
Fishing: Terminology you Need to Know
If you are thinking of taking up fishing, you couldn’t find a better pastime; immerse yourself in nature, relax for a few hours and who knows, maybe you’ll catch a monster! As you would expect, fishing has many terms and to make things easier, we have listed some of the terms you need to know when you take up fishing.
- Rod & Reel – The fishing pole is called a rod; it could be made from fibreglass, carbon fibre or other composite materials. For beach or freshwater fishing, you would use a 10’-12′ rod with 2 or 3 sections. There are quite a few different types of fishing rod, some quite rigid, while others bend to a crazy angle. If you are planning some deep-sea fishing on one of the Merimbula fishing charters, the rod, reel and tackle are all supplied.
- Tackle – Another word for fishing equipment, tackle includes nylon filament line, hooks, weights and artificial lures. There are many ways that you can set up for fishing; whether you intend to fish on the bottom, on the surface or at a specific depth.
- Strike – When a fish takes your bait, you pull the rod up sharply to set the hook, which is barbed.
- Cast – When you throw out your line in an overhead motion, releasing the line at the right moment, send the hook and bait out into the water. When fishing from land, you might need to cast ,30-40 metres, while sea fishing in a boat means you simply drop the line over the edge and let your rig sink to the required depth.
- Bait – The bait is put on the hook and choosing the best bait is essential.
- Landing net – A long handle with a small net at the end, the landing net is used to bring a hooked fish out of the water, supporting the weight.
- Gaffe – A long piece of metal with a large hook at the end that is used to haul a big fish onto the deck.
- Clutch – A fishing reel has a clutch that is set to prevent a line breakage; as the line is pulled, the clutch releases line with a whirring sound. A big fish might rip 50 metres of line when it is hooked and the line screams as it feeds through the spool and all this line has to be regained.
If you are looking to start with a deep-sea fishing trip, Google can help you find a top charter company in Merimbula and you can book your very first deep-sea fishing adventure.