Since no catches were reported, what better time is there to review a list of terms that have become an integral part of our daily lexicon? The only thing is, while much of what is offered here is direct and forthright, a few descriptions that have been listed are intended to be on the whimsical side.
For as long as fishing has been around, terms such as catch and release; rod and reel; hook, line and sinker; tackle and others have been a part of our glossary, and their meanings are pretty clear to most fishermen. Still, one or two folks out there might need a little help.
So here is a list of the most common terms in the world of fishing and what they really mean:
Catch and release An effort at conservation that takes place just before a Texas Parks and Wildlife officer confronts an angler who has retained more than his/her legal limit of fish.
Hook (1) A curled piece of metal principally used to catch fish. (2) A clever advertisement designed to tempt an angler into squandering his life savings on a new and high-tech piece of gear. (3) The punch doled out by aforementioned fishermans wife after he squanders away their life savings (see right hook, left hook).
Line Something you tell your associates when they ask on Monday how your fishing went over the weekend.
Lure 1) An object that is semi-enticing to fish, but will drive an angler into such a frenzy that he will purchase at least a dozen of before exiting the tackle shop. 2) A brightly-colored object that catches more fishermen than fish.
Sinker A weighted item that brings your bait to the bottom, hiding it from the fish.
Reel A cumbersome object that causes a rod to sink swiftly when dropped overboard.
Rod An attractively-painted length of fiberglass that keeps an angler from getting too close to a fish.
School A place fish go to keep from being captured by a lesser-educated individual (often referred to as angler).
Tackle What your last catch did to you as you reeled it in, but before it wrestled free and jumped overboard.
Tackle box A box that contains many sharp objects so that when an angler reaches in the wrong slot blindly to get a Band-Aid he soon finds that more than one is needed.
Test (1) The amount of strength a specific heaviness of line gives an angler when fighting fish in a certain weight range. (2) A measure of your creativity in blaming that darn line for again allowing the fish to get away.
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To get your catch in the Reel Report, phone Stiglich at (409) 683-5273. Theres no charge for this service.
