Bass Fishing Terms

Action - Measure of rod performance that describes the elapsed time between flexion and return to straight configuration; ranges from slow to fast, with slow being the most amount of flexion; also refers to the strength of the rod (light, medium and heavy) with light being a limber rod and heavy a stout rod; also refers to gear of reels.

Active Fish - Bass that are feeding heavily and striking aggressively.

Algae - Simple plant organisms.

Alkalinity - Measure of the amount of acid neutralizing bases.

Amp Hour - Storage capacity measurement of a deep-cycle batter obtained by multiplying the current flow in amps by the hours that it's produced.

Angler - Person using pole or rod and reel to catch fish.

Anti-reverse - System that prevents reels from spinning in reverse.

Backlash - Tangle of line on a baitcasting reel due to spool overrun.

Backwater - Shallow area off a river.

Bag Limit - Restriction on the number of fish that an angler may harvest in a day.

Bail - Metal, semicircular arm on an open-face spinning reel that engages the line after a cast.

Bait - An artificial lure is usually what is meant even though bait can also mean live bait.

Baitcasting - Fishing with a revolving-spool reel and baitcasting rod; reel mounted on topside of rod.

Baitfish - Small fish often eaten by predators.

Bar - Long ridge in a body of water.

Basic Needs - Refers to the three survival requirements of bass: reproduction, security, and food.

Bay - Major indentation in the shoreline of a lake or reservoir.

Bite - When a fish takes or touches (or hammers) a bait so that the fisherman feels it. Also known as a hit, bump, or a strike.

Black Bass - Common term used to describe several types of bass, including the largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass.

Brackish - Water of intermediate salinity between seawater and freshwater.

Break - Distinct variation in otherwise constant stretches of cover, structure, or bottom type. Basically anything that "breaks up" the underwater terrain.

Breakline - A line of abrupt change in depth, bottom type, or water clarity in the feature of otherwise uniform structure. A place where there is a sudden or drastic change in the depth of the water, or weed type. This may be the edge of a creek, a submerged cliff, or even a stand of submerged weeds.

Brushline - The inside or the outside edge of a stretch of brush.

Brushpile - Usually refers to a mass of small- to medium-sized tree limbs lying in the water. Brush piles may be only one or two feet across, or they may be extremely large and they may be visible or submerged. They can be created by Mother Nature or manmade. They usually hold fish. And fishermen.

Buzzbait - Topwater bait with large, propeller-type blades that churn the water during retrieve. Comprised of a leadhead, rigid hook, and wire that supports one or more blades.

Buzzing - Retrieving a lure, such as a spinnerbait or buzzbait, at a rate fast enough to cause it to remain partially out of the water, causing a noisy disturbance. Sometimes called ripping or burning.

Carolina Rig - A style of terminal tackle normally used to keep a lure a foot or two (or more) off the bottom. This is most commonly used with a plastic worm, but is also used with floating crankbaits and other lures as well. A barrel slip sinker of 1/2- to 1-ounce is first slipped on the line and then a swivel is tied to the end of the line. A piece of line 18 to 30 inches long is then tied to the other end of the swivel and a hook or lure is tied to the end of this piece line. Rigged Texas style (weedless with the hook buried in the body of the bait), the combination is excellent for fishing ledges, points, sandbars, and humps. Diagram

Channel - The bed of a stream or river.

Chunk-N-Wind - This presentation is probably the most common used by most anglers. You just simply cast the bait and reel it back in at a moderate rate or retrieve keeping the bait just under the water surface usually no deeper than 4- to 5-feet deep. This technique works well when an angler wants to cover a lot of water territory in a short time, and can be found to be very effective at times.

Clarity - Refers to the depth you are able to see an object (such as your lure) under the water.

Count It Down - Timing a sinking lure to determine when it will reach a specified depth. This is accomplished by finding the rate of sinking of a lure in feet-per-second. Often used when fishing for suspended fish.

Cove - An indentation along a shoreline.

Cover - Natural or manmade objects on the bottom of lakes, rivers, or impoundments, especially those that influence fish behavior. Anything a fish can use to conceal itself. Examples include stick-ups, tree lines, stumps, rocks, logs, pilings, docks, weeds, boathouses, duck blinds, bushes, etc. (not to be confused with structure).

Crankbait - Typically, a lipped lure that dives under the surface during the retrieve. So-called lipless crankbaits are thin, minnow-like lures that sink at a rate of about 1-foot per second.

