Troutfishing Glossary

Troutfishing Glossary


5-weight - the weight of a line according to the AFTMA rating system, measured by weighing the first 30 feet of any line.
backswirl - where the river flows back upstream at the edge of a strong current.
beadhead - a small, round, metal bead with a drilled hole so it can be slid onto a hook; usually made of brass, copper or tungsten.
blind fishing - fishing for trout in likely lies as they cannot be spotted.
dead drift - a drag free drift of the fly through a pool
downstream fishing - fishing downsteam using a sinking line and a streamer fly.
drag-free drift - where the line is manipulated to ensure there is no drag on the fly caused by the current that might be seen to be unnatural by a trout.
dropper - a section of nylon tied into the leader to support an extra fly
false cast - a preparatory cast that does not land on the water.
flashback - a strip of flashy material placed on top of a trout fly usually over the wingcase
flyline- the line that is used in flyfishing; it is tapered to enable it to be cast with a flyrod.
freshes - small floods that clean out and freshen up the river.
from-the-current cast - a cast where the line is propelled from the water downstream of the angler upstream with one forward casting action.
harling- fishing from a boat with a flyrod.
hatch - the emerging of insect larvae and transformation into the adult insect
koura - freshwater crayfish
laminar flows - the movement of water in a river at different speeds at various depths.
lateral line - a series of pored scales along the side of a trout.
leaders - the connection between the rod and the trace or tippet, usually tapered nylon or a braided material.
line hand - the hand not holding the rod.
‘line’ the fish - casting too close to the fish so that the flyline falls heavily and scares the fish.
littoral zone - the food-rich, shallow areas of a lake
Marabou - a soft, frond-like feather with good movement
match the hatch - choosing a fly pattern that closely represents the insects hatching out at the time
Matuku (Matuka) - a style of wet fly originally made from the feathers of the native bittern – a Matuku
open loop cast - a cast where the rod is brought forward more slowly to ensure the fly remains higher, above the angler’s head.
parachute cast - a cast where the forward cast is not fully completed, allowing the fly to fall gently on the surface.
pocket water - water where the current/flow is broken by rocks or boulders.
prime lie - the most favoured spot for a trout in terms of shelter and food
reach cast - a cast where the arm is extended to one side or the other to produce a degree of aerial mending.
reverse roll cast - a technique of roll casting across the angler’s body rather than forward as in a conventional roll cast.
sea-run trout - a trout that has spent 2 or more years living in the sea
shooting head - a fly line that has only the front tapered section of 10-15 metres and is attached to thin running line
short-line nymphing - dead-drift nymphing using the extended arm to guide the fly through the turbulent currents.
sinker nymph - a weighted nymph used to get an unweighted tail fly deeper.
slack-line cast - a cast where a technique is used to put extra line on the water in an ‘S’ shape to allow for currents between the angler and the fly.
spooked trout - a trout that has been scared by the angler or his/her actions
stalking - sneaking up on an unsuspecting trout.
streamer fly - a fly tied to imitate a small bait fish, koura or similar trout prey
tail of a pool - the last part of a pool before the rapids.
terminal tackle - the gear at the end of a flyline, usually leader, tippet and fly.
the lie where trout hold in a stream or river.
tippet - the piece of nylon or fluorocarbon between the fly and the leader
upstream mend - a roll of the wrist that produces a flipping of a section of line upstream to produce a mend.