Fishing tips for beginners part 8 Terms and techniques

Hook - Made up of the eye, shank, bend and barb. You can get barb-less hooks

Treble - 3 hooks attached with 1 eye.

Leader - length from main line to lure.

Shock leader - when you are casting, for safety you need a length of leader which is 5 -7 turns on the reel then .5 times the length of your rod which is at least 10 times in lbs the breaking strain of you weight e.g. 5 oz weight = at least 50lb shock leader.

Sinker - weight.

Ball bullet - a sphere of lead with a hole for your line.

Boom - a plastic or metal device for holding your snood away from your main line or rig.

Trace / end gear - The collection of hooks, clips and booms which is the business end.

Snood - a length of line from your main line to the hook on a trace.

Rotten bottom - A weak link from your trace to your sinker. Prevents or reduces tackle loss.

Test curve - the pressure required to bend the rod.

Breaking strain - the weight your line will hold. Knots will reduce the breaking strain, it’s worth experimenting and testing different knots.

Drag - an adjustable setting on your reel increases the force required to take line off your reel.

Playing - using pressure against the fish (drag) to prevent it getting to an underwater hold and to tire it ready for the net. This is an art and you will learn how to do it being mindful of the breaking strain of your line.

Free lining - using just a hook with bait, allowing the current to take the bait.

Bait - Get fresh bait and experiment to find what works best.

Local knowledge- Ask your local tackle dealer, friends and other anglers for hints and tips for your local mark.

Balanced tackle - My soap box - Use tackle, when you become more proficient, that matches the species and environment you are fishing in.