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Fishing Slang: The Essential Sportfisherman’s Guide

In the diverse and ever-evolving world of fishing, the language used is as rich and varied as the waters we explore. Just as there are numerous ways to ‘skin a cat,’ in the realm of angling, there are countless ways to describe the thrill of the catch. Take, for instance, the myriad of terms for a big fish: from ‘hog’ to ‘a real one,’ each descriptor like ‘lunker,’ ‘sow,’ ‘tank,’ ‘slob,’ ‘gorilla,’ ‘donkey,’ ‘cow,’ ‘monster,’ ‘fatty,’ ‘huge,’ ‘giant,’ and many more, echoes the regional nuances and the vibrant tapestry of fishing slang. These terms flow naturally in the conversations of fishermen across the globe, painting vivid pictures of their aquatic conquests. In this glossary, we delve deep into the world of fishing slang, giving due credit to some of the geographical roots of each term. As fishing techniques and technologies evolve, so does our language. Thus, our glossary remains a work in progress, continually enriched by contributions from fishermen worldwide. We invite you, the seasoned angler or the curious novice, to enjoy the dialogue and share your unique fishing slang, helping us keep this compilation not only well-researched but also as dynamic and diverse as the sport itself.

Fishing Slang words

Types of Fisherman

  • Googan: An inexperienced fisherman, often viewed with contempt. Universally recognized term.
    • Regional Variants:
    • Jack Bag: North Carolina term for Googan.
    • Shmiiii: A South Florida variant, likened to Smeagol from ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ as shared by Capt. Matthew Miller from Pensacola.
  • Slapper/Squeezer: Australian slang for someone overly assertive or difficult to deal with, sometimes used interchangeably to describe a Googan.
  • Potlicker: Used in the Gulf of Mexico for individuals with Googan-like tendencies, as described by Bryan Case of Venice Honey Badger Fishing.
  • Lump: A Hawaiian term for a charter guest who is passive and unengaged throughout the trip.
  • Helpful Harry: The Hawaiian antithesis of a Lump, a charter guest overly eager to assist in the cockpit.

Captains & Mates 

  • Gilligan: An older term for a captain who is affable but generally clueless, often displaying goofball tendencies. The term originates from the character on ‘Gilligan’s Island.’
  • Big Fish Bert: A captain known for exaggerating the size of every fish, particularly those released. Often associated with charter captains who may exaggerate to chase tips. For example, if a ‘Big Fish Bert’ says a fish was 400 pounds, it might actually be half that size.
  • Clam Lipper: (North Carolina) A captain who, upon finding a great fishing spot, ‘forgets’ how to use his radio, thus not sharing the info with fellow fishermen.
  • Hot Shot: An older term describing a captain who docks the boat very quickly and exhibits an arrogant demeanor.
  • High Hook: Refers to the captain who has caught the most fish in a given day, trip, or season.
  • Deckie: (Australia) A term for a deckhand or fishing mate.
  • Greenhorn: Refers to a new or inexperienced fishing deckhand or mate.

Describing Fish

  • Flopper/Jumper (Costa Rica): Terms used for a free jumping sailfish or marlin.
  • Mud Dart: A billfish that dies upon release and sinks nose-first into the mud on the bottom.
  • Window Shoppers: Fish that appear in the spread and follow a trolling bait but don’t attempt to eat it.
  • Rat/Cheese Eater: A term for a small marlin or swordfish. In Hawaii, ‘Rat’ is sometimes synonymous with ‘Cheese Eater,’ often used to describe male blue marlin.
  • Beakies: Australian slang for billfish.
  • Diablo: In Panama, ‘Diablo,’ which translates to ‘devil,’ is used for marlin, reflecting the captivating power of marlin fishing.
  • Chupacabra: A term in Panama for live bait-eating porpoises, reminiscent of the mythical creature, used in the context of marlin fishing.
    • Blue Marlin Terms:
    • Man in the Blue Suit/Blue One: For blue marlin.
    • Line Burner: An Australian term for blue or black marlin.
    • White Marlin Terms:
    • Skillie/Whitey/White One: Different names for white marlin, used on the east coast.
    • Striped Marlin Terms:
    • Stripeys/Spanglies: Terms for striped marlin, with ‘Spanglies’ being an Australian term.
    • Fixed Wing: An Australian term for a black marlin.
    • Chucker: A Hawaiian term for spearfish. Originated from a comparison to movie extras, known as ‘spearchuckers.’