Depthfinder - A sonar device, either a flasher unit or LCR recorder, used to read the bottom structure, determine depth, and in some cases actually spot the fish; also called a fishfinder.

Drag - Device on fishing reels that allows line to pay out under pressure, even though the reel is engaged; set correctly, it ensures against line breakage.

Draggin' - Some of the biggest bass I have ever caught was by using this presentation. You simply work the spinnerbait as you would a plastic lizard or worm. Cast the spinnerbait and let it fall to the bottom. Reel or retrieve in the slack out of your line, lift your rod tip "slowly" from about the 9 o'clock position to the 12 o'clock position (or straight up), reel in the slack and repeat this technique all the way back to the boat. Make sure you try to keep tension always on your bait for this technique.

Drop-Off - A sudden increase in depth, created by gulley washes, small creek channels, land points, and the general lay of the land.

Drop Shot - A hook tied directly to the line from four-inches to four-feet above the sinker. The hook is attached from the back side or opposite the point, with a simple Palomar knot with a tag end about four or five feet long. The weight hangs and the hook is at a 90-degree angle to the line with the hook point up. The hook can be 18 to 24 inches above a bell sinker tied on with a slip-knot.

Feeder Creek - Tributary to a stream.

Feeding Times - Certain times of the day when fish are most active. These are associated with the position of the sun and moon and are referred to as solunar tables (also called moon charts) and are predictable for any time and place. See Moon Times.

Feeding Cycle - Certain regular intervals during which bass satisfy their appetites. Examples: Major or Minor Solunar periods; sunrise, sunset.

Finesse Fishing - An angling technique characterized by the use of light tackle - line, rods, reel and artificial baits (often tube worms, grubs, or other small-sized soft-plastic lures); often productive in clear, fairly uncluttered water.

Flat - An area in a body of water with little if any change in depth. Small and large, flats are generally surrounded on at least one side by deeper water, the bottom comes up to form a flat area where fish will often move up for feeding.

Flipping - (generally shortened to flippin') The technique of placing a lure in a given spot precisely, and quietly, with as little disturbance of the water as possible using an underhand cast while controlling the line with your hand.

Flipping Stick - Heavy action fishing rod, 7 to 8 feet long, designed for bass fishing.

Florida Rig - Very similar to the Texas Rig, the only difference is the weight is secured by "screwing" it into the bait.

Forage - Small baitfish, crayfish and other creatures that bass eat. May also be used in the sense of the bass looking for food (foraging).

Front - Weather system that causes changes in temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, wind and barometric pressure.

Gear Ratio - Measure of a reels' retrieve speed; the number of times the spool revolves for each complete turn of the handle.

Grayline - Grayline lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It "paints" gray on targets that are stronger than a preset value. This allows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom. For example, a soft, muddy or weedy bottom returns a weaker symbol which is shown with a narrow or no gray line. A hard bottom returns a strong signal which causes a wide gray line.

Grub - A short plastic worm used with a weighted jig hook.

Habitat - The place in nature where a plant or animal species lives. The water, vegetation, and all that makes up the lake, which is where bass live. Habitat, for other creatures, is also in the woods and cities, it's basically a term used to indicate a "living area" or home environment.

Hard Bottom - Area in a body of water with a solid base - clay, gravel, rock, sand. The type of bottom that you would not sink far, if at all, were you to walk on it.

Holding Area - Structure that habitually holds three to five catchable bass.

Honey Hole - A super fishing spot containing a number of big bass; also any place with a large concentration of keeper bass.

Hump - An area higher than the surrounding area. A submerged dam or island might be considered a hump.

Inactive Fish - Bass that are in a non-feeding mood. Examples of typically inactive times: following a cold front; during a major weather change that causes a sudden rise or fall in water temperature, or when a rising lake lever is abruptly lowered.

Isolated Structure - A possible holding spot for bass; examples include a single bush on a point; a midlake hump, or a large tree that has fallen into the water.

Jig - A leadhead poured around a hook and featuring a skirt of rubber, plastic, or hair.

Jigging - Jigging the spinnerbait can be one presentation of a spinnerbait you'll not want to forget because it's proven to be one of the more successful techniques. The presentation is very simple and the results can be very satisfactory! Jigging the spinnerbait is done simply by pitching the spinnerbait in a targeted area like patches of open water in vegetation, space holes in structure, next to and in between pilings, in between rocks and so forth. Let the spinnerbait drop to the bottom, lift your rod tip up and down 2 or 3 times then let the spinnerbait settle to the bottom again.

