Oddly, the first area of odd terminology is in the very classification of the person fishing. When you say a fisherman or fisherwoman, you probably picture a person with a rod and reel. In truth, any effort to capture a fish makes you one of these. If you throw dynamite into the local pond, you are a fisherman. So, are people who fish with just rods and reels called anything in particular? Yes. They are called anglers. Why? Because they are!
Another area of head scratching can be bait. Bait is classified in a few billion different ways. One of the simplest is live versus dead bait. Seems pretty simple, huh? Well, it isn’t. Most live bait is not alive. It is just recently dead or not spoiled. Dead bait is spoiled and you aren’t going to catch much with it. If you are new to an area, just ask advice from the locals in the bait shop. They will usually steer you right.
If you delve into fly fishing, the terminology will only get more confusing. Fly fishing is a unique niche of fishing that focuses on using flies to catch trout and such. It is either incredibly relaxing or frustrating. Regardless, you are strongly encouraged to find someone that knows a good deal about it before getting involved or you wont understand a word that is being said.
All this being said, much of the fishing world is as straightforward as you would probably presume before getting into it. The number one most common bait in the world are night crawler worms. Where did they get the name? They come out of the ground and crawl around at night. It doesn’t get any more straightforward than that.
Don’t sweat the small stuff when it comes to fishing. If you get completely lost, just nod occasionally and nobody will know the difference!
Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of rugged fishing journals that make unique gifts for men.
