... Aussiefly's Dictionary of fly fishing terms

Fly Fishing Glossary
This is a every growing list of Terms used in Fly Fishing, feel free to add to the list by contacting Uncle Barry

A
Abdomeb - the stomach or gut part of a animal or insect
Addomen - the correct way to spell the above word.
Adult - the winged stage of aquatic insects; reproductive stage
Alexandra - a old pattern trout fly
Amber nymph - a pattern created by Howard Bell
Amphidromous fish - Fish that regularly migrate between freshwater and saltwater
Anal fin - The fin behind the anus of a fish
Antron - a nylon fibre with a triangular cross section, which reflects light, used in dubbing and wings
Arctic fox - the native fox to above the arctic circle,wonderful source of fly tying material
Attractor - a fly pattern tried to stimulate a strike

B
Backcast - that portion of any fly cast that extends behind the caster (as in false casting)
Backing - usually braided dacron,braid,nylon or the new polypropylene used to take up space on the spool before the fly line is attached
Baetis - widely distributed genus of mayflies, in USA and Europe ,typically found in sizes 16 to 22
Bag limit - the number of fish you may keep legally
Bamboo - oldest rod building material still in use
Barrel Knot - same as blood knot
Bass Bug - name used to describe a large number of surface bass flies usually tied with hollow hair such as deer hair
Bass Bug Taper - a special weight forward floating fly line with a short front taper so that the generally wind-resistant bass bugs can turn over
Bead head - a nymph with a metal bead that is placed on the hook, adds weight and colour
Beat - Term used to describe an area of waterside bank on either a river or stillwater lake or a area where the fish cruses, around and around
Bimini Twist - A series of knots and twists in a leader which acts as a springy shock absorber in the line
Biot - The short thick barbs from the leading edge of the first flight feather typically from a goose or a duck Used to simulate tails, legs, antennae and other parts
Blood Knot - the most widely used knot for tying two pieces of monofilament with similar diameters together; the best knot for construction of a knotted tapered leader; also called the barrel knot
Bob fly - the fly that is nearest to the caster, which skims across the water
Bobbin holder - a tyer's tool for holding thread
Body - the main part of the fly, that covers the shank
Booby - a fly with polystyrene beads that form the head, used on a sinking line
Breaking Strength, amount of effort required to break a single strand of unknotted monofilament or braided line, usually stated in pounds, example: 6 lb. test- the manufacturer's estimate of the dry breaking strain of the line
Bucktail - (1) the hair found on the tail of the Eastern whitetail deer, used in the tying of many types of flies; can be dyed any color, or used natural
(2) a type of minnow simulating fly, usually constructed of bucktail
Dubbing - material that is applied to the hooks shank, can be with the aid of a sticky wax or as a rope type with the use of a dubbing spinning tool
Butt - a small wrap of herl or silk in front of the tag, normally on salmon flies
Buzzer - common term used to describe Chronomid flies, midges and gnats that hover over the surface of all water..

C
Caenid - a type of small mayfly
Caddis - one of the three most important aquatic insects imitated by fly fishermen; found world wide in all freshwater habitats; adult resembles a moth when in flight, at rest the wings are folded in a tent like shape down the back; the most important aquatic state of the caddis is the pupa, which is its emerging stage Callibaetis widely distributed genus of mayfly that is commonly found in lakes - often called the "Speckled Wing Dun" because of the speckled markings on the leading edge of the adult's wings. Callibaetis are usually found in sizes 16 & 18.
Cane Rod - a rod made of cane, the choice of traditionalist, should be every one's wish list
Cape - Part of a bird skin used for fly tying flies
Cast - the action of the line as it is pushed by the rod - also the line used as the leader
Casting Arc - the path that the fly rod follows during a complete cast, usually related to the face of a clock
Chalk stream - a mall stream that has risen from a spring in a chalk hillside
Clinch Knot - universally used knot for attaching a hook, lure, swivel, or fly to the leader or line; a slight variation results in the improved clinch knot, which is an even stronger knot for the above uses
CDC - stands for "Cul de Canard" which literally translates to "butt of the duck". Used both to refer to the feathers from the area around the oil gland of a duck and also to the flies tied with these feathers. The feathers from this area are very wispy and impregnated with natural oils making them extremely waterproof Coch-y-bonddu - red-brown hackle with black centers and tips
Cock Hackles - The neck feathers of a cockerel
Comparadun - series of no-hackle dry flies developed by Caucci & Nastasi in 1970's using a hair wing tied in a 180° flair. They are very effective patterns in slow moving clear water where an imitative (as opposed to impressionistic) pattern is needed
Copolymers - mixtures of various nylons and plastics along with anti-UV chemicals that have resulted in the exceptionally high breaking strength of modern tippet material. Copolymers are not as abrasion resistant as regular nylon monofilament
Credit card - trouble!