Jig-N-Pig - Combination of a leadhead jig and pork rind trailer; among the most effective baits for attracting trophy-size bass.

Keeper - A bass that conforms to a specific minimum length limit established by tournament organizations and/or state fisheries department.

Laydown (or Falldown) - A tree that has fallen into the water.

Lipless Crankbaits - Artificial baits designed to resemble a swimming baitfish. Such plugs vibrate and/or wobble during retrieve; some have built-in rattles. Also called swimming baits.

Livewell - An aerated tank in boats used to hold fish in water until weigh-in time so that they have a better chance of survival when released. Similar to an aquarium.

Logjam - A group of horizontal logs pushed together by wind or water flow to form an obstruction. In lakes, logjams are usually found close to shore and in the backs of coves.

Lunker - Normally, a bass weighing 4 pounds or more.

Micropterus Salmoides - Scientific term for largemouth bass.

Migration Route - The path followed by bass when moving from one area to another.

Milfoil - Surface-growing aquatic plants.

Mono - Short for monofilament fishing line.

Moon Times - Four phases of the moon are usually what the fisherman is concerned with. Generally the "best times" in a month occur three days prior and three days after, and include the day of the new or full moon. First quarter and second quarter periods are considered as only "good times."

Off Color - Refers to the color and or clarity of the water. Brown is muddy like from rain runoff, greenish from algae and black from tannic acid are the normal off-color conditions.

Pattern - A defined set of location and presentation factors that consistently produce fish. Example: If you catch more than one fish off a pier or stick-up, then your chances of catching more bass in such places are excellent. This is commonly called "establishing a pattern".

Pegging - Putting a toothpick in the hole of a slip sinker to prevent the sinker from sliding along the line. Other items such as rubber bands slipped through the sinker have also become popular and don't snag line.

PFD - Initials that stand for Personal Floatation Device; also called a life vest.

pH - This is a measurement for liquids to determine whether they are acidic or alkaline. On a scale of one to ten, seven is considered neutral. Below seven the liquid is acidic and above seven it is alkaline. This is a factor that plays a role in the health of the lake and the fish as well as where the fish may be found in a lake.

pH Meter - Just as a thermometer measures heat and cold, a pH meter can be used to measure the acidity and alkalinity of water. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. Bass generally prefer water that is slightly alkaline in the 7.5 to 7.9 range. Water with a pH less than 7 is acidic. Once popular among serious bass fishermen, the device is no longer widely used.

Pick-Up - The act of a bass taking a slowly fished lure, such as a plastic worm, crawfish or lizard.

Pitching - Presentation technique in which worms or jigs are dropped into cover at close range with an underhand pendulum motion, using a 6 to 71/2 foot baitcasting rod. The act of pitching a bait into a pocket or under tree limbs. Similar to flipping, but requires less stealth and usually done from further distances (known as pitchin').

Pocket - A small indentation of the shoreline.

Point - A finger of land jutting into the water; deeper water is usually found just beyond the exposed tip and along the length of both sides. Fishing on and around points is often exceptionally rewarding. They almost always hold fish.

Presentation - A collective term referring to choice of type of lure, color, and size; structure targeted; amount of disturbance a bait makes when entering the water; and retrieval technique, speed, and depth used to catch fish. This refers to the circumstances and manner (speed and direction, etc.) in which a lure is presented to a fish.

Pro - A very few of the nation's top bass fishermen can truly claim the word professional. Not only must the pro be a consistent money winner on the major tournament circuits, but he or she must also be articulate, a good salesperson, present a clean-cut image, and have the ability to teach others to catch fish.

Reservoir - Artificially created place where water is collected and stored; also called an impoundment.

Riprap - A man-made stretch of rocks or material of a hard composition that usually extend above and below the shoreline; often found near dams of big impoundments.

Sanctuary - Deep-water bass habitat.

Short Strike - When a fish hits at a lure and misses it.

Slip Sinker - A lead weight with a hole through the center. Threaded on line, a slip sinker slides freely up and down.

Slough - A long, narrow stretch of water such as a small stream or feeder tributary off a lake or river.

