Fishing Terms Explained

Catch and Release -
A conservation motion that happens most often right
before the local Fish and Game officer stops a boat
that has caught over its limit.

Hook -
1. A curved piece of metal used to catch fish
2. A clever advertisement to entice a fisherman to
spend his life savings on a new rod and reel
3. The punch administered by said fisherman's wife
after he spends their life savings (see also: Right
Hook, Left Hook)

Line -
Something you give your co-workers when they ask on
Monday how your fishing went over the past weekend.

Lure -
An object that is semi-enticing to fish, but will
drive an angler into such a frenzy that he will
charge his credit card to the limit before exiting
the tackle shop.

Reel -
A weighted object that causes a rod to sink quickly
when dropped overboard.

Rod -
An attractively painted length of fiberglass that
keeps an angler from ever getting too close to a
fish.

School -
A grouping in which fish are taught to avoid your
$29.99 lures and hold out for Spam instead.

Tackle -
What your last catch did to you as you reeled him
in, just before he wrestled free and jumped back
overboard.

Tackle Box -
A box shaped alarmingly like your comprehensive
"first aid kit". The difference is that a tackle
box contains many sharp objects, so when you reach
in the wrong box blindly to get a Band-Aid, you
soon need more than one.

Test -
1. The amount of strength a fishing line affords
an angler when fighting fish in a specific weight
range.
2. A measure of your creativity in blaming "that
darn line" for once again losing the fish.