Large Fish

  • Grander: A term for a thousand-pound fish, usually a marlin or tuna.
  • Tonner: The mythical 2,000-pound marlin.
  • Big Juli: An Australian term for a very large marlin, often elusive.
  • Big Moes: A Hawaiian term for big marlin, as coined by Captain Marlin Parker of Kona.
  • Erville: An Australian term for an extraordinarily large, mythical marlin.
  • Tutu: A Hawaiian term for ‘grandmother,’ also used to describe a big marlin.
  • Dozer: Another term for a big marlin.
  • A Bomb: Hawaiian for a huge marlin

Sailfish

  • Positive Terms: Spindlebeaks, Dredge Finders, Pez Vela (used in areas where sailfish are highly regarded).
  • Derogatory Terms: Sea Turd, Sea Rat, (slang used by crew when marlin fishing as a result of sailfish by-catch).

Tuna

  • Yellow: Slang for yellowfin tuna.
  • Thunn/Charlie: Slang for bluefin tuna.
  • Eyeball: A term for bigeye tuna.
  • Penguin: Slang for albacore tuna.
  • Albies: A slang term for albacore tuna.
  • Cow: A yellowfin tuna over 200-pounds, commonly used on the west coast (USA).
  • Gorilla: A large tuna (over 200 pounds) in Hawaii. Tuna over 100 pounds are also called ‘ahi.’

Dolphinfish

  • Dollies or Dodos(Australia)
  • Size Classifications: Peanut, Chicken, Schoolie, Shaker (under 5 pounds or about 20 inches), Gaffer (5-15 pounds), Slammer (20-plus pounds), Super Slammer (40-plus pounds).

Wahoo

  • Hoos: General term.
  • Ono: Hawaii term for wahoo
  • Zebras: A term used in the Florida Keys.
  • We-hoos: Small wahoo, under 10 pounds.

Kingfish

  • Slime: A term used by sportfish captains for kingfish.
  • Snakes: Small kingfish under 10-15 pounds.

Bait

  • Blue Runners: A widely distributed and commonly used baitfish.
    • Variety of Blue Runner Names:
    • Gulf of Mexico: Known as ‘Hard Tails.’
    • Panama: Referred to as ‘Kujinua.’
    • South Florida: Called ‘Ghetto Gogs’ by tournament kite fishermen
  • Making Bait: West Coast term for the process of catching live bait.
  • Blacked Out: Describes a live well full of live baits, ready for fishing.
  • Ballyhoo: Small size ballyhoo aka half-beaks, dink baits and when rigged and ready a “box of crickets”