Slow Rolling - This presentation is used quite often when you want to fish deeper water areas usually anywhere between 6- and 20-foot depths and sometimes even deeper. With this presentation, you want to try to keep the spinnerbait as close to the bottom as possible and bump or hit any possible structure that may be in the area you are fishing. With this presentation, simply cast your spinnerbait, and when it hits the water you can either immediately start your retrieve or "Count-Down" letting the spinnerbait fall to the depth you want to cover, then start your retrieve. Maintain a slow steady retrieve keeping the spinnerbait moving at all times.

Slow Roll - Spinnerbait presentation in which the lure is retrieved slowly through and over cover objects.

Spinnerbait - A leadhead lure similar in shape to an open safety-pin with a hook; other features include a rubber, plastics, or hair skirt, and one or two blades of various shapes and sizes.

Spinning - A manner of fishing employing an open-face or closed-face spinning reel an spinning rod; reel is mounted on the underside of the rod; rod guides are on the underside of the rod.

Split Shotting - Often called stitch fishing because you move the bait in increments no larger than a sewing stitch and made just as slowly and patience is the key. Use a small #5 split-shot and crimp it about 18 inches above a light wire 1/0 or lighter small hook. Spinning tackle is a must. Small worms, 3-inch salt craws and others are perfect for the gentle application required.

Stick-Up - Stationary structure - stump, limb, section of pipe, fence post - that extends about 5 feet or less above the surface; a favorite casting target of bass fishermen.

Stragglers - Bass that remain near shore following a general migration.

Structure - Changes in the shape of the bottom of lakes, rivers, or impoundments, especially those that influence fish behavior. This is probably the most misunderstood word in bass fishing. Structure is a feature on the bottom of the lake. Some examples of structure are creeks, humps, depressions, sandbars, roadbeds, ledges, and drop-offs. Some examples that are not structure: a stump, tree, or brush pile (these are cover).

Suspended Fish - Bass at midlevel depths, neither near the surface nor on the bottom.

Swimming Lures - Sinking-type artificial baits designed to resemble a swimming baitfish. Such plugs vibrate and/or wobble during retrieve; some have built-in rattles. Also called lipless crankbaits.

Tail-Spinners - Compact, lead-bodied lures with one or two spinner blades attached to the tail, and a treble hook suspended from the body; designed to resemble a wounded shad; effective on schooling bass.

Terminal Tackle - Angling equipment, excluding artificial baits, attached to the end of a fishing line; examples include hooks, snaps, swivels, snap-swivels, sinkers, floats, and plastic beads.

Texas Rig - The method of securing a hook to a soft-plastic bait - worm, lizard, crawfish, so that the hook is weedless. A slip sinker is threaded onto the line and then a hook is tied to the end of the line. The hook is then inserted into the head of a worm for about one-quarter of an inch and brought through until only the eye is still embedded in the worm. The hook is then rotated and the point is embedded slightly into the worm without coming out the opposite side. Diagram

Thermocline - The layer of water where the temperature changes at least one-half a degree per foot of depth. Basically, a layer of water where rising warm and sinking cold water meet.

Topwaters - Floating hard baits that create some degree of surface disturbance during retrieve.

Trailer Hook - The extra hook, or cheater hook added to a single-hook lure, such as a spinnerbait or weedless spoon.

Transition - The imaginary line where one type of bottom material changes to another.

Treble Hook - Hook with single or bundled shaft and three points.

Trolling Motor - A small electric fishing motor, typically mounted on the bow, that is used as secondary boat propulsion, for boat positioning, and to maneuver quietly in fishing areas.

Waking or Bulging - This presentation can be a little difficult when you first learn it. You simply cast to your targeted area and retrieve or reel the spinnerbait back in just fast enough to create a "Bulge" or "Wake" just below the surface without actually skimming the top of the surface of the water. This presentation is a good pattern to use around submerged timber, riprap, fall-downs, vegetation, edge drops, docks, and just about any type of structure when the bass are active.

Weedless - A description of a lure designed to be fished in heavy cover with a minimum amount of snagging.

Weedline - Abrupt edge of a weedbed caused by a change in depth, bottom type, or other factor.

Wormin' - The act of fishing with a plastic worm, lizard, crawfish, or similar bait.

Yo-Yo or Pumping - This technique can as well be very effective at different times, especially in and around vegetation areas. With this technique, simply cast the spinnerbait to the targeted area, using more of a "slow-roll" for a retrieve. While on the retrieve, periodically make a quick lift of your rod tip after 5 or 6 winds on your reel, stop reeling and let the spinnerbait flutter back down towards the bottom until the slack is out of your line, then repeat this process all the way back to the boat.

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