A Fly-Fishing Primer

Here are 20 fly-fishing terms, defined by Silvio Calabi, author of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fly-Fishing, (Henry Holt & Co., 1993).

ARBOR: the spindle, or axle, of a fly reel

BUCKTAIL: animal hair used in fly tying

CREE: A mottled ginger color

DANGLIES: small gadgets that fly fishermen like to hang from their vests

FANWING: a type of dry fly

FLYMPH: a soft-hackled fly

FINGERLING: a baby fish, about the size of a finger

FLUE: the soft fibers at the base of a feather

GAPE: the bite of a hook

HAYWIRE TWIST: the strongest loop connection for tying wire to a fly

HERL: the individual barb of a feather, usually from a peacock's tail or an ostrich plume

HIPPERS: hip boots, worn to wade into brooks and streams

KYPE: a growth on the end of a trout or salmon's jaw that makes it curve upward like a hook

MATCHING THE HATCH: the dream scenario whereby an angler puts on the water an exact imitation of whatever aquatic insect is emerging

PARR: young salmon, usually 5 to 8 inches long

POPPER: a type of surface fly that produces a gurgling noise when twitched through the water

PRIEST: a club used to deliver the "last rites" to a fish that won't be released

SALTER: the sea-run form of the brook trout

SQUARE TAIL: a nickname for brook trout

SKATER: a type of high floating dry fly meant to "skate" across the water

TEASER: a hookless bait or lure used to draw a gamefish to within casting distance