Fly Fishing Glossary – Common Terms & Definitions

Anadromous fish – Fish that are born in freshwater, live their life in saltwater and then return to freshwater to spawn. A great example of an anadromous fish are salmon.

Backing – Line that is attached to the reel that also attached to the fly line.

Bank – Shoreline or bank of river that is above the water.

Butt – The thick end of a fly rod close to the reel seat.

B.W.O’s – Stand for blue winged olives. Small mayflies (size 14-22) that are a favorite of trout and prevalent on many rivers and streams throughout the country.  

Caddis – Caddis are aquatic insects that resemble a moth in their adult stage. They are also known as ‘sedges’. Caddis have a pupal stage that is in between the larval stage and the adult stage. An elk hair caddis and a deer hair caddis are popular dry flies.

Chalkstream – A type of stream that has a high concentration of chalk and is alkaline. It also has a great concentration of food for trout. The river Test in England is a wonderful example of a classic chalk stream and one of the best trout streams in the word.

D Ring – A type of metal or plastic ring used to attach gear or a net to. Often on wading jackets or waders.

Drag – When your fly “drags” in the current creating an unnatural presentation of a fly. The enemy of a dry fly. It is also the mechanical braking system or stopping power located on a fishing reel.

Dry fly – An artificial fly meant to imitate the adult version of a caddisfly, mayfly, stonefly, or other adult insect. Dry flies float on the surface of the water similar to the adult versions of the insects.

Ferrule – Used to connect the fly rod segments together.

Fly line – A weighted line that helps propel the fly when casting using a fly rod.

Fly rod – A type of rod used when casting flies. Contains the rod blank, reel seat, guides, and tip. Often broken down into sections and attached by using ferrules.

Guide – Metal part of a fly rod where the line slides through. There are several guides on a fly rod. Also means and individual for hire who helps a person catch and find fish in the outdoors

Leader – Attached to the fly line, helps to cast the fly. Tippet is attached to the leader and the fly is attached to the tippet. Leader can be either fluorocarbon or monofilament. Modern leaders come tapered and knotless.

Left bank – When facing downstream the bank on the left hand side is known as the left bank.

Line hand – Hand that holds the fly line.

Mayfly – An aquatic insect that spends a portion of it’s life underwater then hatches into an adult (aka dry fly). Loved by trout all over the world.

Nymphs – The first stage after the egg stage in the lifecycle of aquatic insects including mayflies and stoneflies. Imitated by nymphs that are weighted or unweighted underwater artificial representations.

P.M.D’s – Stand for pale morning duns. They are a common mayfly in sizes 16-18 from May to September.

Rod hand – The hand that holds the rod. 

Spring Creek – A limestone stream is similar to a chalk stream. It has a high concentration of aquatic life and a constant temperature – all of the things trout love!

Streamer – A type of fly that imitates a baitfish or large aquatic insect. A favorite streamer is a wooly bugger pattern.

Tenkara – A form of fly fishing that originated in Japan over 400 years ago.

Tricos – A a very small mayfly (size 20-24)  prevalent in streams in North America from July to the end of October. Trico stands for Tricorythodes (genus).

Tippet – Fluorocarbon or monofilament material that is attached to the leader and then the tippet is attached to the fly via a knot. 

Waders – A coated waterproof outfit that allows you to wade into rivers, lake, and streams and remain dry. Waders are made from coated nylon, or polyurethane and can be either boot foot (boot attached to the waders) or stocking foot. Waders come as chest waders, pants, or hip waders.

Wading boots – Used with stocking foot waders they go over the neoprene boot feet and enable you to walk in a stream, river, or lake.

Woolly bugger – A type of general streamer used as a searching pattern for trout. The woolly bugger can be tied in black, brown, and olive green colors.