Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
With the passing of the White Marlin Open just last week, and the fact that we’re right smack at the height of our fishing season, you can bet there has been more than just a little offshore fishing talk going on around here. Everywhere you go, fishermen are yacking about what’s biting-where, how their fishing day went, this and that about boats, tackle, bait, and just about everything else one can imagine that’s related to offshore fishing.
Much of this talk is being relayed between fishermen over their boat’s VHF radios, which allows for a little entertainment for some folks who may or may not be active offshore anglers themselves, but who enjoy eavesdropping on the action by listening to the fishermen on the radio. Nothing beats being out on the water in person, but listening-in can sure be an interesting and sometimes comical way to get closer to the action!
Unfortunately for the novice fishermen, a lot of the words and phrases local offshore anglers use in their radio conversations probably sound so foreign that one might figure they’re listening to someone speaking in a secret code. And while coded conversations are certainly not unheard of – especially during big money tournaments, confused listeners need only brush up on their “fish’n lingo” to understand what kind of messages are being sent from boat to boat. With this in mind, I submit the following definitions for a list of just a few of the words and phrases that might confuse those lacking a formal education in “fishing vocabulary”.
Slick – a patch of water that has been made smooth or “glassy” because of fish oil that has risen to the surface. Natural slicks are made when baitfish are chopped up by predator fish feeding on them. Anglers make slicks when they put oily chum in the water to attract fish to their baits.
Lit-Up – Many fish have the ability to change the intensity of their colors with their mood. When anglers describe a fish as being “lit-up”, they are typically referring to a billfish that is so excited about chasing and catching a trolled bait that all of it’s colors intensify to the point where it looks as though it’s actually glowing underwater.
Looker – A billfish that swims behind a boat and looks at, but does not eat any of the trolled baits. A looker is also known as a “window shopper.”
Natural – A word used to describe a “real” rather than an artificial bait. Natural baits are almost always dead and are rigged to troll behind the boat. Examples of natural trolling baits would be ballyhoo, mullet, squid, eels, and mackerel.
Skirt – A bright and flashy artificial attractor rigged in front of a natural trolling bait to add color and movement.
Naked Bait – A natural bait rigged to troll without a skirt or any other artificial attractor.
“Bally” or “hoo” – Short for ballyhoo, a popular baitfish used for offshore trolling.
Dredge – A dozen or more artificial or natural baits, such as ballyhoo or mullet, rigged on monofilament leaders and wire spreader bars that are pulled behind a boat in a cluster to mimic a school of fleeing baitfish. Dredges have no hooks and act as teasers to bring billfish or tuna close to the boat where they will hopefully see and go after the other hooked baits.
Spread – The entire array of baits and lures trolled behind a boat at one time.
Covered-Up – To be “covered-up” means that all the lines an angler has out (usually six or more) are hit by different fish at the same time. This usually happens when anglers troll over an entire school of hungry fish.
Chinese Fire Drill – What happens when anglers get covered-up.
Bailing – When anglers encounter a school of dolphin (fish), usually under floating debris, and cast bait to them from a drifting boat.
Bailer – A dolphin that’s small enough to lift it into the boat by grabbing the leader and flipping it over the side.
Gaffer – A dolphin that’s large enough to require the use of a gaff to bring it into the boat.
WWB – Stands for “way-way-back” and refers to trolling baits that are let out much farther than normal, sometimes 300-500 yards behind the boat, in effort to get bites from fish (usually tuna) that might otherwise be spooked away from the sound and activity of a running boat.
LTH – Stands for “long troll home” and refers to a tactic often used toward the end of the day when anglers aren’t quite ready to quit fishing, but know that they should start heading home. Here anglers will start trolling on a homeward course an hour or so before the end of the day so they can put a few extra miles behind them before they actually bring in their lines and start running hard.
Slinging Snot or Going to the Dark Side – A not so complimentary term for the practice of “chunking” whereby anglers fish from a drifting or anchored boat and cut baitfish into chunks and throw them overboard to attract tuna. These terms are most often used by anglers who would rather be trolling for their tuna.
Across The Board – Means that a tournament fishing team has paid not only the basic registration fee but also all the added entry levels (calcuttas) as well. In most tournaments, in order for a team to qualify to win the “big bucks” they typically have to be “across the board.”
Don’t ever ask a seasoned angler how their day went and expect to get a “good, fair or poor” type of answer. Instead, count on hearing something like: There was “not much to it” – meaning “poor” or “we caught some fish but the action was slow.” We had a “pick” – meaning, “fair to good” or “the action wasn’t nonstop, but it was consistent throughout the day.”
Finally, know that if you hear someone say that they killed’em, crushed’em, mugged’em, slammed’em, womped’em, stomped’em, hammered’em or murdered’em, there’s no need to call the authorities – it’s just some angler’s way of saying that they had an excellent day of fishing!
Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and Captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