Miscellaneous Fishing Slang

  • Streakers: Marks on the sonar indicating a tuna or other fish rising to eat bait or lure.
  • Chirping/Marking (or a Mark): Terms used by captains when marking fish on the sonar.
  • Steel, Axes, Picks (Australia): Gaffs used in harvesting fish.
  • Dart or Poon: A harpoon used to harvest fish, and once a fish is harpooned, it is ‘stuck.’
  • Flyer: A flying gaff or a flying fish.
  • Grease, Whack, Stroke, Hang, Ice: Various adjectives described to harvest a fish.
  • Stinger (Hawaii): The center rigger and the bait fished out of it.
  • WFB (Way F___ing Back): Refers to a particular trolling bait far back behind the boat.
  • Backfield: Another North Carolina term for the long rigger and the shotgun.
  • Jigs (California): Describing baits.
  • Plastics or Plugs (Hawaii): Marlin lures. Fishing with lures is also known as ‘dragging and snagging’ or ‘pulling plastics.’
  • Gingerbread: An old-school term for teak on a sportfisher.
  • Shampooed (North Carolina): A term for having a blue marlin head and shoulders out chasing your teaser, attributed to Capt. Billy Baum.
  • Covered Up: When there are lots of fish nearby, and all lines are getting bites.
  • Ate Up with It: Describes someone, especially a boat owner or family member, who is obsessed with fishing and does it at every opportunity.
  • Dumping: A term for a fish taking a lot of line. Getting ‘spooled’ means losing all the line on the reel.
  • Get Tight: Hooking up on a fish. When the rod loads up, you are ‘bent,’ ‘bent over,’ or ‘bendo.’
  • In The Bite: Being in the most active fishing spot or receiving the most bites in an area. Also, a reference to a fishing publication.
  • Una Vaina Bien: A term from the Dominican Republic describing something good.
  • Kurt: A North Carolina term from fishing with a heavy-set guy named Kurt. Used when over the limit in meat fishing.

Slow Fishing Slang

  • Dunkaroo: A ritual involving a headstand in a bucket of ice water followed by shotgunning a beer, believed to entice more bites.
  • Fish Whistle: A practice involving cannabis cigarettes smoked to attract marlin. 
  • San Cocho: Refers to the return of a bait with only the hook and the head a fish, particularly after a missed bite.
  • Salado: A Central American Spanish term meaning ‘salted’ or ‘excessively salty,’ used to describe someone who is consistently unlucky in fishing.
  • Palm Beach Release: Releasing a fish a long way from the boat and counting it as an official release
  • Knock Down: Occurs when a fish dislodges bait or lure from the rigger clip without resulting in a hookup.
  • Skunked: A term for not catching any fish.
  • Pea Soup(Florida Keys): Terms describing green or cloudy water conditions.
  • Nautical, Sporty, Rougher than Shit: Phrases used to describe challenging sea conditions with large waves and rough water.
  • Zing Pow!: The sound made when a fishing line breaks under pressure, usually followed by expletives.
    • Toothy Critter: Describes fish with sharp teeth like mackerel, sharks, barracuda, posing a threat to lines and baits.
    • Man in the Grey/Brown Suit: Terms for sharks, particularly when they interfere with fishing.
    • Taxman: Used especially after a shark consumes a caught fish like cobia, tuna or marlin.
  • Blue Dogs: A term for blue sharks in the Northeast.

Sailboat Slang by Fisherman

  • Whistle Pisser: A term for a sailboater who complains about fuel prices. Arriving at a new port and then asking the dockmaster how much fuel is, the blowboater whistles in a surprised manner and then asks where the bathroom is.
  • WAFIs: Acronym for ‘Wind-Assisted F___ing Idiots.’
  • Blow Boaters: Another slang term for sailboaters.

This glossary of fishing slang is more than just a collection of terms; it’s a testament to the camaraderie and shared experiences that bind anglers around the world. As a living document, it continues to evolve with the times and the seas, reflecting the dynamic spirit of the fishing community. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the captains and anglers who have contributed their unique language to this rich tapestry. And remember, this journey through the vernacular of fishing doesn’t end here – we invite you to keep sharing your terms, stories, and insights, helping this glossary grow and thrive in the true spirit of fishing.

Acknowledgements: Capt. Jack Sprengel (Rhode Island), Capt. Fin Gaddy (North Carolina), Capt. Glenn Cameron (Florida), Jarad Dingo Boshammar (Australia), Capt. Matthew Miller (Pensacola), Capt. Chris Donato (Hawaii), Capt. Marlin Parker (Hawaii), Capt. Stymie Epstein (Hawaii), Capt. Daniel Spencer (North Carolina), Capt. Nick Stanzcyk (Florida Keys), Capt. Tony Berkowitz (Cabo), Capt. Jason Buck (Gulf Coast), Bryan Case (Texas), and Capt. Dale Wills (Florida). 


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