Glossary

Below you will find a list of useful words and their definitions.  This list will be updated from time to time, as we come up with words that other people may not know (or if we make up new words or phrases)

Audible – (verb) a yell or curse that follows missing a fish, most significant if the fish is sighted and is large or if it is the only fish moved for the day

Babe – 1. (noun) The name of a  large blue ox found in the northwoods of North America 2. (noun) The name of Tom’s stand mixer

BOHICA – Bend over here it comes again – could be used when a large, strong fish makes another long run – alternately could be used in reference to another bad ecological decision made by the powers that govern

“Boot Sucking Mississippi Mud” – (noun) Substance found in marshy areas around many river systems.  Sneaking stuff, it tends to follow unsuspecting people around and move itself into a position to intercept them.   It feeds primarily on shoes and boots but will not hesitate to other items.

Brownliner - (noun) Fly angler who specializes in targeting unusual species or fishing in degraded or urban environments (see also ditch fishing, roughfish)

Damnation – (verb) Destroying natural river ecosystems, specifically by means of adding dams

Death March - (verb) Hiking, usually carrying heavy loads, over rough terrain such as “boot sucking mud” or steep hillsides without taking any rest breaks – spurred on most commonly by impending storms or darkness

Ditch Fishing – (verb) Angling in man-made canals or ditches, most typically in warmer climates

Fat of the Land - (noun) Any form of harvest from the land (by means of hunting, gathering, fishing, or farming) in a responsible manner,  preferably done by your own hands

Flossing – (verb) A form of fishing which looks a lot like angling but is not, where the angler drifts a hook into the open mouth of a non feeding fish.  Most often used on salmonoids when they are not biting.  This is illegal in almost all situations and places

FUBAR – Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition (sometimes people substitute other words for fouled) – a good time to might be in reference to your line after a particularly bad backcast – also could refer to some bodies of water which have been trashed to the point of no longer resembling rivers.

Hole – (noun) 1. Deep section of a river  2. Place where fish can be caught “fishing hole”  3. Something that inevitably ends up in your waders (or worse yet, canoe) and causes frustration.

Home Brew - (noun) Something that is home made.  Could be outdoor gear, flies, whatever.  Most commonly refers to Beer or Wine

Hut – 1. (noun) Structure a muskrat lives in  2. (verb) To paddle a canoe where corrections are made solely by switching sides paddled on.  AKA Minnesota Hut Stroke – after “X” many strokes the stern paddler calls out “hut” and they both switch simultaneously.  Often used by racing paddlers who are more concerned with speed than enjoying themselves.

Jägermeister – (noun) -drink made of deer’s blood or liquid awesome.  Not sure, good either way.  Useful after a day in the outdoors

J-Stroke – (verb) To correct the path of a canoe with a stroke that makes a J-shaped path in the water (made by the stern paddler).  This is actually a family of strokes and they sometimes go by names like “Canadian,” “Northwoods,” or “Indian” stroke.

Kraut – (noun) – Food made by fermenting cabbage.  Much like its cousin, kimchee, it gives the eater special powers (like spinach does for Popeye)

Leviathan - (noun) A seabeast or large fish hooking one usually leads to “Uh oh, its heading to the bad place” see below

Lifelist - (noun) - a system for keeping track of something done over a lifetime, for example species of fish landed

Lily Dip – (verb) – to slack while paddling, not carry your own weight.  This often leads to the dipper having to walk the plank…

Loogan - (noun) A person who tries to snag fish intentionally (and illegally)

Minimalist mentality - (noun) - Leaving the kitchen sink in the kitchen… Realizing that one doesn’t need a high performance bass boat to catch fish or an MP3 player to enjoy camping or other unnecessary things.

Nessie - (noun) – Name given to a creature found in Loch Ness.  Haggis soaked in Laphroaig would make the best bait

Offal – (noun) – Parts of an animal most people do not eat.  Of course they can often be quite tasty.  If you are not so inclined see Nessie

Pepie - (noun) – Name given to Plesiosaurs (like nessie) found in Lake Pepin (riverine lake between Minnesota and Wisconsin) – Unsure as to if the best bait is Sauerkraut or Lutefisk

Pink Squirrel - (noun) – 1. A fly often used for trout in the Driftless Region  2. A creature only seen after generous consumption of Laphroaig

Portage - (verb) - To haul a canoe and gear overland.  Measured in rods (16.5 ft = 1 rod).  After the 300 rod mark most people begin to wonder why they are carrying the canoe more than it is carrying them.

Punt - (verb) – To lose a fish or miss a strike from a fish.  If it becomes common you may begin to feel like it is a SNAFU

Red-Green – 1 (noun) -  The host of an excellent Canadian Television program.   2 (verb) – To fix or create something in a way not generally condoned, often making generous use of duct tape

Retrospective Fun - (noun) - Having fond memories of experiences that were not enjoyable at the time.  see also death march, slog, “uh oh, it’s going to the bad place”

River Rat – (noun) – A person who “is too stubborn to freeze to death, too full of hot air to drown, and too damn independent to call anyone boss.”

Rockfish - (noun) – Something hooked but rarely landed.  Usually results in lost tackle, swearing

Roughfish – (noun) – A group of fish that are unappreciated.  Often confused with invasive fish, native roughfish are a benefit to the river.  Many are also River Rat food staples, especially the Catfishes and Suckers

Sasquatch - (noun) – Large, ape-like creature.  Found in remote parts of the world, and sometimes on college campuses

Slog - (verb) – To travel over unpleasant terrain, such as waist deep mud.  A situation that could turn into a death march or with time maybe retrospective fun

SNAFU – Situation Normal All Fouled Up – Used any time where things going wrong becomes the norm.  Often used in reference to the environmental policies of politicians

Snotrocketliner - (noun) – A fly angler who specializes in fish of the esox family (northern pike, muskellunge, amur pike, american pickerel, or chain pickerel)

Stealth Angling - (verb) – to keep a low profile while angling, very useful around spooky fish or nosey anglers

Uisge Beatha – (noun) – The water of life.  Useful after a day in the outdoors

Yeti - (noun) – 1. Sasquatch-like creature that lives primarily at high altitude.  2. Tony’s stand mixer

“Uh oh, it’s heading to the bad place” - (verb) – when an extremely large fish (usually sturgeon, catfish, carp or buffalo)  takes off on a powerful run usually toward snag infested waters.  Thankfully these fish are never seen (from Ian Colin James’ “Fumbling with a Fly Rod.”

Wanton Waste – (verb) – to kill any creature but not use it.  Usually illegal but always unethical

White Whale – (noun) – Any specific individual creature that continually escapes you.  It can cause the angler to go off the deep end, to the point of even Ahab looking like a casual fisherman.

Wonton Waste - (verb) – to throw away wonton, rather than eat them – generally not illegal