D
Damping - reducing excess vibrations in the rod blank when unloading the rod during a cast. This causes fewer waves in your fly line resulting in more power & distance for less effort
Damselfly - an important stillwater aquatic insect most commonly imitated in the nymph form; usually hatches in early to midsummer. Adult looks like a dragonfly, but folds its wings along its back when at rest
Dead Drift - a perfect float (the fly is traveling at the same pace as the current); used in both dry fly and nymph fishing
Deer Hair - most commonly used of the hollow hairs for fly tying, used for the Humpy and the Muddler Minnow styles of flies
Doors - the rotten things that eat fly rods!
Double Taper (DT) - a standard fly line design in which both ends of the line are tapered, while the greater portion or "belly" of the line is level; excellent line for short to moderate length casts, and for roll casting; not as well suited for distance casts; commonly available in floating, or sinking styles
Drag - (1) term used to describe an unnatural motion of the fly caused by the effect of the current on line and leader. Drag is usually detrimental, though at times useful (such as imitating the actions of the adult caddis)
(2) Resistance applied to the reel spool to prevent it from turning faster than the line leaving the spool (used in playing larger fish)
Drag Free - see Dead Drift
Dragonfly - important stillwater aquatic insect most commonly imitated in the nymph form;commonly called the mudeye in Australia, usually hatches in early to mid-summer. Unlike the Damselfly, the Dragonfly adult holds its wings straight out (like an airplane) when at rest
Dropper - additional length of line of the leader for a second or third fly
Dry Fly - any fly fished upon the surface of the water; usually constructed of non-water-absorbent materials; most commonly used to imitate the adult stage of aquatic insects
Dry Fly Floatant - chemical preparation that is applied to a dry fly (before using the fly) to waterproof it; may be a paste, liquid, or aerosol
Dubbing - material used to create a body on the fly
Dubbing needle - a fine needle used to pick fibers out of the dubbed body
Dun - (1) first stage in the adult mayfly's life cycle; usually of short duration (1 to 24 hours); this is the stage most often imitated by the dry fly; (2) a darkish gray-blue color that is very desirable in some fly tying materials

E
Eclosion - the act of emergence from a egg or pupal case
Eddy - A section of water that is less disturbed than the surrounding water, found for example on the edge of a current or where two streams converge
Elk Hair Body hair from elk which is used in many fly patterns to supply body and floatation
Emerger - pertaining to aquatic insects, the name used to describe that time frame when the nymph reaches the surface and the adult hatches out; the emerging nymph may well be the single most important nymph phase for the fly fishers to imitate

