These are some helpful words and phrases in common circulation amongst my fishing friends.

In no particular order.



Farmed, farming, to farm-Losing a fish due to various technical issues, mostly operator related. These issues may include but are not limited to: bad knots, dull hooks, setting the hook too early, setting the hook too late, not setting the hook at all,not paying attention, reel,rod or line problem and getting cocky,


Overalls-What your buddies say you are wearing when you farm a particular fish.

International Harvester- What you start up when you hook and land a hatchery fish.

Eye straightener-Any available implement or tool that can be used to deliver a sharp blow on the head to said hatchery fish. As in "Find me an eye straightener, this ones going on the BBQ"

Heavy Hooker-Any one who uses large saltwater tarpon hooks or any other heavy iron for the express purpose of circumventing the no weighted fly law in the summer. They use these hooks so they can exploit the deep water sanctuary and sink flies deep with a dead drift/nymph type presentation. These people can be identified easily by the cannon ball splash at the end of their line when the fly lands. They can also be identified by the pools they fish and the times they fish them. They can also be identified by the lack of any forward movement in a particular run.

Eater-A fish that,once spotted and fished to will most likely eat a fly. Can also be used to denote the handful of spring Chinook that are caught in May.

Van Man- The person driving a van that yelled at,then low holed my wife in a run and then yelled at me and my kids.This person is known by many on the river by this name.He's famous you could say....or is that infamous?

Son of Van Man-Another van driving person who is often seen in the vicinity of Van Man.

2nd Cousin of Son of Van Man- Distantly related to Van Man on his mothers side.This third van driving person always seems to be where I want to fish.

On Deck- the next person up to fish a particular run.

Benched-What happens when you are fishing with your buddies.Especially used when you hook and land a fish. You can however be benched for several other reasons including A)being too eager and pulling a dry fly away from a fish.B) Raising a fish multiple times in a single run. As in "You had your chance,you're benched" C) any other incident that involves operator error and a fish, see Farm above. Depending on how many you are fishing with,you are forbidden to fish anymore until one or both of the other friends has had a risen, missed,farmed or landed fish. Being benched is an enviable position really and one I strive for.


Plucky- A fish that moves to the fly but only lightly plucks the fly. These are often fish that eventually become eaters with the right fly change and patience. See Closer below

Closer- A confidence fly that is used after a fish has risen or shown itself to the original fly but will not come back. See Plucky above.

Seal the deal- What a closer fly often does.


High Rent District-The best holding spot and structure in a particular pool.

Suburbs- Those secondary areas where fish hold when the High Rent District is full.

Back Alley- Where fish hold when the Suburbs are full. These lies can often be far off but the fish that hold there are often grabby as they see less flies.


O Dark Thirty-The time that you need to get up to ever be able to get into the Station first in summer.

Danger Zone-An area in a particular run where you fish your fly well down into a tail out on the far side of a large rock. Any fish hooked in this area can result in lost flies,fish, lines,broken rods, and blown up reels.

Bike Chain-Various lengths of T material often needed to get down to where the fish are in winter.
 
Man's Rod-A reference to a 10ft 7wt, the only rod you really need in summer.

Hoop,Hooping or Hooped- Since the NU is a drive,walk and wade river, you fish all over the place and see many people multiple times in a day.Hooping is the act or process of getting into runs in front of  certain people(buddies, fellow guides) at various key points in the day. This is in no way to be confused with low holing as it is has everything to do with timing, shade or sunlight and is ethically pure. It has to do with being at the right place at the right time as they say.  Example " I hooped so and so all day, he was always a step behind" " I got hooped by that Jackwagon again in such and such spot" or "I've been hooping that clown all week"

Wet Footprints-The tell tale signs that someone has been in the run before you. This can be both good and bad. I have hooked many fish after encountering Wet Footprints. It is knowing when to follow those wet footprints that is key. How long have they been there? Who made them? You become like a tracker and decide what your odds are before you follow some Wet Footprints.

Gang Tackle- Fishing larger stretches of water with multiple people. "Let's go Gang Tackle the Camp Water"

Poke- Any cast made with a single hander over 80 feet. "That cast to the far side of Lisa's is a poke" or " I didn't think I could poke it over there but I found a hole in the trees and a steeple cast worked" or " I have seen that guy fish this run before and he can't make the poke" This last instance would be a time when Wet Footprints would not matter and I would fish behind this guy.



It's Slow- A general reply to individuals asking for a fishing report or mining for specific information.

Poker Face- What you hope you have when your fellow guide buddies ask how you did after a particularly good day.

Tell- That itch or twitch,mouth or eye movement from your buddy that indicates he's lying his ass off when you ask him how his day was.


They don't live there this year- What your buddy says if he is asked about a particular run that he knows you know about. He actually ripped um. However, these two phrases can be swapped at any time to actually mean what they say which adds an element of difficulty to the game. See Tell and Poker Face above.

Kite String- Any of a number of brands of backing material. As in "Did you see the Kite String melt off my Bougle?" or "That fish was a pig,he took so much line I could see the metal spool showing under my Kite String, it was getting critical."