARINGS
The bearings inside the reel will determine how smoothly the reel operates. The more bearings the better.
Useful starter kit
Friendly tackle picks chosen to make the guide easier to put into practice.
Common questions
- What does a paternoster rig mean?
- A paternoster is a simple, popular sea fishing rig with one or more hook lengths (snoods) standing off a main line, with the weight at the bottom. It keeps your baits presented just above the seabed and helps avoid tangles, which makes it a lovely rig for beginners.
- What is a shock leader?
- A shock leader is a stronger length of line tied between your main line and your rig. When you cast a heavy weight hard, it absorbs the sudden force so your line doesn't snap (a 'crack-off'). A common rule of thumb is about 10lb of leader for every ounce of lead.
- What does breaking strain mean?
- Breaking strain is simply the weight a fishing line can take before it snaps, usually shown in pounds (lb). A higher breaking strain means a stronger line. Beginners often start with a forgiving mid-range line that handles knocks while you learn your knots and casting.
- What is the difference between a lure and bait?
- Bait is natural food, like ragworm, mackerel strip or sandeel, that tempts fish by scent and taste. A lure is an artificial imitation, such as a soft plastic, plug or spinner, that you work through the water to mimic a small fish. Both catch beautifully in the right spot.
- What does 'reading a mark' mean?
- A 'mark' is simply a fishing spot. 'Reading a mark' means looking at features like gullies, sandbanks, weed and the state of the tide to work out where fish are likely to feed. It sounds mysterious, but it quickly becomes second nature with a little time on the rocks.
