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Fish Speak - A to Z (Part 2)

Our May 2002 contribution from Lesley Crawford

More fly fishing definitions from Lesley...

Natural(s) - Natural usually refers to a real insect on or in the water as opposed to your imitation of it. However, down the ages there has been a slow merging of these terms and now we have jargon like fishing the 'natural dry fly ' or using a 'natural imitation'. Dry fly purism at one time meant your floating pattern had to be as much like the natural hatch as possible - nowadays a more flexible approach can exist. Some, though not all, nymph patterns resemble the real (natural) thing. Flies which do not necessarily represent anything natural are usually called 'attractors' or 'lures', a number of wet flies fall into this category.

A 'natural' (i.e. real!) Mayfly

Overhead - The 'overhead' refers to a particular style of casting. Overhead casts are the type most commonly seen on both lake and river. The fly line - once aerialised - will travel and stretch out behind you, literally 'over your head', before it is propelled forward to project your fly on to the water. The only time the overhead cannot be successfully used is when high banks, trees or other obstructions are going to tangle up the back cast. Roll or Spey casts can usually overcome these problems.

Point - In loch style angling it is common to use a team of 2 to 4 flies tied on droppers off the main length of nylon. The point fly is the one at the end. When anglers refer to a fish taking 'on the point' they are referring to fish grabbing the fly in the tail position of the team. Though depth can be varied by the speed of retrieve, the point fly is normally the one which fishes deepest. Often point flies are attractor patterns (see Naturals) and in loch style angling flies like the Invicta, Dunkeld or Butcher (along with other streamlined patterns) make good point flies.

A Dunkeld fly

Quicksilver - OK, this may not be a well known fishing colloquialism but if you know of one better for describing the actions and performance of our beloved sea trout then let me know!

Rise - The 'rise' is perhaps the most enigmatic part of a trouts behaviour. If a trout is rising it is making itself vulnerable as its actions and behaviour become visible to the human eye. Rise forms take many different shapes from enticing sips to splashes and from the gentlest of swirls to almighty slashes at potential prey. There is an old saying 'a rising trout is a taking trout' and it is one with which I would heartily concur. The only problem is presenting your artificial in such a way as to look like something the trout could indeed rise at.

Scissors - The 'scissors' are the corners of a trout 's mouth and they give rise to the oft quoted 'well hooked in the scissors'. How a trout manages to take the fly in this position is often the subject of discussion. Theoretically the trout has swum up beside the artificial fly and then turned round and down on it. This leads to some speculation that the trout has in fact sized up your artificial for a few moments before having a go at it. Trout hooked on the nose or in the centre of the mouth may have had no such qualms and probably have taken your fly without any prior contemplation.

A ferox trout 'well hooked in the scissors'

Travelling Trout - Brown trout are generally thought of as territorial beasts not given to much exploration outwith their patch except when they migrate off to their natal stream to spawn. However, in times of intensive rich feeding for example the Irish or Caithness mayfly hatch trout can be seen cruising upwind taking these luscious insects as they float down on the breeze. With an offshore wind, trout can be seen working the margins, travelling along the edge of the ripple picking up spent insects. In large stillwaters some trout are also given to travelling over some distance (miles) apparently to secure better feeding. This urge to travel is probably tied in with genetic influences causing the trout to actively migrate i.e. more like sea trout than brown trout.

Underwater - In terms of conservation any species which spends most of its life submerged and unseen from humans is going to be at a major disadvantage. Underwater is out of sight and nine times out of ten it 's out of mind. Fish are never going to figure in the cuddly bunny world which favours the visually aesthetic - seals are a prime example of pretty killers. Anglers have to work twice as hard to make their voices heard because their much valued fishy friends dwell underwater.

Voluntary Restraint - Where wild naturally reproducing stocks are under pressure some catch and release may be necessary to assist long term population survival. Unfortunately the aims of C&R have become distorted in some areas, noticeably in stillwater rainbow fishing, where anglers willingly return artificially reared non breeding trout for no other reason than it seems the 'in thing' to do. All this does is maintain stock numbers for the fishery and must please the fishery manager no end as expensive restocking may not have to be so frequent. Where wild fish are concerned, encouraging voluntary restraint works much better. Informing anglers whether they should catch and kill (culling is often vital on a loch with too many fingerling trout) or take 2 trout and return the rest is a better way forward. Blanket catch and release simply does not work for thousands of vastly different trout populations concentrated in remote areas like Sutherland.

Wind Lanes - Wind lanes are those defined streaks of water you see running across large lakes. Wind lanes composed of foamy white streaks of bubbles are normally formed during windy weather and can act as food and oxygen traps. Other lanes of calm wavy slicks of water are often seen after winds have changed direction and then subside. Of the two types the latter are often more interesting as the water in the slick can be a different (warmer) temperature from the rest. Again insects become trapped in this apparently greasy film and trout are almost always to be found near slick lanes.

Young fish - Small trout are not necessarily young fish. Some nine year old trout remain less than eight inches long in nutrient poor environments. To recognise a young trout look for a creamy colour, no wearing of the fins (especially on the tail), and eyes which are in proportion to the rest of the head. Small old trout often have large predominantly black eyes disproportionate to head size and are often darker in colour.

And so ends this Glossary prelude. Fishing has many more odd little terms and descriptive terms than you realise. Being well informed gives you a head start but is no substitute for practise. So without further ado lets go and do some!

About Lesley Crawford

Lesley has fished for brown trout and sea trout from a very early age and her enthusiasm for these beautiful Scottish fish shows no signs of diminishing. She is well known as a leading angling writer and photographer with prodigious articles in a wide range of publications including Salmon Trout & Sea Trout and the Scotsman.

Lesley is a REFFIS qualified fishing guide and arranges bespoke wild trout angling holidays in the Northern Highlands. Her first major book 'Fishing for Wild Trout in Scottish Lochs' (Swan Hill 1996) was a runaway success and the long awaited follow up 'Scotlands Classic Wild Trout Waters' (Swan Hill) was published in 2000. Order your copy now. Read more about Lesley at www.wildtroutfisher.co.uk