GLOSSARY OF FISHING TERMS 



Tail-walking, greyhounding, charging, jumping, rushing, 

 dancing. These are terms applied to surface-fighting fish by 

 admiring anglers. 



Tailing, or tailing out. Descriptive terms for any species of 

 fish swimming on the surface and showing their tails. Applied 

 particularly to marlin, which rarely show their dorsal fin. 



Breaching. An unhooked fish seen jumping is said to be 

 breaching. They usually do this when ridding themselves of the 

 annoying parasites called remora or suckerfish, and sometimes 

 when traveling, feeding, or about to start a migration. 



Finning, or finning out. Said of any fish when it is swimming 

 on the surface and showing its dorsal fin, 



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Sounding, or sounds. Words used to indicate that a fish has 

 gone down and is swimming deeper and deeper. 



Breaking out and rolling. When tuna, bonitos, mackerel and 

 other species outside of the billfish show themselves on the sur- 

 face, these terms are used. 



Throwing gullet and stomach. In trying to rid itself of a 

 hook a fish will sometimes vomit its stomach or gullet. 



Throwing marker overboard. When a finning or tailing fish 

 has been seen and then goes down, a buoy, tin can, keg, cracker 

 box, or piece of paper is tossed overboard, serving to mark the 

 spot where he was last seen, so that the captain may remain in 

 that vicinity. 



Pumping. Working the fish with an up-and-down motion, 

 reeling in line at the same time. 



Striking, hitting or socking. These three terms describe the 

 manner in which the rod is handled when the fish has first taken 

 the bait and the angler is endeavoring to set the hook. The action 



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