F
False Cast - standard fly fishing cast; used to lengthen and shorten line, to change direction, and to dry off the fly; frequently overused. In false casting, the line is kept moving backwards and forwards without being allowed to touch the surface of the water or the ground
Figure of eight - the movement of the fly line in the hand as it is retrieved
Fish - sent by God to drive us mad!
Floating Fly Line (F) - a fly line where the entire line floats, best all round fly line
Fluorocarbon - tippet or leader material, correct name for the material is made of PVDF-polyvinylidenfluoride
Fly Casting - standard method of presenting a fly to a target using a fly rod and fly line; involves many different casts
Fly Line - the line used for fly fishing; made of a tapered plastic coating over a braided dacron or nylon core; available in several tapers and in floating, sinking, and sink-tip styles, W/F weight forward, DT double taper, Shooting head, Sinking, Intermediate and Floating
Fly Reel - fishing reel used in fly fishing to hold the fly line. There are three basic types: single action, multiplier, and automatic
1.)Single action is the most common and the most popular. Single action means that one turn of the handle equals one turn of the spool
2.) Multiplying reels use a gear system to increase this ratio (usually, 2-to-1). With a 2-to-1 ratio, each turn of the handle equals 2 revolutions of the spool
3.) Automatic fly reels are the least practical for most people; they operate by a manually wound spring which is activated by a lever; automatic reels are heavy and tend to malfunction
Fly Rod - a type of fishing rod especially designed to cast a fly line. Fly rods differ from other types of rods in that the reel attaches at the butt of the rod with the rod handle always above the reel; fly rods usually have more line guides than other types of rods of the same length.The standard is usually, 1 guide per foot , plus 1, Fly rod lengths vary, with common lengths being between 7 and 9 feet. Materials used in fly rod construction are bamboo, fiberglass, and graphite
Forceps - hand operated medical instrument widely used in fly-fishing to remove flies from the jaws of a hooked fish. Have plier-like jaws with locking clips so that once they are clamped to the hook, they stay there until you release them
Forward Cast - the front portion of the false cast or pick-up and lay-down, and a mirror image of the back cast
Forward Taper - see weight forward
Freestone - type of river or stream with a significant gradient resulting in medium to fast-moving water. Although the upper reaches of a freestone stream may be spring-fed, the vast majority of its flow comes from run-off or tributaries. The fast moving water inhibits the growth of weeds or other rooted vegetation resulting in a "Free Stone" bottom. Fresstone streams are less fertile than spring creeks resulting in a smaller and less diverse aquatic insect population. Fewer bugs in faster water usually results in fewer but more opportunistic trout

G
Gape - space between the point of the hook and the shank
Gel-spun polyethylene - A synthetic fiber that is extremely thin, supple, slippery, very abrasion resistant, and strong. It is stronger than steel for its size. It is often used as a braided fly line backing where large amounts of backing are needed and space on the reel is limited
Ghillie - a person employed as guide to anglers on salmon fishing waters
Gold Head - A Bead Head fly uses a metal bead to simulate the thorax on a nymph or wet fly and to add weight to the fly
Golden Pheasant - Bird whose crest, neck and wing feathers are used extensively in fly patterns
Graphite - the most popular rod-building material in use today; offers the best weight, strength, and flex ratio of any rod building material currently available

H
Hackle - a feather, usually from the neck area of a chicken; can be any color (dyed or natural); hackle quality, such as the stiffness of the individual fibers and amount of web, determines the type of fly tied with the hackle; many hackles are grown specifically for fly tying
Hackle pliers - fly-tyer's tool for wrapping the hackle feather around the hook
Hang over to much red wine
Hair stacker - small tube which is used to level a bunch of hair, usually deer hair
Hare's mask - the facial area of the hare used for fly tying
Hare's Ear nymph in sizes 12-16 can be used as both a mayfly and a caddisfly imitation and in larger sizes as a stonefly imitation. Impressionistic flies are usually most effective in medium to fast water, in streams with lesser populations of aquatic insects
Hatch - a large number of flies of the same species
Headwaters - upstream section of the river before the main tributaries join it. This section is typically much smaller in width and flow than the main section of the river
Hen Hackle - Hackle feathers from a hen chicken characterized by soft, wide feathers
Herl Feathers - used for tying with long individual barbules each having short dense fibers. Used as tails and to make fly bodies, usually from Peacock and Ostrich
Hollow Hair - hair from some animals is mostly hollow, thus holding air and making these hairs float. Ideal for tying dry flies and bass bugs. Antelope, deer, and elk all have hollow hair
Hook - the object upon which the fly is tied; can be any size from tiny to huge; made from steel wire, and either bronzed, cadmium coated, or stainless
Hook - designs are variable; style used depends upon the type of fly being tied and the fish sought

I
Imitator - a fly to imitate the real insect
Imitative flies - flies tied to more closely match specific insects Imitative flies are most effective in slow-moving, clear water, with finicky trout in streams with large populations of aquatic insects Impressionistic flies - flies tied to loosely suggest a variety of insects or insect families
Invertebrate - A creature that has no backbone, example, an insect or a worm
Indicator - floating object placed on the leader or end of the fly line to "indicate" the take of the fly by a fish or to indicate the path of the drift of the fly; used when nymph fishing with a slack line
Intermediate line - line with a slow controlled sink rate

K
Knotless Tapered Leader - a fly fishing leader entirely constructed from a single piece of monofilament Extrusion, or acid immersion are most commonly used to taper the leader
Knotted Leader - fly fishing leader constructed by knotting sections of different diameter leader material to each other to make a tapered leader. Most commonly used knots to construct such a leader are blood (or barrel) knot and surgeon's knot
Kype - hooked jaw of a salmon
Kevlar - a man made material, ideal for leaders/tippets for fish with sharp teeth, hard to cut
Krill - Small, shrimp like crustaceans, of the family Euphausiidae, that form a part of the marine food chain

L
Larva - the immature, aquatic, growing stage of the caddis and some other insects. Most species of caddis larva build a protective covering of fine gravel or debris to protect them in this stage. The larva is a bottom dwelling non-swimming stage of the insect
Leader - the section of monofilament line between the fly line and the fly. It is usually tapered, so that it will deliver the fly softly and away, forward of,from the fly line
Leader Material - clear nylon or other type of monofilament, fluorocarbon,kevlar, The two types most commonly used are clear nylon and monofilament
Lie - area of the river where the fish tend to sit and wait for food
Level Line - an untapered fly line, usually floating. It is difficult to cast, a poor line for delicacy or distance, and a poor choice for an all round line
Loading the Rod - phrase used to describe the bend put in the rod by the weight of the line as it travels through the air during the cast
Loch-style fishing - Stillwater flyfishing with teams of wet flies cast a short distance downwind from a drifting boat
Lure - large wet fly to imitate a small baitfish

M
Marrow spoon - long spoon used for inspecting the food in the trouts stomach, so the correct fly
can be used
Mayfly - world wide, the most commonly imitated aquatic insect. Most dry fly and nymph patterns imitate this insect. Nymph stage of the mayfly lasts approx., one year; adult stages last one to three days. The adult has one pair of upright wings, making it look like a small sailboat. Mayflies are commonly found in cold or cool freshwater environments
Mending Line - method used after the line is on the water to achieve a drag free float. It uses a flip, or series of flips with the rod tip, which puts a horseshoe shaped bow in the line. This slows down the speed with which the line travels if mended upstream, and speeds up the line if mended downstream. An example: if a cast is across the flow of the stream and the fastest part of the current is on your side, the mends would typically be made upstream to slow the line down so it keeps pace with the fly traveling in the slower current across from you
Midge - a term properly applied to the small Dipterans that trout feed on. Many people call them gnats. Adult's appearance is similar to mosquitoes. Midges have two wings that lie in a flat "V" shape over the back when at rest
Milt - The semen of a male fish; a term for the semen-filled testes and sperm ducts of a male fish
Monofilament - a clear, supple nylon filament used in all types of fishing that is available in many breaking strengths and diameters
Muddler - normally a deer hair headed fly

N
Nail Knot - a knot used for tying the leader to the fly line
Narrow Loop - term that describes what the fly line should look like as it travels through the air; a narrow loop can best be described as the letter "U" turned on its side; it is formed by using a narrow casting arc, usually this increases the line's speed
Needle Nail Knot - same as the nail knot except that the leader or backing is run up through the center of the fly line for 4mm/3/16" to 10mm/3/8", then out through the side of the fly line before the nail knot is tied; this allows the backing or the leader to come out the center of the fly line rather than along the side of it as in the nail knot
Nymph - immature form of insects, term used for insect between egg and hatching stages
Nymphing - word describing fish feeding on nymphs; nymphing right at the surface can be difficult to tell from fish feeding on adults, careful observation should tell

O
Oesophagus - The gullet of a fish
Open Loop - term used to describe what the fly line looks like as it travels through the air during a poor cast; caused by a very wide casting arc, low line speed
Oviparous fish - Fish that lay eggs from which the young later hatch

P
Palmering - the method employed to tie a hackle down the length of the hook shank
Parachute - type of dry fly where the hackle is wound horizontally around the base of the wing like a parachute instead of vertically around the hook of the fly
Peacock Sword - A feather from a peacock with bushy herl-like barbules, commonly used for tails
Pectoral fins - The pair of fins just behind the head of a fish
Pelagic fish - Fish that live at the surface, in the upper waters, open ocean fish
Pelvic fins - The pair of fins on the lower body of a fish; also called ventral fins
Pickup & Lay Down - a fly fishing cast using only a single backcast. The line is lifted from the water and a back cast made, followed by a forward cast which is allowed to straighten and fall to the water, completing the cast
Point fly - fly fished on the point of the leader when a dropper holding another fly is used
Popping Bug - a bass bug made from a hard material. Usually cork or balsa wood,high density body foam, as these are high floating materials that can be made into a variety of shapes, can be made of a number of materials including deer hair
Presentation - the act of putting the fly on the water and offering it to the fish; the variety of presentations is infinite, and changes with each fishing situation. The object is to present the fly in a manner similar to the natural insect or food form that you are imitating
Priest - a small club used for dispatching fish
Pupa - in insects, the transition stage between the larva and the adult

R
Rays The soft or spiny supporting elements of fish fins
Red the colour of beautiful wine
Redd A hollow scooped in the sand or gravel of a riverbed by breeding trout as spawning area.
Reel Seat - the part of the rod that holds the reel to the rod, usually using locking metal rings or sliding bands
Retrieve - pulling the line back to the rod
Riffle - A small rapid in a river or stream
Rise - action of a trout as it rises for a fly on the water's surface
Rod Flex - The manner in which the rod bends during the cast during the acceleration phase of the cast
Roll-cast - The method of casting the fly from the side, when there is now room behind you for a back-cast.
Running Line - a thin line attached to the back of a shooting taper (shooting head) line. May be 20 to 50 pound monofilament,depending on the rod and casting, if in saltwater or fresh water, braided nylon, narrow floating or sinking line, or other material. Usually about 100 feet in length, it allows the fly fisher to quickly change the type of line being used by interchanging only the head section

S
"S" Cast - cast used to put deliberate and controlled slack into a cast; used in getting a drag free float and in conjunction with mending line
Saltwater Taper - a weight forward fly line that is similar to a bass bug taper
Setting the Hook - the act of pulling the hook into the flesh of the fish's mouth
Shank - long straight part of the hook between the eye and the bend
Shooting Taper - ST or Shooting Head - a short single tapered fly line, shooting heads are designed for longest casts with minimum effort; shooting heads allow quick change of line types (floating, sinking, sink-tip, etc.)by quickly interchanging head sections; shooting heads are most commonly used with salmon, steelhead, saltwater, though they can be used in all types of fly fishing
Smelt - small bait fish
Snake - a thing you shouldn't step on!
Snake guides - a formed wire guide on a fly rod
Sink Rate - the speed at which a sinking fly line sinks; there are a number of sink rates
Sink-Tip Fly Line - F/S - a floating fly line where the tip portion sinks
Sinking Fly Line - a fly line in which the entire length of the line sinks beneath the surface of the water
Spinner - the egg laying stage of the mayfly
Spool - the part of the fly reel that revolves and which holds the backing and the fly line
Stalking - creeping up on a fish, to surprise or not disturb the fish or anything, including snakes
Standing Line - the part of the line that is joined to another piece of line when tying the tag ends together
Stonefly - nymph lives for one to three years, depending on species; most species hatch out by crawling to the shoreline and emerging from its nymphal case above the surface, thus adults are meals to trout only along shoreline and around midstream obstructions; adult has two pair of wings which are folded flat along its back when at rest
Streamer - fly tied to imitate the various species of baitfish upon which game fish feed; usually tied using feathers for the wing, but can be tied with hair and/or feathers
Stripping basket - a bag, box or clothes basket , either on the ground or attached to the waist, used to collect loose line when fishing, reduces tangles
Stripping line - Retrieving the line by pulling it in through your fingers
Stock Fish - fish that are reared in captivity and stocked into fisheries
Suboperculum - In bony fish, the rear lower bone of the gill cover
Supracleithrum - The bone at the upper rear of the skull of a fish, is one of the bones that support the pectoral fin
Surface film - The apparent elastic like film on the surface of water - which is created by surface tension
Surface tension - The natural tendency of the surface of water (and other liquids) to behave like an elastic sheet. It is caused by forces acting between the water molecules: the molecules at the surface are much more strongly attracted to each other, and to the molecules below them, than they are to the molecules of air above them
Surgeon's Knot - excellent knot used to tie two lengths of monofilamont together; the lines may be of different diameters

T
Tag - Tag end - the end of the line that is used to tie a knot
Tag - The short, thick tail on an artificial fly, generally made out of silk or wool
Tail - part of the fly usually constructed of fine feather or hair, on the end of the hook
Tapered Leader - a leader made of monofilament and used for fly fishing; the back or butt section of the leader is of a diameter nearly as large as the fly line, then becomes progressively smaller in diameter as you approach the tip end
Thorax - normally associated with nymphs, however can be a part of the fly, usually the area behind the head, mainly constructed with dubbing
Tight Loop - same as narrow loop , as in casting
Tippet - the end section of a tapered leader; the smallest diameter section of a tapered leader; the fly is tied onto the tippet
Toe biter - a dobson fly
Terrestrial - Term used to describe land-based insects which are often food for fish
Terminal tackle - The tackle, including the hook or lure, that is attached to the end of the reel line
Tube fly - An artificial fly consisting of a metal or plastic tube, dressed with feathers, hair or other materials with the line threaded through it
Turn Over - words that describe how the fly line and leader straighten out at the completion of the cast

U
Unloading the Rod - unbending the rod. Transferring the casting energy from the rod back into the fly line
USD - upside down fly

V
Vent - The anus of a fish
Vertebra - An individual segment of the backbone of a fish
Vertebrate - A creature that has a backbone, example, fish or a mammal
Vest - a fly fisher's wearable tackle box, numbers of styles available, a complete fly fishers world on his/her back
Vise - tool used for holding the fly hook while materials are tied on

W
Waders - high topped waterproof boots; two main types used in fishing: boot foot and stocking foot; boot foot have boots built in - stocking foot requires the use of a pair of wading shoes
Wading Shoes - shoes built specifically to be worn over stocking foot waders
Water - a must have for fish
Weight Forward (WF) - an easy casting fly line because it carries most of its weight in the forward section of the line, instead of a level middle section, like a double taper, it quickly tapers down to a fine diameter running line which shoots through the guides with less resistance for added distance, >>the most versatile fly line
Wet Fly - any fly fished below the surface of the water; nymphs and streamers are wet flies also a traditional style of fly tied with soft, swept back hackle, and a backward sweeping wing
Wet Fly Swing - typical presentation method for fishing a wet fly. Cast the fly downstream and across, and then swim it across the current. Commonly used to imitate swimming mayflies, emerging caddis, and small fish and in nymph fishing
Whistler fly - These are used after dark, in deep water, or where visibility is not very good, dirty water. The large bead-chain eyes and the bulky dressing, create underwater vibration. The bead-chain eyes make the fly dip every time the angler pauses on the retrieve
Wind Knot - an overhand knot put in the leader by poor casting, destroys the breaking strength of the leader
Windward - The direction the wind is blowing
Whip Finish - knot used to tie off the thread when finishing a fly
Work - some thing we must do to go fishing

X
X - the original measurement used to designate diameter of leader material used in conjunction with a numeral, as in "4X". To determine the actual diameter of "4X" or any "X" number, subtract the numeral from the number 11 (eleven). The result is the diameter in thousandths of an inch. example, to find the diameter of 4X material, subtract 4 from 11 (11 - 4 = 7) thus the diameter is .007". Please note: diameter does not always correspond to breaking strength.